Marsh's Maria Connor on neurodiversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion at work

Neurodiversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion are everyday realities for Maria Connor, shaping both their professional work and their advocacy. As a Senior Analyst in Insurance Operations at Marsh, Maria combines technical expertise with a strong commitment to equity, visibility and belonging. Drawing on lived experience as an AuDHD, asexual, non-binary person, Maria discusses supportive networks, educating colleagues, and highlights the strengths neurodiverse people bring to the workplace.

Please introduce yourself and describe your role at your workplace.

I’m Maria Connor, and I’m a Senior Analyst in Insurance Operations at Marsh, administering specialist insurance cover for commercial clients in the Aviation and Aerospace sector. I’ve been at Marsh for around ten years, and I’m active in Marsh’s LGBTQ+ Colleague Resource Group, Marsh Pride, and our Neurodiversity (ND) Lived Experience Group, working to educate colleagues, advocate for inclusive practices and build community support in our shared workplace.

Outside work, I’m an enthusiastic crafter, and my other interests include history, corvids, gothic and weird literature, Welsh language and Dungeons & Dragons, and I am a member of the LGBTQ+ Pride and Social Responsibility groups at Norwich Unitarian Universalist chapel.

Can you share your experiences as a neurodiverse person in the workplace, particularly any challenges you have faced and how you have overcome them?

I received my diagnosis for ADHD and Autism several years after I joined Marsh, so my first challenge was processing my diagnosis, and later understanding how my neurodiversity influenced my experience at work and in general. I struggled with distraction, keeping track of tasks and managing my time—all part of executive function. The usual tools suggested for this weren’t really effective for me. Researching neurodiversity in Marsh resources and external ADHD and Autism support organisations helped me find what adaptations might work for me, and I was surprised how a small adjustment like headphones with white noise or anti-glare software had a big impact on my fatigue.

I’ve also found tremendous value in connecting with a Neurodiversity (ND) Colleague Network: having this space where I feel seen and affirmed as an ND person has boosted my mental wellbeing, and it’s a fantastic resource for sharing information and gaining perspective.

Share with us some personal successes or achievements you are proud of as a neurodiverse person in your professional life.

My office holds open days for local high schools and sixth forms so the students and their teachers can find out about career opportunities at Marsh, and I’ve represented Insurance Operations and the Colleague Resource Groups. I’ve talked about my experiences as a visibly ND colleague at Marsh with ND students, giving them information about how Marsh fosters an inclusive workplace culture and encouraging students to explore a career in insurance.

I’ve enjoyed writing for many years, so I’ve put my skills to use contributing to the Marsh Pride newsletter, with a particular interest on the intersections of LGBTQ+ and other identities, including disability, neurodiversity and gender. These pieces were shared across our UK offices, giving colleagues a starting point on key LGBTQ+ issues and signposting further resources and support for colleagues.

How do you see the intersectionality of being neurodiverse and belonging to the LGBTQ+ community?

Research has shown that a higher percentage of neurodiverse people identify as LGBTQ+ compared to the overall population, and I see many parallels in LGBTQ+ and ND experiences. I’m AuDHD and Asexual: both of those identities are present wherever I show up, but most people have limited or no knowledge of either, and this feeling of being ‘invisible’ is very isolating.

I also see similarities between the way that different conditions under the ND umbrella overlap, coexist and interact and the variety of identities within LGBTQ+ communities. I feel this can be a reminder that identities and related terms within a community have an important function, but lived experience is complex and has more nuance than we can fully describe using fixed categories.

Additionally, understanding myself as a ND person and LGBTQ+ has been a process of discovery, both in recognising how my AuDHD expresses itself, and also realising I was asexual. Exploring my asexuality led me to question my assumptions about gender identity and I’ve since come to identify as non-binary. I feel there’s great value in being willing to sit with your questioning and uncertainty instead of forcing yourself into a single box.

Share with us a personal story or experience where you felt empowered and embraced as a neurodiverse person in the workplace, especially during the celebration of Neurodiversity Week.

During Marsh’s partnership with Ambitious about Autism, I participated in the ND Lived Experience, examining policies and procedures through the lens of our own experiences of working in Marsh as a ND person.

I’d observed that the majority of discussions about ND differences in and out of the workplace focused on challenges and difficulties, so I put forward the idea of a webinar showcasing fellow ND colleagues and their positive experiences of being ND. It explored how they used their ND traits to succeed and the things they appreciate about their neurodiversity.

I had no previous experience of hosting a panel interview or recording with specialist AV tools but working with our liaison at Ambitious about Autism and the volunteer interviewees, I chaired a panel interview that was released on our Marsh Intranet as part of the events programme for World Autism Acceptance Month. It's so important that ND education and awareness is based in ND individuals, their experiences and needs, and I’m proud to be involved in communicating those experiences to a wider Marsh audience.