Dive In is a global movement in the insurance sector to support the development of inclusive workplace cultures. Its mission is to enable people to achieve their potential by raising awareness of the business case and promoting positive action for diversity in all its forms. Since its birth in 2015, Dive In has grown exponentially, reaching global heights with events taking place across 35 countries world-wide, attracting more than 30,000 people. With the changing working landscape in recent years, Dive In events have been virtual, allowing for even more of a global reach.
Dive In recognises that the global risk industry is facing complex challenges such as climate change and cyber crime. In order to attract the very best talent to keep pace with the rate of change, insurance needs to focus on its reputation as a great sector to work in.
This means looking beyond traditional definitions of diversity to level the playing field for talent comprehensively including gender, gender identity, age, cultural background, sexual orientation, social mobility, faith, caring responsibilities, mental health and physical impairments.
Dive In promotes year-round best practice in diversity and inclusion with tools and advice that culminate in an annual three-day festival in September. Events are hosted in insurance firms of all types and sizes, all around the world.
Originally launched in London in 2015 by a group of firms in the Lloyd’s Market acting through D&I strategy steering group, Inclusion@Lloyd’s, Dive In has grown far beyond its roots to include some of the world’s largest insurance companies, brokers, underwriters and associated service providers.
Inclusion at Lloyd’s also supports the insurance partner networks; GIN, iDAWN, iCAN, NGIN, Insurance Families Network, LINK.
History of Dive In
2022 Festival in review
2022 saw the Dive In festival become hybrid, allowing attendees to join virtually from anywhere in the world, whilst also welcoming back in-person events. With 150 events to choose from across 40 countries, the festival saw its highest ever turnout, attracting 33,952 attendees around the world. Industry leaders and inspirational guest speakers united for the 3-day global event, breaking down geographical barriers and creating a stronger global dialogue on diversity, equity and inclusion.
The festival continued its mission of enabling people to achieve their potential by promoting positive action for diversity in all its forms. The theme for 2022 was Building Braver Cultures – both on and offline – that allow people to feel safe, respected, and free to express themselves. The theme explored how diverse groups of people think and act in the workplace in response to the environments created by both colleagues and leadership. It called on attendees to take action to build working cultures where all people are recognised and empowered to speak and behave authentically.
In the UK, events explored topics from burn out to (peri)menopause, whereas in the US they delved into the importance of religious equality for the first time. New Zealand and Indonesia both hosted events on addressing ageism and in Singapore they discussed the links between wellbeing and hybrid work.
2021 Festival in review
Building upon the success of 2020’s virtual festival, Dive in 2021 was also fully online, allowing attendees to join from anywhere in the world, facilitating conversations about diversity and inclusion on a global scale. In fact, the festival featured 145 events from across 35 different countries, attracting over 31,000 attendees around the world.
2021’s theme was Active Allyship, an incredibly important anchor narrative for all of the year’s events. The theme acted as a rallying cry for those involved to create and empower diversity and inclusion allies to take action and make an impact in their organisations.
D&I has become a central, driving force within organisations around the world, for it to be truly embedded it is the responsibility of everyone to make changes every day by being educated, equipped, and empowered to understand how to be active allies and champions for all.
In Italy, events looked at work-life balance and parenting support, whereas in Singapore the focus was on workplace responses to domestic violence. Nigeria hosted an event on the generation gap and Dive In Hong Kong discussed empowerment through inclusive communication, while the UK looked at embracing the power of neurodiversity.
We expect Dive In to follow on from the success of last years event and hope that you can join us on the 27 – 29 of September for Dive In 2022…
2020 Festival in review
2020 was a pivotal year for the Dive In festival, when the sixth festival for diversity and inclusion in insurance went fully online for the first time. The new virtual format meant its global impact was truly felt as festival go-ers were able choose from 144 online events taking place in 35 countries, all around the world. As a result, the festival saw its highest turnout with over 30,000 attendees, almost three times that of the previous year.
Against a backdrop of a global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, the festival
welcomed 503 speakers on a range of pressing topics from racial equality to mental health, guided by the theme of authenticity and perspective.
In Nigeria, CNBC anchor Esther Awoniyi facilitated a panel on gender diversity within the Nigerian insurance sector, whilst in Switzerland speakers from across the industry took part in an emotive discussion on experiences of racism and xenophobia. Events in India and Japan delved into the importance of generational diversity, as Australia tackled the issue of indigenous inclusion featuring Aussie rules footballer and race activist, Adam Goodes. Back in the UK, events focused on using ‘Allyship’ and ‘White Privilege’ for positive change.
2019 Festival in review
Twenty nineteen marked a milestone year for the Dive In festival, which celebrated its fifth anniversary. It celebrated with a record number of events taking place around the world: 133 events in 65 cities across 32 countries, welcoming events in Bahrain, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria for the very first time.
The 2019 festival invited attendees to consider ways to make an impact, under the theme of #inclusionimpact. Since its inception in 2015, the Dive In Festival has sought to accelerate the progress of D&I within the global insurance industry, highlighting the business case for diverse and inclusive workplaces, providing practical ideas and inspiration for how to bring about positive change.
Headline speakers included Frank Bruno, Esther Rantzen, Mary Portas and Reggie Yates in the UK covering topics from mental health to stamping out bullying and harassment. Events also covered previously unchartered topics by the festival including fertility, neurodiversity, and domestic abuse. Events in Tokyo discussed paternity leave in Japan for the first time and events in Cologne reviewed the language of gender. Mental health was an emerging theme all over the world with events held on the topic in Taipei, Manchester, Birmingham, and Bratislava.
2018 Festival in review
Dive in Festival reached global heights in 2018 with events taking place in over 50 cities across 27 countries worldwide and attracting more than 9,000 people, in locations including Saudi Arabia and Jordan for the first time.
After three years of raising awareness of the business case for D&I, the 2018 campaign: ‘Awareness into Action’ urged festival-goers to take practical tools and advice from Dive In events back to their organisations under the call to action: #Time4Inclusion.
International locations shared steps to advance the D&I agenda. In Riyadh the event tied into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, pledging to build a culture that provides opportunities for all and helps everyone acquire the necessary skills to achieve their personal goals. Attendees in Amman heard from Mayyada Abu-Jaber, the renowned female activist and inspirational leader who discussed her lifetime dedication to female empowerment. In Poland, another new location for 2018, business leader and keynote Anna Jakubowski spoke alongside Paralympic hand cyclist Rafal Wilk in Wroclaw.
2017 Festival in review
The third festival in 2017 comprised 95 events with 7,895 attendees in 32 cities across 17 countries, including Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, and Mumbai for the first time.
The theme of the 2017 festival was the Diversity Dividend, driving the business case for D&I. UK speakers included Jonny Benjamin and Neil Laybourn who tackled mental health in the workplace, Dr.Michael Kimmel on why gender equality is good for men too, and a series of CEOs from within insurance who shared strategies to achieve their D&I targets. International cities hosted equally impressive speakers from the likes of international actress Nandita Das in Mumbai alongside the General Insurance Corporation of India and the CII, to former professional basketball player Emmeline Ndongue-Jouanin in Paris sharing her personal vision of diversity and why it’s crucial for teamwork.
A quarter of the festival’s 7,000+ attendees participated in research revealing that 96% agreed diversity and inclusion was good for business. Sixty-eight per cent of first-time festival goers said their understanding of the issues had changed as a result.
2016 Festival in review
Dive In, the market-wide festival for D&I in insurance, went global in its second year in September 2016. The three-day event attracted over 5,000 attendees and 170 speakers across 10 countries. With the theme of risk and opportunity, the rallying call was ‘Don’t get left behind!’. Panel events with industry leaders underscored the bottom line benefits of diverse workforces and inclusive businesses.
Events were helps in multiple locations around the world, from Bermuda to Zurich. Well-known figures inspired audiences with personal stories of overcoming challenges of mental health and discrimination, while workshops with experts in inclusion unlocked unconscious bias, and webinars focused on challenges such as new fathers in the workplace and employees with caring responsibilities for ageing parents.
During 2016, the Dive In Festival was recognised for being the first sector-wide event of its kind, picking up 6 Diversity and engagement awards from British Insurance, Insurance Times, Insurance Day, Marketing Week, CorpComms magazine, PRCA and shortlist commendations from Guardian Sustainable Business, Sabre Awards, ENEI and CIPR.
2015 Festival in review
Dive In, the first Lloyd’s market-wide festival for diversity and inclusion in insurance was held in September 2015. The brainchild of Inclusion@ Lloyd’s, the four day event attracted more than 1,700 people to its free sessions and engaged its audience on the business case for diversity and inclusion.
Well known faces such as Gok Wan, John Barnes MBE, and Sophie Christiansen OBE spoke about implementing positive changes in the workplace and the business case for D&I.
Dive In’s Instagram coverage was displayed in the Lloyd’s foyer and the festival even trended two points ahead of the Labour Party Conference on Twitter on September 29. The audience profile of print, online and radio coverage meant news of the festival reached over 16 million people.
Support for Dive In came from across the Lloyd’s market, with sponsorship from 33 companies, including AIG, Aon, Hiscox, Marsh, Willis and Zurich. The message to all those who attended was clear: diversity and inclusion are good for business.