Showcasing best practice from across the globe
Since its launch in 2015, Dive In, the festival for diversity and inclusion in insurance, has grown exponentially. In 2018 it reached new heights 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 focused on raising awareness of the business case for diversity and inclusion, Dive In 2018 launched with an overarching objective to turn ‘Awareness into Action’. Attendees were urged to take practical tools and advice from Dive In events back to their workplace to bring about positive change within their own organisations.
The 2018 annual theme ‘Time for Inclusion’ was grounded in real insights from the previous festival. CEOs from across the industry had pointed out that time is the biggest barrier to achieving inclusive cultures in their organisations. 2018 events reinforced that it is time to act on inclusion and encouraged festival goers to carve out time deliberately to help foster inclusive workplaces.
International locations equally shared steps to advance the D&I agenda. Events in Riyadh and Amman explored female empowerment in a male-dominated industry. 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 speaker Anna Jakubowski spoke alongside Paralympic hand cyclist Rafal Wilk in Wroclaw.
In contrast to the excitement of the new, we had the reassurance of the familiar in San Antonio, when North America festival stalwarts and regional co-ordinators from Willis Towers Watson and Margaret Resce Milkint (The Jacobson Group) moderated a panel of expert speakers following a TED-style talk focused on the insurance industry’s inclusion journey so far.
On the other side of the world, in Australia, Sydney was one of five cities hosting events. Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane also participated with a wide range of events that kicked off on the 25th when QBE hosted the CEO of the Diversity Council of Australia, Lisa Annese, to talk about the power of LGBTIQ+ Inclusion.
All of the work programming the events with engaging speakers and memorable content found its mark. Global research among 9,000+ Dive In registered attendees across 27 countries found that the 93% of insurance professionals believe managers have finally got the message that diversity and inclusion are good for business and are taking positive steps forward – highlighting the impact of Dive In to date. The survey also found that more than three-quarters of respondents (82%) say that their views on the importance of diversity and inclusion have changed positively since the festival started in 2015.
At the end of 2018, Inclusion@Lloyd’s confirmed that it would continue to mandate Dive In into 2019 in response to industry demand.
