Insurance News magazine August/September 2026
Diving for the finish line
The insurance industry’s annual diversity, culture and talent festival is back for the last time
By Miranda Maxwell
The final instalment of Dive In will take place from September 22-24 with the theme “the human gAIn: powering culture and connection”.
The insurance industry’s diversity and inclusion festival, celebrating its 12th and last year, will examine how human qualities can work hand in hand with emerging technology. Several events are scheduled in Australia.
On September 22, Building High-Performance Teams With an Inclusive Mindset will explore how varied perspectives help teams adapt, grow and reach success in an evolving world. Sponsored by AIG and Marsh, the session will also explore teams comprising people and AI agents, and the management practices required to optimise outcomes from both.
“Whether [you are] returning to celebrate more than a decade of progress or joining for the first time, Dive In 2026 offers the chance to be part of one of the insurance industry’s defining global conversations on culture, talent and the future of work,” organisers say.
Two local sessions will take place on September 24. In The Power of Human Connection – hosted by Steadfast and sponsored by Lloyd’s – speed artist and creative innovator Sarah Rowan will use storytelling and live art to explore how creativity can help organisations navigate change and uncertainty.
“Rowan has become a passionate advocate for unlocking human potential, encouraging people to challenge conventional thinking,” Steadfast says.
On the same day, The Governance of Innovation: Our Commitment to Combating Bias in AI will be hosted by Guidewire at 135 King Street, Sydney.
Using an interactive “design jam”, participants will work through real scenarios where AI is augmenting human decision-making in insurance.
The industry’s annual diversity, culture and talent festival began in 2015. Last year, its tagline was for the first time not “diversity and inclusion” but “culture and talent”, after the US cut its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The opening session in London drew protests and accusations of “hypocrisy” over the underwriting of fossil fuel projects and arms manufacturers.
Organiser Lloyd’s has since been consulting on a “new direction” for culture, skills and talent, and a new program to be delivered through mentoring, networks, leadership and early-career support in “an accessible format for the market”.
Chief people officer Nathan Adams says the challenges facing the market – from skills shortages to technological change – “demand a clear, ongoing focus, not just a single moment in the calendar”.
Continued collaboration between Lloyd’s and the industry is vital to ensure insurance is doing all it can to remain open, inclusive and accessible to the broadest possible range of global talent, he says.
WTW head of inclusion and diversity Jen Denby says it is important to remember that Dive In started conversations “we once never thought possible”. Companies have invested to ensure workplaces are inclusive, and this has been embedded into corporate values and strategy.
And Lloyd’s head of culture, talent and communities Mark Lomas says Dive In has been instrumental in encouraging broader talent pools.
“As AI reshapes the way we work, there has never been a more important time to discuss and debate how we maximise new ways of working for the benefit of all colleagues,” he says. “Dive In is uniquely placed to do this.”
This year’s festival will “underline the enduring importance of human judgment, empathy and leadership, as technological developments, including AI, continue to reshape the workplace and the workforce”, he says.
See the full list of events here.
