Dive In Festival celebrates 10 years with record global impact

Dive In, the world’s largest diversity and inclusion (D&I) festival, celebrated its 10-year anniversary from 24-26 September, breaking attendance records with over 45,000 sign-ups from 81 countries. 

Under the theme “A Sustainable Future: The Next 10 Years,” the hybrid festival featured 133 events across 46 countries and six continents, led by over 450 speakers who explored key topics such as multi-generational workforces, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, leadership, disability, racial inclusion and gender equity. 

For the second consecutive year, Dive In events received CII CPD accreditation, allowing festival participants to apply learning hours toward their annual professional development and continuous education requirements. 

Members of the following global organisations can benefit from this accreditation: 

• Australia and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) 

• Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) 

• Indonesia Insurance Institute (AAMAI) 

• Insurance Institute of Kenya (IIK) 

• The Institutes (US) 

• Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Institute (TTII) 

Most Dive In Festival events are available to stream on the Dive In Festival Events Platform until the end of October, after which they will be accessible on Dive In’s YouTube channel. 

Participants can claim CPD hours by watching festival sessions throughout the year, aligning with Dive In’s commitment to fostering ongoing awareness of D&I issues. 

This year’s headline speakers included Olympic champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who discussed the role of trust in effective leadership, and rugby union player Topsy Ojo, who spoke about gender equity. 

Their insights complemented a wide range of topics covered at the festival, including multigenerational workforces, with discussions held in India, Taiwan, Italy, Switzerland, and Brazil, highlighting the growing age diversity in workplaces. 

Neurodiversity gained significant attention in Australia, the UK, and Poland, while disability inclusion was explored in the UK, Australia, and Italy. Gender equity also took centre stage in New Zealand, Greece, Luxembourg, Singapore, and the USA. 

The festival featured engaging formats, such as a live debate in the UK exploring D&I under far-right pressures, and open conversations in Australia that encouraged participants to ask challenging questions to individuals from diverse backgrounds. 

Leadership’s impact on driving D&I efforts was a major theme, with standout sessions like Xavier Ramey’s in Chicago, USA, highlighting the need for equitable leadership.  

Event reports will be available on the Dive In Festival website from mid-November, offering insights and actionable takeaways from this year’s speakers. 

Yulia Hayward, Senior Dive In Programme Manager, remarked on the festival’s remarkable growth: “Year on year, Dive In continues to break its own records for sign-ups and international participation. 

From 18 events in London, we’ve grown to 133 events across 46 countries on six continents and have been joined by an outstanding calibre of speakers that have shed light on the importance of developing inclusive workplace cultures. 

This year, our goal was to showcase the progress over the last ten years, while identifying specific areas where we still have room to improve.” 

She continued, “It’s been remarkable to witness Dive In’s journey to becoming a reputable global movement across the insurance industry and beyond. As Dive In enters its eleventh year, we’re incredibly inspired to continue our journey in promoting proactive improvement for diversity in all its forms.” 

Dan Burrows, Group CEO of Fidelis Insurance Group, a global specialty insurer headquartered in Bermuda, reflected on the growth of Dive In as a new Global Festival Partner for 2024: “Bermuda has been a key part of Dive In from the early days, and becoming a Global Festival Partner this year felt like a natural next step for us. 

We’ve long witnessed the festival’s positive impact on diversity and inclusion across the insurance industry, and we wanted to deepen our commitment to that mission. 

Dive In does incredible work championing D&I initiatives in the industry all year round, and we are delighted to have been a part of this year’s festival. We look forward to continuing our support of Dive In and being a part of the valuable impact it has in highlighting the importance of creating an equitable environment where all individuals, regardless of their background, can thrive and contribute to the industry’s growth and innovation.” 

This year the festival was supported by 32 Global Festival Partners, including: Africa Specialty Risks, AIG, Aon, Arch Capital Group, Aviva, AXA, Axis Capital, BMS, Chubb, Clyde & Co, CNA, Everest, Fidelis Insurance Group, Gallagher, Guidewire, Howden, Kennedys, KPMG, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Lloyd’s, Lockton Re, Markel, Marsh McLennan, Munich RE, MS Amlin, RenaissanceRe, RGA, Scor, Sompo, Swiss Re, Tokio Marine Kiln and WTW.