Lloyd’s pulls plug on Dive In

The move, announced this afternoon (17 April), marks a significant shift in how the London market intends to drive diversity and inclusion, replacing the annual global event with a more continuous and embedded programme.

Lloyd’s stated it will run a structured consultation from May to July 2026, working with the festival’s sponsors, brokers, managing agents, market bodies and early-career professionals to design a new global initiative.

The commercial challenges facing our market now – from skills shortages to technological change – demand a clear ongoing focus, not just a single moment in the calendar

Nathan Adams, Lloyd’s

The new programme will focus on learning, mentoring, networks, thought leadership and early careers support, with the aim of making it more accessible across the market.

Dive In, launched in 2015 by then Lloyd’s CEO Inga Beale, has grown into a major international initiative, engaging tens of thousands of participants across more than 50 countries.

Nathan Adams, chief people officer at Lloyd’s, said the festival had been “a hugely successful initiative” that created a foundation for the next phase of work on culture and talent.

He added that evolving market conditions meant the industry needed to go further.

“The commercial challenges facing our market now – from skills shortages to technological change – demand a clear, ongoing focus, not just a single moment in the calendar,” he said.

End of era

The final Dive In festival will take place in September 2026 and the theme will be The human gAIn: Powering Culture & Connection.

Adams said the event would celebrate the initiative’s impact over the last decade while also acting as a launchpad for the new programme.

The announcement follows a turbulent period for the festival. 

It comes after several of last year’s events were marked by climate change activists stepping onto the stage, and following the London market opening an investigation into the conduct of former CEO John Neal after reports of a workplace relationship.

The decision to wind down Dive In also comes amid wider speculation about the future of inclusion initiatives, with rumours in recent months suggesting Lloyd’s could end funding for inclusion networks after 2027.

The theme of this year’s Dive In, of which Insurance Post is once again media partner, reflects the growing intersection between human skills and technology, particularly as artificial intelligence continues to reshape roles across the insurance value chain.

Reflecting on more than a decade of the festival, Nick Line, chief underwriting officer at CFC and chair of Inclusion@Lloyd’s and Dive In, said the event had played a key role in driving cultural change across the industry.

"I’ve seen first-hand the role the festival has played in opening up important conversations and helping drive cultural change across the industry.

"For me, the festival has always been about insurance being an industry where anyone, from different communities around the world, who has the talent and the ambition to succeed, feels they can belong and build a career," he said.

"I look forward to the market engaging in the consultation to develop the new, broader approach. 

"Continued collaboration between Lloyd’s and the market is vital to ensure that the industry is doing all it can to remain open, inclusive and accessible to the broadest possible range of global talent."