The finalists for the 2026 Diversity & Inclusion in Insurance Awards have been revealed, recognising individuals, organisations and employee networks championing mental health, LGBTQ+ inclusion, disability equality, neurodiversity, racial equity and social mobility across the insurance industry.
Organised by Insurance Post in partnership with the Insurance Cultural Awareness Network (iCAN), the awards celebrate the people and organisations working to create a more inclusive insurance industry. The annual awards recognise contributions spanning inclusive recruitment, workplace wellbeing, gender and racial equality, disability awareness, employee empowerment and leadership.
This year’s finalists include individuals and teams from major insurers and professional services organisations, including Aviva, AXA, Allianz, Beazley, DAC Beachcroft, Kennedys, Markel, Marsh, NFU Mutual, QBE and Zurich.
RECOGNISING THE PEOPLE DRIVING CHANGE
The 2026 awards recognise both individual advocacy and organisation-wide approaches to diversity and inclusion, with finalists selected across 18 categories. Categories include Mental Health Advocate of the Year, LGBTQ+ Champion of the Year, Disability Inclusion Advocate of the Year, Gender Equality Champion of the Year and Race Equality Champion of the Year.
There is also recognition for those advancing neurodiversity inclusion and social mobility, as well as emerging talent and workplace allies. Beyond individual achievements, the awards recognise employee resource groups, inclusive recruitment strategies, collaborative initiatives and organisational leadership, reflecting the importance of embedding inclusion into everyday workplace practices.
2026 AWARD FINALISTS
This year’s finalists, by category, include:
Mental Health Advocate of the Year
- Carl Day – Apollo
- Diana Ghirardi – QBE
- Bethany Griffiths – LifeSearch
- Dawn Morby – Financial Affairs Insurance Solutions
- Elisse Penney – Allied World Assurance
- Alice Scott – Asta
LGBTQ+ Champion of the Year
- Ash Daniells – Kennedys
- Becky Evans – NFU Mutual, Mutual Pride
- Amanda Hilton – DAC Beachcroft
- Erik Johnson – Markel International
- Maisie McCarthy – Beazley
- Mathew McGee – DAC Beachcroft
- Ruben van Schalkwyk – Aon
- Morgan Walton – Marsh
Disability Inclusion Advocate of the Year
- Peter Hamilton – Zurich
- Tony Jameson – NFU Mutual, enABLE
Gender Equality Champion of the Year
- Liisa Antola – The ABI
- Hannah Copestake – Zurich
- Lauren Sadowski – for work at DAC Beachcroft
- Becs Smith – Gender Inclusion Network
- Natalie Winters – AXA UK
- Maddie Wintle and Alvyda Tamuleviciene – NFU Mutual, Gender Equity Network (GEN)
- Ellen White – Tokio Marine Kiln
Race Equality Champion of the Year
- Tracey Fisher and Alisha Challinor – Intact Insurance
- Maria Georgiou – QBE
- Seema Kalidas and Ann Issacs – DAC Beachcroft
Neurodiversity Inclusivity Champion of the Year
- Karl Collier and Warren Poyner – NFU Mutual, Neurodiversity Network
- Amy Gale – AXA UK
- Sarah Kirk – LifeSearch
- Vic Mazonas – GAIN (Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment & Neurodiversity)
Social Mobility Champion of the Year
- Jane Andrews – Direct Line Motability
- Kirat Kaur Nandra – Insurance Families Network
- Social Mobility Strategy Group – Covea Insurance
- Donna Scully – Carpenters
D&I Rising Star of the Year
- Layal AlHarahsha – Sedgwick
- Elise Betts – WTW
- Demikel Evans – Allianz Commercial
- CJ De Guzman – Markel International
- Isabel Melton – Tokio Marine Kiln
- Eve Hesketh – Kennedys
- Hufsah Sajid – Aviva
D&I Ally of the Year
- Alex Clegg – Allianz
- Ian Dye – Ryan Specialty
- Sam Hamblin – Zurich
- Janine Heath – CNA Hardy
- Dawn Merrett – Beazley
ORGANISATIONAL, NETWORK AND COLLABORATION FINALISTS
D&I Staff Empowerment Award
- Beazley
- Collinson Group
- CRIF
- LexisNexis Risk Solutions
- Markerstudy Group
The Progressive D&I Recruitment Award
- Clyde & Co
- Chaucer Group
- CNA Hardy
- Hiscox
- Munich Re
- SiriusPoint
- Starr
- Zurich
The D&I Collaboration Award
- Beazley and How Do You Do IT?
- Clyde & Co and The Purpose Coalition
- ISC Group-led initiative, collaborating with Marsh, WTW, the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and the Insurance Museum
- Liberty Specialty Markets and Thomas Pocklington Trust – Get Set Progress
- Markel and the Brownlee Foundation
- Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, David Kirk (Chubb), Alex O’Brien (Chubb) and Alfie Cobden (Howden)
- Tokio Marine HCC International (TMHCCI) and Hestia
- Zurich and Ambitious About Autism
Employee Resource Group (ERG) of the Year
- Aviva Muslim Network
- Aviva’s Social Mobility Working Group
- Beazley Families Network
- Employees Driving Gender Equality (EDGE) – Zurich
- Ethnicity Network Group (ENG) – Tokio Marine Kiln
- Markel’s International Inclusion Network
- Marsh Pride UK
- Mutual Pride – NFU Mutual
- QBE Open Mind
- RISE (Race, Inclusion, Support and Empowerment) – AXA XL
Diversity & Inclusion Network of the Year
- ACCESS
- Gender Equity Network (GEN)
- Insurance Institute of Ipswich, Suffolk & North Essex – I&D Sub-committee
- LTL Collective (Ladies That Lunch Collective)
- SPECTRUM
- The Collective Network
- The M Word Menopause Support Group
Inclusive Insurance Product/Service of the Year
The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on 17 November.
Internal D&I Initiative of the Year
- Black Professionals Development Programme – AXA UK
- Domestic Abuse Fund for Colleagues Affected by Domestic Abuse – AXA UK
- Inclusion Markets – NFU Mutual
- Intact Insurance Liverpool Archive Initiative
- Liberty’s Development & Sponsorship Programme
- LifeSearch Diversity Squads
- Race Action Plan (RAP) – DAC Beachcroft
- Reciprocal Mentoring – Kennedys
- #YouCanToo – Covea
- Social Mobility and Regional Accents – Zurich
RECOGNISING D&I CHAMPIONS AND LEADERS
Alongside the workplace networks and organisational initiatives, the awards recognise individuals demonstrating leadership and sustained commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion across the insurance industry.
The D&I Champion Award
- Tasmin Begum – Howden
- Harry Benham – QBE
- Karin Bosch – SSP UK&I
- Niala Butt – Liberty Specialty Markets
- Cherina Darrell-Hibbert – NFU Mutual
- Janthana Kaenprakhamroy – Tapoly
- Yessica Lerma – Liberty Specialty Markets
- Jo Portlock – LexisNexis Risk Solutions
- Jennifer Williams – Marsh
The D&I Leader Award
- Shilpa Acharya – Marsh
- Sam Franks – Beazley
- Vicki Graham – NFU Mutual
- Emma Higgins – QBE International
- Dr Julie Humphreys – Markel
- Seema Kalidas and Ann Issacs – DAC Beachcroft
- Alessandro Lezzi – Beazley
BUILDING A MORE INCLUSIVE INSURANCE INDUSTRY
The breadth of this year’s shortlist highlights the different ways individuals and organisations are seeking to advance workplace inclusion across the insurance sector. From employee networks supporting LGBTQ+ colleagues, racial equality and neurodiversity to initiatives addressing domestic abuse, social mobility and inclusive recruitment, the finalists represent a wide range of approaches to strengthening workplace culture.
The recognition of cross-industry collaborations also underlines the role partnerships can play in creating opportunities for underrepresented talent and addressing barriers that extend beyond individual organisations. Together, the categories reflect the importance of translating diversity and inclusion commitments into practical action, whether through leadership accountability, employee support, recruitment, career progression or more inclusive services.
AWARDS CEREMONY
The winners of the Diversity & Inclusion in Insurance Awards 2026 will be announced on Tuesday 17 November at The Underglobe in London. The event is organised by Insurance Post in partnership with iCAN, an independent network supporting multicultural inclusion and professional development across the insurance industry.
For further details about the awards and event information, click here.
RELATED ARTICLES
The shortlist for the European Diversity Awards 2026 has been announced, celebrating the individuals and organisations driving meaningful progress on diversity, equity and inclusion across Europe.
The finalists for the MEFA Diversity & Inclusion Awards 2026 have been announced, recognising individuals, organisations and campaigns advancing diversity, representation and inclusion across the UK’s media and advertising industry.
The 2026 inclusion in Awards finalists recognise the leaders, teams and initiatives creating measurable change across hospitality, travel, leisure and retail, from inclusive leadership and employee networks to social mobility and workplace wellbeing.
Employee networks and inclusion leaders working behind the scenes to create fairer, more inclusive workplaces have been recognised at the Employee Network Awards 2026, celebrating the people turning workplace inclusion from words into meaningful action.
Individuals and organisations tackling inequality, strengthening communities and widening inclusion across Britain have been recognised at the 2026 National Diversity Awards.
The winners of this year’s British Diversity Awards are announced, recognising the individuals and organisations leading the charge for DEI across the UK.
