OREANDA-NEWS.  Willis Group Holdings (NYSE:WSH), the global risk advisory, re/insurance broking and human capital and benefits firm, is pleased to announce its support for a new London market-wide collaboration to host a diversity and inclusion festival: Dive In.

The Inclusion@Lloyd’s ‘Dive In’ festival is a joint initiative between the Corporation of Lloyd’s, International Underwriting Association (IUA), London & International Insurance Brokers' Association (LIIBA), and the Lloyd's Market Association (LMA).Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH), the global risk advisory, re/insurance broking and human capital and benefits firm, is pleased to announce its support for a new London market-wide collaboration to host a diversity and inclusion festival: Dive In.

Willis is an official partner and will host two headline events in a programme of free sessions designed to promote the business case and relevance of diversity and inclusion for the insurance sector.

Dive In events will be hosted at venues across EC3 from 29 September – 2 October 2015, with speakers including

John Barnes, Lord

John Browne,

Jane Hill, Marcus Trescothick,

Angie Peacock and

Gok Wan.

On Tuesday 29th of September, Willis will host an event at its headquarters on Lime Street in London directed at inclusive leadership, gender equality and developing high potential women. Speakers on the day include

Inga Beale, CEO, Corporation of Lloyd’s,

Mike McGavick, CEO of XL Catlin and

Jane Hill, BBC News Presenter.

On Friday 2nd of October, Willis will host a second event on workability, with a personal account of dealing with depression in a work context. The speaker will be Marcus Trescothick, English cricketer, speaker and presenter.

Nicolas Aubert, CEO of Willis GB, said: “Having a diverse workforce makes good business sense. People with different experiences and backgrounds enrich our business with diversity of thought, skills and creative ideas and can help us better serve our global clients and reach out to new markets. From a talent perspective, our industry needs to get better at attracting the best talent if we are to continue to compete effectively in a global market.”

He added: “We recognise that in order to achieve this we need to create an inclusive workplace where people’s individual contribution is valued, where we leverage their diverse talents and where they can succeed in achieving their full potential. At Willis we are committed to doing just that and are proud to announce that we are one of the major sponsors for Dive In – the first market-wide festival for diversity and inclusion in insurance.”

About Willis

Willis Group Holdings the global risk advisory, re/insurance broking and human capital and benefits firm. With roots dating to 1828, Willis operates today on every continent with more than 18,000 employees in over 400 offices. Willis offers its clients superior expertise, teamwork, innovation and market-leading products and professional services in risk management and transfer. Our experts rank among the world’s leading authorities on analytics, modelling and mitigation strategies at the intersection of global commerce and extreme events.