Dame Inga Beale DBE

The former CEO of Lloyd’s of London, Dame Inga Beale is a British businesswoman with over four decades of experience in the financial services sector. Inga led the global insurance market through a dramatic period of modernisation, opening the Lloyd’s Innovation Lab, expanding the company’s global access, and challenging the ‘old boys’ club’ image of the 330-year-old institution.

Prior to joining Lloyd’s, Inga held a variety of international leadership positions for GE Insurance Solutions, before becoming Group CEO of Swiss reinsurer Converium. She was then on the Global Management Board of Zurich Insurance Group, until she became Group CEO of Canopius, one of the top insurers in Lloyd’s market.

During her time at Lloyd’s, Inga developed a culture of innovation, modernisation, and inclusion. She expanded the company’s reach to new, high-growth markets including Asia and the Middle East and delivered some of Lloyd’s strongest financial results. As the first female CEO of Lloyd’s, she played a key role in changing cultural perceptions and highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion. Under her leadership, Lloyd’s launched a number of diversity initiatives, including the Dive In Festival, which grew to become the only world-wide insurance industry diversity and inclusion event.

Drawing on her experience at Lloyd’s, Inga discusses what it means to lead cultural change and steer a company through a technological transition without losing its core character. Her talks uncover how successful transformation means establishing a balance between tradition and history, and modernity and innovation. Moreover, she tackles breaking glass ceilings, and building inclusive environments within the workplace. Inga also analyses the reasons behind a lack of trust in both governments and the corporate sector, as well as the rise in public emphasis on corporate responsibility, purpose, ethics, and sustainable business models.

Inga is a Patron of Insuring Women’s Futures, an alliance of insurance and personal finance professionals helping to improve women’s long-term financial resilience. She served as a member of Stonewall’s Development Council and was awarded a Damehood for her influential work in driving the inclusion agenda for women and the LGBT community.

She has served as President of the UK Chartered Insurance Institute, a member of the Geneva Association Board, and a member of the UK Government’s Financial Services Trade and Investment Board. She serves as Chair of the healthcare group Mediclinic International, and also sits on boards of the claims handlers Crawford & Company, the business group London First, and is a member of the London Mayor’s Business Advisory Board. She is also the President of the British Swiss Chamber of Commerce.