iCAN (Insurance Cultural Awareness Network)

About iCAN

iCAN stands for Insurance Cultural Awareness Network. We are the first industry wide independent network that supports Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (“BAME”) inclusion across the insurance sector.

It all started when…

iCAN was founded in 2017 by a group of insurance professionals who came together to discuss some issues facing the insurance sector, particularly around BAME inclusion and attracting talent to the sector. These discussions boiled down to two key issues facing the insurance sector in relation to BAME inclusion:

  • There are very few leaders from a BAME background represented within the insurance industry. Given the global nature of the business environment and diversity of clients we transact with, this cannot be right, and there is a huge opportunity for the industry to achieve better performance and results through broader diversity and inclusion amongst the workforce.
  • There are currently very few BAME / Diversity & Inclusion / multicultural specific Employee Resource Groups and individual ‘champions’ in the industry. These are not connected and tend to operate solely within their internal organisations with little or no outside influence or shared resource / networking.

This presented an opportunity to work with the industry and bring together existing groups and forums to speak out and promote inclusion with a much more joined up and stronger voice. This is where iCAN was born – an independent network group run by people from within the insurance industry with a passion for diversity and inclusion.

Mission & Vision

We want iCAN to become an influential network to advise and support multicultural diversity and inclusion matters within the insurance sector. We want to see the insurance industry resourced with the best and brightest people from all walks of life and backgrounds and for organisations to have a culture of inclusion. To achieve this iCAN will:

  • Bring the insurance industry together to share best practice and ideas for pushing BAME inclusion, from apprenticeships to board levels;
  • Work with allies and with other Diversity & Inclusion groups / networks to address intersectionality across all facets of diversity;
  • Promote cultural awareness and drive engagement internally and externally;
  • Challenge the perceptions and misconceptions of the insurance industry and focus on the positives of building a career within the sector; and
  • Connect with BAME networks from other industries such as legal, banking and public sector.