Our Progress - Year 4

Discover what we have achieved in 2025-2026, the fourth year of our DEI Strategy.

As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability, this summary sets out the progress made across the key themes of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy, covering the fourth year of activity from February 2025 to January 2026.

This year, we have focused on advancing a number of key areas, including collaborative partnerships, supporting member-led DEI groups and activity, and maintaining visible leadership, in support of our aim to build a profession that is genuinely inclusive and accessible.

“Our approach this year has been characterised by collaboration – from the expansion of our actuarial employability programme to member-led research and events – working with actuarial employers, valued partners, and our global membership has been key to our progress. In the coming year, we will build on these foundations and seek to align with our new IFoA strategy. In doing so, we will continue to strengthen our commitment to creating an inclusive and accessible profession, for the benefit of all current and future members, volunteers and employees.”

Paul Lewis, Chief Executive Officer

Leadership and culture

  • Published demographic data for Council, Management Board, Regulatory Board and the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) in the 2024/25 Annual Report.

  • Continued to work closely with partners, including GAIN, Moving Ahead, Diversity Project, and Progress Together. This past year, we supported the Diversity Project’s innovative cognitive diversity research.

  • Supported the development of a Council-led Inclusion and Access Committee to ensure members are at the forefront of our long-term planning.

DEI at the IFoA

  • Published gender pay gap report and fourth annual DEI ‘colleague survey’. The fifth annual DEI colleague survey has also been completed.

  • Provided training on neurodiversity awareness for organisational leaders, and effective resource group workshops for our internal colleague DEI group.

  • Developed an impact assessment process to support staff in considering DEI implications of their work.

  • Offered Let’s Talk online discussion sessions for all staff on DEI topics, and marked National Inclusion Week with a series of staff blogs and interactive discussions.

Entry to the profession

  • Successfully expanded our ‘Actuaries: Data Driven Futures’ programme in collaboration with the EY Foundation and actuarial employers, providing employability training and actuarial work experience for young people in London and Edinburgh.

  • Continued to work with partners to engage with schools, including hosting a job application skills session with Aegon, a Success at Schools Webinar and an ‘Actuary Awareness’ campaign with UCAS.

  • Hosted successful DEI Employer Network sessions for actuarial employers, with a range of partners including Progress Together, Moving Ahead, the Diversity Project and GAIN.

  • Hosted ‘More than Just Maths’ career showcases at Life and GIRO conferences.

Actuarial Work

  • Confirmed changes to the Actuaries’ Code and existing Code guidance to reflect issues relating to DEI, and created resources to help members understand the new requirements.

  • Continued to incorporate DEI as a lens where relevant in Professional Skills activity, including development storyboards where discussion points highlight DEI implications in actuarial scenarios.

  • Responded to feedback from members by producing a Career Breaks FAQs area on our website, supporting members experiencing all forms of career breaks to access the information and resources they need to re-enter the workplace.

  • Continued to work with actuarial employers through the QAS scheme to support their DEI strategic activities.

Supporting members

  • Supported the Women Actuaries Community to host successful networking and engagement events, as well as webinars considering DEI topics with a gender lens, including a neurodiversity global webinar.

  • Welcomed the sixth cohort for Actuarial Mentoring Programme (AMP), our global mentoring initiative delivered by Moving Ahead.

Improving DEI in our community

  • Produced research in partnership with Ipsos, setting out recommendations for the creation of an inclusive pension system and continuing to position the IFoA as a leading voice in the sector.

  • Included DEI content in Conference sessions, including a successful session at the Life conference.

  • Supported working parties to incorporate DEI principles into their work and publicise the outputs of their activity, including continued work to investigate insurance implications for LGBTQ+ customers.

  • Produced a range of communications to highlight DEI strategic activity across IFoA channels.
“As an actuarial employer, participating in the ‘Actuaries: Data Driven Futures’ initiative offers us the opportunity to support young people across London and Edinburgh to gain valuable employability experience. As the programme continues and the cohort grows, this programme enables us to raise awareness of opportunities in the actuarial profession to young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, whilst also contributing to our own DEI goals as an organisation. This highlights the value of collaboration to our ongoing drive to support an accessible and inclusive actuarial profession.”

Amar Gorania, Senior Actuarial Associate, APR LLP

“Supporting the ‘Actuaries: Data Driven Future’s programme was a hugely rewarding experience. It was inspiring to see young people gain confidence, skills and real insight into actuarial careers, while also knowing the initiative is helping to widen access to the profession. This programme is a practical example of how the IFoA’s DEI strategy translates into real opportunities. By supporting young people from diverse backgrounds, we’re helping to build a profession that is more inclusive and better equipped to tackle the complex challenges of a changing world. I’m delighted the programme will continue in both Edinburgh and London, strengthening our collective commitment to building a profession that is genuinely inclusive and accessible.”

Jane Braithwaite, Assistant Professor at Heriot-Watt University and Scottish Board Member

Looking ahead to Year Five

As we approach the final year of the current DEI Strategy, we will focus on strengthening and consolidating external partnerships with schools, universities, employers and partners across the sector to drive long-term progress.

We will also continue to support member-led activity to embed DEI considerations in actuarial practice through member groups, working parties, and professional skills content, ensuring we continue to listen and understand what diversity, equity and inclusion mean to our global membership.

Likewise, we will build on work to ensure that we provide an inclusive environment for our staff, and expand our data gathering activity appropriately across our various populations to help track the impact of our activity.

We will communicate our progress and activity through various channels, highlighting a diverse range of member voices and experiences as we celebrate progress and continue our work to build an inclusive and accessible profession, for the benefit of all current and future members, volunteers and employees, wherever they are in the world.

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