Dame Inga Beale, the former CEO of Lloyd’s of London, workplace equality advocate and British businesswoman, is a name that has become instantly recognisable within the global insurance and reinsurance market. A female figure that has taken her industry by storm, is now working as an after-dinner speaker to spread business motivation, share advice surrounding business management and offer tips regarding finance. After studying economics and accounting at Newbury College, Inga joined Prudential Assurance Company in 1982. Entering an industry that was heavily constructed of men, Beale faced adversity first hand due to the inequality between genders and diversity issues of the time period. She moved to work as an underwriter for General Electric’s insurance department before making her way up to the management team in 2001.
By 2009 Inga was a key member of the Zurich Insurance Group, after previously reviving Swiss reinsurer Converium, she bought her skills to a new team and was named the group’s Global Chief Underwriting Officer. In 2013, it was announced that she would become the first female CEO of Lloyd's of London. With the business running for over 328 years, Beale became a revolutionary milestone within the journey to gender equality, a platform in which she used to form the international Insurance Supper club for leading female executives in 2013.
As a member of the LGBT community, Inga has not only shown huge contributions to the feminist movement but has also launched the Pride@Lloyds network internally. The programme named Link was formed in 2012 and aims to encourage an inclusive and diverse working environment within insurance companies. Inga became the first woman and openly bisexual person to be named the top of the OUTstanding & FT Leading LGBT executive power list in 2015.
Inga is also avidly concerned about Brexit. She is an advocate for maintaining an environment that is suitable for businesses to remain stable and regularly airs her concerns with the current financial situation of global markets. She has attended many events such as the World Economic Forum in 2018 in order to shed light on the uncertainties for the majority of businesses within the UK. As a businesswoman within the age of Brexit, Inga is able to discuss its impacts on both small and international corporations within her after-dinner speeches. A passionate and driven figure within the world of business and economics was awarded with DBE in the 2017 New Year Honours for her services to the economy. Her continuous strive for equality and diversity as well as the support she shows to numerous companies is highly admirable and motivating for many audiences that have listened to her after-dinner speeches. Most recently, Inga was appointed as the President of The British Swiss Chamber of Commerce, commencing her term on the 1st of February 2022.
With the ability to offer in-depth discussions surrounding politics, business, finance, diversity and inclusivity makes Dame Inga Beale the perfect addition to any corporate event or function.
Most recently, Inga Beale was inducted into the Best International Women's Day Speakers to Hire, a testament to her achievements as a successful businesswoman.
Social Media
Books
Ugly Sweaty Men Become CEOs All The Time. Ugly Sweaty Women Don't.
Reviews
Dame Inga Beale received a 5 star rating across 30 events in 2023
Agent Recommendation
"Dame Inga Beale is a phenomenal keynote speaker on diversity, inclusion and LGBT+ rights. As the former CEO of Lloyd’s of London and a pioneering businesswoman, she brings invaluable insights and inspiration. Her commitment to workplace equality and her trailblazing role in the insurance industry make her a standout advocate for positive change."
How to hire Dame Inga Beale
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Dame Inga Beale for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Dame Inga Beale's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Creating an Inclusive Workplace - breaking through several glass ceilings and addressing taboo topics, Inga talks from experience about how to build an environment where people from all walks of life feel valued and can thrive at work. Driven by her personal purpose to empower women in business, and a varied career that took her to many different countries, she shares lessons learned along the way and discusses what firms can do to create their own inclusive workplace.
- Changing Risk Landscape - across the world; society, business and governments are confronted with enormous change and challenges, all of which present risks – both new and old. As Boards grapple with the threat of the climate crisis on their business, the rise of cyber-crime exposing their vulnerabilities, or how to form strategies in the current climate of geo-political change, Inga uses her experience in the insurance sector to highlight the latest risk trends and proposals on how to address them.
- Modernising Tradition – a journey of cultural and technological change Lloyd’s of London: a British institution with its roots in marine insurance was founded in 1688. Some of its practices hadn’t changed over hundreds of years but it needed to modernise to keep up in today’s technological world. As the CEO hired to do this massive transformation, Inga tells her story of the cultural and technological changes required to bring this great institution into the modern age, and she shares tips and tricks for driving a successful transformation for any business.
Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"I’ve had some incredible feedback from all around the business." - Juliet, Associate, IFM Investors
"Thought Inga was great and I feel that the feeling was mutual so please thank her from all of us." - Cordelia, Operations Associate, Google
"Dame Inga Beale was fantastic! She is such an inspirational leader and attendees in the webinar were engaged throughout, and so interested in what she had to say." - Sylvia, OneStreamSoftware
"On behalf of FactSet Pride and Women's BRG, we would like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to share your story with our employees. We have received nothing but positive feedback globally." - DE&I Team, FactSet
"Can you please give our thanks to Inga. We have been extremely pleased and happy with her keynote and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees who found Inga’s story inspirational and insightful. We hope Inga had a pleasant journey home and wish her all the best." - Jana, Marketing Director, Corelogic
"Just want to thank you for your help and let you know that Inga was fantastic! We really enjoyed the conversation and please pass my thank you note to her when you have a minute." - World 50inc
"We would like to express our gratitude to Dame Inga Beale for celebrating International Women’s Day with us." - Katten
Feedback from Virtual Events:
"Having the privilege to hear Inga share her remarkable journey on International Women's Day was truly inspiring. Her courage, resilience, and unwavering determination left a lasting impression on all of us. Through her captivating storytelling, Inga not only shed light on her own challenges and triumphs but also empowered each of us to embrace our own unique paths. Her message of empowerment and equality resonated deeply, reminding us of the incredible strength and potential within every woman. Thank you, Inga, for being a beacon of hope and a catalyst for change." - Shivani, Managing Director, ACA Group
"That was a fantastic presentation, we are so appreciative of Inga sharing her story with us and have been receiving excellent feedback." - Jessica, Partner, ACA Group
"I just wanted to reach out and say a huge thank you to everyone at Champions and Dame Inga. What a truly inspiring session and the perfect way to launch the Kärcher Women's Network. My inbox is already flooded with comments from people on how much Inga has taught them. I know that session will stick with me forever." - Aimee, Head of Learning & Development, Kärcher
"Dame Inga Beale's talk was brilliant for an organisation like ours; she covered topics such as diversity, leadership, team work and culture change which affect us all in our daily working lives. She was animated and engaging throughout the virtual presentation, utterly unphased by technological hitches and a large audience. Inga answered the questions posed at the end in a very considered way, from teams at all levels and functions at our company. I am absolutely certain that we all left the presentation with thoughts on how each of us can contribute to fostering greater collaboration." Kerry, Open Health
"Champions helped secure Dame Inga Beale for our growing diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) program. While Champions was exceptional in every way, Dame Inga exceeded all our expectations. Her personal approach directly connected with our employee audience. Immediately following our online broadcast, we received accolades, including comments like "amazing," " fantastic," and "inspirational." She took personal storytelling to a new level!" - Mary, Claire’s
"The event went fantastically well, Dame Inga was so engaging and thought-provoking, we received a tonne of positive feedback from those attending - it was one of our best attended events with more than 100 colleagues." - Asif, IT PMO Manager, Gfk
"Lovely discussion with authenticity and impact. I truly enjoyed Inga's style of engaging with her audience. She was genuine and inviting and encouraged each of us to take action" - FTI Consulting
"I wanted to thank you for presenting at the MOD IKX Symposium last week. It is obvious that you are an authority in your subject and your presentation was informative, enlightening and thought-provoking. We have received many complimentary comments about your presentation and more than a few who want to release the potential of their team. One such example was “Dame Inga was very very inspirational. What a great speech." Your contribution to the day was significant, tying together the benefits to the organisation and individual of valuing individual contribution and also the techniques and challenges of achieving it. Thank you again." - Stew MacLeod, Ministry of Defence
"It was great. She has a fantastic story to tell. The feedback noted Inga’s spirit, openness and honesty and found it a privilege to have had the opportunity to hear her speak. One even said that he was upset that as a British gay man, working in insurance, he was upset with himself that Inga’s story was new to him. He wanted to thank us for correcting his oversight. I echo the sentiments that it was a privilege to hear from Inga and to hear how she has continued to learn from her experiences and is an ally and ‘champion’ to other minority groups." - Florence, Moody's
"Your speech was well received and brought the perfect synergy to our group. It was very interesting hearing about how you overcame adversities and your accomplishments. We have received amazing feedback, particularly on your openness in owning, and learning from your experiences. I believe your story will have a lasting impact and will serve as an immediate benefit to our BRGs. Again, thank you and we hope to have the opportunity to work with you on future events." - DK, Moody's
"I just wanted to let you know that we were thrilled with Inga’s involvement on today’s event. Thanks for all your help in coordinating this, I think we will definitely want to involve Inga in future events if she is willing." - Aisling, Corporate Sales Support Manager, Bupa Global
"We chose Dame Inga Beal to be the first key note speaker hosted by our global LGBTQ+ ERG. The event was to mark the international day against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. Overall we were extremely happy with the talk Dame Inga gave. Champions UK were also extremely helpful and always at hand throughout the whole process of organising the event. We would highly recommend Dame Inga, we received fantastic feedback from the session with many people commenting on how impactful, inspirational and personal the story Dame Inga shared with us was. Her willingness to tackle any difficult questions that were raised during the talk made the event even more powerful and enabled us to convey the importance of an inclusive culture in the workplace." - Christopher, UCB
She was sensational. So clear. A great storyteller. Candid and inspirational – exactly the 2 things we wanted to land. They loved her. As did me and my boss…. ! Please share a big thank you to her and for all the help you have provided in the process. - Jemima, Pepsico
I wanted to send a heart-felt thank you to you both for helping coordinate the call with Dame Inga yesterday. The feedback has been overwhelming and 100% positive! Please share my thanks with Dame Inga on behalf of our Diversity & Inclusion Council, and our entire company. I think her chat yesterday will lead to many more needed conversations across our organization. - Charles, MD, Risk Strategies Company
It was highly engaging, interesting and genuinely inspirational talk. A real highlight of our event. - Rebecca, Senior Engagement Lead, HSBC
- 2024 - Keynote Speaker at Global Emerge for Seramount
- 2022 - Independent Non-Executive Director of WTW
- 2022 - President of The British Swiss Chamber of Commerce
- 2021 - Member of the Supervisory Board of the NN Group
- 2021 - Board of Directors of Willis Towers Watson
- 2020 - Independent Non-Executive Director of Crawford & Company
- 2020 - Chair of Mediclinic
- 2019 - Independent Board Member of Clyde & Co
- 2019 - Insurance Advisor for NTT DATA UK
- 2017 - Appointed DBE for Services to the Economy
- 2017 - President of the Chartered Insurance Institute
- 2017 - Ambassador of Stonewall
- 2016 - Board Director of the Chartered Insurance Institute
- 2016 - Business advisory board member, Mayor of London
- 2014 - First female CEO of Lloyd’s of London
- 2008 - Chair of the board of directors and global chief underwriting officer, Zurich Insurance Company
- 2006 - Group CEO Converium
- 2006 - Chair of the Board of Directors for The MDU
- 1982 - Reinsurance Underwriter for Prudential Assurance
