Founded in 2012, Link is the cross-industry LGBTQ+ network for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in insurance. Its mission is to make the insurance industry the employer of choice for the LGBTQ+ community. From humble beginnings, we began by fostering a community which has grown to well over 2,000 active members, with a proactive and engaged steering committee drawn from across the UK insurance industry.
We’ve seen lots of changes, in attitude, legislation, and acceptance within the industry, alongside all of the similar happenings to the community outside of insurance. We believe we’ve been a constant for the LGBTQ+ community within the sector, offering solidarity and support that has helped our members to become stronger and more confident. We’ve done this in part through supporting the elevation of many insurance firms’ policies from an LGBTQ+ inclusion lens.
One good example of offering support to our members was during lockdowns, when we focused on helping LGBTQ+ individuals and our sponsors to connect and support each other – both through our regular online networking events and our Whats App group. This consistent commitment to our community has seen us thrive through multiple challenges, to become the most established inclusion network in the London insurance market. We have recently expanded internationally to Canada, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Bermuda, making us a voice of global inclusion across the industry.
In 2023 we celebrated our 10th anniversary with a dinner attended by over 200 people. During Pride 2024 we went even further, co-hosting an event at the Guildhall of the City of London Corporation which was the largest event the Corporation had ever hosted to celebrate LGBTQ+ equality in its 950+ year history.
This is quite a list of achievements from a community-building and raising awareness point of view. But at the same time, we and our sponsors have raised tens of thousands in charity donations to a variety of LGBTQ+ charities not just in London but across the UK. We’ve done this via competitions, events and other fundraising activities, always with an eye towards giving back to the wider LGBTQ+ community and wanting to support those in need.
Lastly, on a personal note, our organisation has two co-chairs, Maurice Rose and Maxim Cook, who have co-chaired the network for almost three years. They both take a great deal of pride in the success they inherited, fostered, and nurtured to make Link the most successful and influential it has been since inception, with much still to look forward to in the years ahead.
