Build the pipeline of female underwriting leaders

The LMA and Lloyd’s Underwriting Talent Summit brought together 180 senior underwriting leaders to shine a spotlight on the trends impacting the pipeline of female underwriting leaders.

The event’s purpose was threefold: to share the lived experiences of female underwriting leaders, to identify the barriers slowing progression and to outline the clear steps that we can take forward as a market.

Sheila Cameron, CEO at the LMA, and Rachel Turk, Chief of Market Performance at Lloyd’s, began by outlining the results of a survey conducted prior to the event.

The survey called to attention some alarming trends:

• 52% of respondents cited a ‘male-dominated leadership environment leading to a lack of inclusivity’ as the primary root cause of why our female underwriting pipeline is decreasing.
• Challenges with work-life balance given requirements for in-office presence and demanding travel and social expectations was raised by 42% of respondents.
• The financial burden of caring costs, both of children and parents, was raised by 27% of respondents.

At the summit, delegates heard from senior female underwriting leaders on their lived experiences and the systemic issues that continue to hold women back. The message was clear: we need to fix the system, not the women.

Barriers to progress

The discussion revealed three critical factors behind the diminishing pipeline:

• Male-dominated leadership environments: a lack of female role models and subtle exclusion from networking opportunities, such as last-minute social events, create invisible and unhelpful barriers to progression.
• Work-life balance pressures: return-to-office mandates and rigid expectations around travel and entertaining disproportionately impact working mothers.
• Caring responsibilities and financial strain: childcare and commuting costs mean many women don’t return after maternity leave or sustain their careers.

From presenteeism to assumptions about career breaks, behaviours that may seem minor can have a significant impact on progression.

Employer support

Flexible workplaces were repeatedly cited as a key driver of loyalty and retention. Executive coaching, career development opportunities and supportive leadership make a tangible difference.

While organisations cannot eliminate financial pressures entirely, they can reduce the mental load by creating environments where employees feel trusted and supported. This means shifting the conversation from hours in the office to outcomes delivered.

The call to action

The summit emphasised collective ownership and individual action. Among the solutions discussed:

• Avoid presenteeism: judge performance by results, not visibility.
• Challenge norms around travel and entertaining: create inclusive networking opportunities that work for all.
• Accountability and transparency in hiring and promotions: apply a gender lens to succession planning and ensure decisions are fair and visible.
• Sponsorship, not just mentorship: actively advocate for female underwriters. Invite them into the room, speak up for their progression and provide access to executive coaching.
• Review family policies: equalise parental leave from day one and normalise uptake for all genders.
• Build authentic networks: encourage women to lean into networking in ways that feel genuine, while creating spaces where they are not excluded.

As one speaker put it: ‘If each of us went away and sponsored one female underwriter, we would make a drastic change to the pipeline.’

We are ringing the bell for two reasons: to celebrate the female underwriters shaping our market today, and to sound the alarm that the pipeline is going backwards. With only 15% of those in the CUO succession pool over the next three to five years being women, the urgency is clear.

By embracing flexibility, challenging bias and committing to sponsorship, we can make the Lloyd’s market an attractive destination for talent and build the pipeline of female underwriting leaders.