Last week, EDII brought together colleagues, sponsors and market leaders to celebrate the Digital Minds Cohort 8 Showcase – an energising, insight-packed event hosted at the stunning London offices of Beazley, one of the insurance sector’s most forward-thinking organisations.
The showcase took place in Beazley’s vibrant innovation space – a setting that reflects their clear commitment to providing future-focused insurance excellence to the industry. With Digital Minds colleagues, sponsors and senior leaders from across the market in attendance, it was the perfect environment to spotlight a group of professionals who’ve spent the last nine months immersed in one of the most established future skills development programmes in insurance.
EDII: Specialists in Insurance Innovation, Growth and Mindset Change
At EDII, we work exclusively with the insurance market – helping professionals build the confidence, mindset and practical tools to lead real change. As leaders in insurance innovation, growth and mindset change, our programmes are designed not just to teach, but to transform.
Digital Minds, expertly created by EDII’s innovation and learning specialists, is our flagship capability-building programme. Built around real business challenges, it combines coaching, collaboration and cutting-edge thinking to equip participants with the tools to lead – not just keep up.
The programme is accredited for CPD by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and is the only programme of its kind benchmarked against the CII’s Professional Map, delivering on the future-focused capabilities the industry needs now.
The Digital Mindset: What Leaders Need Now
EDII CEO Caroline Bedford opened the event by sharing what sits at the heart of the Digital Minds journey: the Digital Mindset – EDII’s definition of the skills and behaviours insurance professionals now need to thrive.
“The future belongs to those who are not just digitally literate – but digitally confident,” she said. “Curiosity, adaptability, data confidence, collaboration, and creative problem-solving – these aren’t soft skills, they’re leadership essentials.”
At EDII, the Digital Mindset defines how people connect the dots between customers, colleagues and digital innovation. It’s what transforms tools into impact, and helps professionals step up as the bridge between business and technology.
Setting the Scene: Capability in Action
Gabrielle Rawlings, Senior Development Underwriter at Hiscox, opened the presentations by introducing the teams and sharing their journey through the Digital Minds programme. She emphasised how delegates had developed not just future-focused thinking, but a comprehensive toolkit of innovation methods, design thinking techniques, and collaborative approaches to tackling real challenges across the insurance value chain.
Importantly, each delegate had the opportunity to choose a project area that aligned with both their interests and the needs of the market. As a result, the group selected two major areas of focus: Emerging Technology and Digitalisation – both seen as critical to the future success of the industry.
From Insight to Impact
Digital Minds delegates represent a broad cross-section of the insurance sector, drawn from a wide range of businesses including AEGIS, AXA XL, Beazley, CFC, Hiscox, LIIBA, Lockton, Miller, QBE, and Send. This diversity of experience and perspective added real strength to the collaboration, outcomes, and challenge throughout the programme.
Two teams shared the results of their work:
The Emerging Technology team explored how AI, generative AI, IoT and digital twins are already reshaping risk, customer experience, and operational performance. They credited EDII Coach Hélène Stanway with helping them understand and get excited about what these technologies can truly unlock for the sector. A quote from Hélène, shared by Dan Alexander-Lothian, captured the challenge clearly:
Insurance doesn’t have a technology problem – it has an adoption problem.
Hélène Stanway, EDII
The Digitalisation team shared their own experience of how digital change can be delivered at scale. They introduced the DREAM Framework – a practical, grounded model for making transformation happen across organisations. Created from their own roles and realities, the framework shows how strategic digital thinking can become part of business as usual.
Beazley on Cyber & the Future
The event also featured a keynote from Jimaan Sane, Cyber Growth Leader at Beazley, who brought deep insight into how cyber risks are accelerating alongside technological innovation. He challenged the audience to think differently about resilience, readiness and risk leadership – while offering real-world actions for individuals and organisations alike.
Digital Minds Cohort 8 – Recognising Standout Contributors
While every delegate impressed with their energy, progress and insight, a few were celebrated for outstanding impact:
Innovation Knowledge Champion Award
Freyr Mervick, AVP Client Executive, Lockton
Freyr was the perfect winner of Cohort 8’s Innovation Knowledge Champion Award, recognised for consistently demonstrating deep knowledge of innovation tools, techniques and theory – and applying them with impact across the programme.
Innovation Impact Awards
Dan Alexander-Lothian, Climate Strategy Manager, AXA XL
Kathryn Spencer, Operations Service Excellence Manager, QBE
Voted for by their cohort, Dan and Kat were worthy winners of the Innovation Impact Awards, celebrating their embodiment of the intellect, influence, motivation and tenacity needed to lead insurance growth and innovation – day to day, and for the long term.
What’s Next?
This isn’t the end of the journey for Cohort 8. Each delegate now joins the EDII Think Factory – a thriving, active alumni network of professionals committed to sharing, challenging and shaping the future of insurance from within.
They’ll continue to collaborate, lead, and bring the Digital Mindset to life in their teams and organisations – as both current and future leaders.
Digital Minds Final 2025 Places Now Available – Cohort 10
The final Digital Minds cohort for 2025 launches in October – and places are limited.
If your business is ready to invest in real capability, real confidence, and real impact – this is your opportunity.
Explore the programme at edii.group/digital-minds or contact the team at info@edii.group to secure your space.
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