Yes — ISC Group (formerly the Insurance Supper Club) has officially launched the Women’s Excellence Awards 2026, an expanded 18-category program designed to champion gender balance across the global insurance and financial services industry.
The announcement was made today (March 6, 2026) and will culminate in a major conference + black-tie gala ceremony in September 2026.
Breakdown of the 18 Categories
9 Individual Awards
- Leadership Excellence
- Mentorship Excellence
- Career Re-entry / Returner Excellence (new spotlight category)
- Parental Leave & Family Policy Champion
- Wellbeing & Inclusion Advocate
- Intergenerational Collaboration
- The Barbara Schonhofer Award (named after founder Barbara Schonhofer MBE)
- Plus additional individual categories focused on emerging talent and innovation
9 Organisational Awards
- Best Workplace for Gender Balance
- Outstanding Parental Leave & Family Policies
- Mentorship & Sponsorship Programme of the Year
- Career Returner Programme of the Year
- Wellbeing & Mental Health Initiative
- Intergenerational Talent Development
- Plus categories recognising corporate culture change, diversity metrics, and sector-wide impact
The programme deliberately mirrors themes across both individual and company levels to highlight personal achievement and systemic progress.
Why Now? The Mission
ISC Group was founded in 2003 in London with just 12 senior women (from a database of 35,000 industry names). Today it has over 10,000 members and 100 corporate partners across the UK, US, Canada, Bermuda, Ireland, and Switzerland.
The new awards directly tackle persistent gaps highlighted in recent data:
- Women are 55.2% more likely than men to take career breaks (World Economic Forum 2025).
- 22.3% gender pay gap in UK financial services (CIPHR).
- Women earn $0.78 for every $1 men earn in US finance/insurance (Payscale).
- Women are 21% less likely to be promoted (McKinsey).
Carmen Powell, ISC Group Chief Executive: “We want to inspire the next generation, strengthen collaboration across the sector, and continue driving meaningful progress for women in insurance worldwide.”
How to Get Involved
- Nominations open now for 2026 (exact deadline and entry process will be published on the ISC Group website).
- Corporate sponsorship packages are available (high-profile visibility among senior decision-makers).
- The awards are open to individuals and organisations in insurance and financial services globally.
This is the biggest evolution yet of the annual ISC Awards, which have long been the only dedicated ceremony celebrating women in insurance. The expansion to 18 categories (and explicit organisational recognition) signals ISC’s shift from networking group to powerful driver of industry-wide culture change.
Full details and nomination forms will appear shortly on isc-group.co.
The insurance sector has been watching this closely — this programme is expected to become one of the most prestigious gender-balance benchmarks in the industry.
Let me know if you want the official nomination link when it drops, sponsorship details, or coverage of past ISC Award winners!
