Every year, an industry built on calculating risk turns its attention to one of the most personal risks its own workforce faces: dementia. The UK insurance sector, having quietly raised £10 million over eight years for Alzheimer's Society, now enters a second chapter — not driven by a target to reach, but by a recognition that the work itself is unfinished. With new drugs offering genuine hope of slowing the disease, and nearly half of the sector's 300,000 workers expected to be touched by dementia in their lifetimes, what began as a fundraising campaign has become something closer to an indus
Insurance sector rallies for Dementia Day 2026 after record £430k fundraising year
Nearly half of the 300,000 UK insurance sector workers will be affected by dementia in their lifetime, either directly or through loved ones.
Donations now fund research that could alter disease trajectory
Mark
Why does an industry-specific campaign matter when dementia affects everyone?
Mimi
Because nearly half the people working in UK insurance will touch this disease in their lifetime—either they'll be diagnosed, or someone they love will be. That's not abstract. That's your colleague, your friend. It makes the campaign feel personal rather than obligatory.
Mark
The campaign already hit its £10 million target. Why keep going?
Mimi
Because hitting a fundraising goal doesn't mean the problem is solved. The drugs approved last year—lecanemab and donanemab—they slow progression, but they're not a cure. The money now funds research that could actually change outcomes, not just care. That's different from before.
Mark
What changed when Chris Lay took over as chair?
Mimi
He brought perspective from the top of a major firm, but also something else—he's willing to talk about the human side. He mentioned the personal stories people shared during fundraising, how they stayed with him. That's not typical corporate language. It suggests the campaign is moving away from pure metrics toward meaning.
Mark
Is there a risk the campaign becomes routine, loses its urgency?
Mimi
Possibly. But the year-on-year growth suggests the opposite. Last year was a record. The football match alone raised £150,000. When something becomes a fixture of the calendar, it can either fade or deepen. This one seems to be deepening.
Mark
What does "second phase" actually mean in practice?
Mimi
It means they're not chasing a number anymore. They're focused on keeping the organizations already involved engaged while bringing in new ones. It's about sustaining momentum rather than sprinting to a finish line.
The Pulse
- A record £430,000 raised in 2025 from over 3,000 employees across 152 firms signals that the campaign has grown beyond goodwill into genuine institutional momentum.
- Having crossed its original £10 million cumulative target, the campaign faces the harder challenge of sustaining energy when the finish line has already been passed.
- The recent UK approval of dementia-slowing drugs lecanemab and donanemab has sharpened the stakes — donations now feed research with real clinical potential, not just care infrastructure.
- Nearly half of the UK insurance sector's 300,000 workers are expected to be affected by dementia personally, reframing this from charity to an industry-wide workforce issue.
- With Insurance Day for Dementia set for November 26, 2026, organizers are pressing firms that have never participated to join, while keeping established partners engaged through familiar formats and a Lunch and Learn webinar.
- A single charity football match this year raised over £150,000 from more than 50 organizations, illustrating the creative and financial scale the sector can still unlock.
Every year, an industry built on calculating risk turns its attention to one of the most personal risks its own workforce faces: dementia. The UK insurance sector, having quietly raised £10 million over eight years for Alzheimer's Society, now enters a second chapter — not driven by a target to reach, but by a recognition that the work itself is unfinished. With new drugs offering genuine hope of slowing the disease, and nearly half of the sector's 300,000 workers expected to be touched by dementia in their lifetimes, what began as a fundraising campaign has become something closer to an industry reckoning with its own human reality.
The UK insurance industry is preparing for another November push against dementia, arriving at an unusual moment: the campaign has already done what it set out to do. Eight years after Insurance United Against Dementia began working with Alzheimer's Society, the sector has crossed its £10 million cumulative fundraising target. Last year's effort alone brought in a record £430,000 from more than 3,000 employees across 152 firms. The question now is what comes after a milestone.
The answer, according to the campaign's organizers, is a second phase — one less focused on chasing a number and more on deepening existing relationships while bringing in organizations that haven't yet participated. The format remains recognizable: bake sales, office challenges, and the annual Lunch and Learn webinar. But the underlying argument for participation has grown stronger. Two drugs approved by UK regulators in late 2024, lecanemab and donanemab, have shown they can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Fundraising now contributes to research with genuine clinical consequences, not only to support services.
Chris Lay, who took over as campaign chair in mid-2025 after 42 years at Marsh UK, has spoken about dementia as something that doesn't stay within the boundaries of a diagnosis. It moves through families and communities, and the personal stories shared during last year's fundraising day, he has said, carry more weight than any statistic. The statistics, though, are striking in their own right: Alzheimer's Society estimates that nearly half of the more than 300,000 people working across the UK insurance sector will be affected by dementia in their lifetime, either directly or through someone close to them.
Past campaigns have shown the sector's capacity for creative mobilization — a charity football match organized earlier this year raised more than £150,000 from over 50 organizations alone, and previous years have included corporate takeovers of London Underground stations and major matched-donation pledges. The record 2025 result suggests the campaign has become a fixture rather than a novelty. With treatment breakthroughs now part of the picture, the case for sustaining that momentum into a second phase is, by most measures, more compelling than it has ever been.
The UK insurance industry is preparing for its annual push against dementia this November, and the numbers tell a story of momentum that shows no sign of slowing. Last year's campaign brought together nearly 3,100 employees from 152 different insurance firms, who collectively raised more than £430,000 for Alzheimer's Society. That performance wasn't just a good year—it was a record one, and it arrived at a moment when the campaign itself had already achieved something it set out to do eight years ago: reach a cumulative £10 million in donations.
Insurance United Against Dementia and Alzheimer's Society are now calling on the sector to participate again on November 26, 2026. The campaign has evolved beyond the initial fundraising sprint. Having hit its original target, it has entered what the charity describes as a second phase—one focused less on chasing a finish line and more on sustaining the relationships already built while drawing in organizations that haven't yet joined. The format remains familiar: bake sales, office challenges, competitions, and the annual Lunch & Learn webinar that has become a staple of the calendar. But the underlying case for participation has shifted.
Two drugs approved by UK regulators in late 2024 have changed the conversation around dementia treatment. Lecanemab and donanemab are shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease—a genuine clinical breakthrough that the campaign has seized on as evidence that sustained investment now has the potential to translate into real medical outcomes. Donations are no longer funding only care and support infrastructure; they're contributing to research that could alter the trajectory of the disease itself.
Chris Lay, who took over as chair of Insurance United Against Dementia in mid-2025, brings perspective shaped by four decades in the industry. He spent 42 years at Marsh UK before retiring at the end of March 2026, and has since moved to Ardonagh Capital Partners as an operating partner focused on group strategy. He continues to chair the campaign while also chairing the London Market Group and serving as a non-executive director of Convex Group. In his public remarks about the campaign, Lay emphasized that dementia doesn't confine its impact to those diagnosed. It ripples through families, friendships, and entire communities. He pointed to the personal stories shared during last year's fundraising day as the most powerful reminder of why the work matters—not abstract statistics, but the lived experience of people connected to the industry.
The scale of the challenge within insurance itself is substantial. Alzheimer's Society estimates that nearly half of the more than 300,000 people employed across the UK insurance sector will be affected by dementia in their lifetime, either as someone diagnosed or through a family member or friend. That statistic reframes the campaign from a general corporate charity initiative into something closer to an industry-wide issue of direct relevance to the workforce itself.
Past campaigns have demonstrated the creative range of fundraising the sector can mobilize. A charity football match organized by Enterprise Rent-A-Car earlier this year alone raised more than £150,000, with contributions flowing in from more than 50 organizations. Previous years have seen corporate takeovers of London Underground stations and matched-donation pledges from major backers. The consistency of year-on-year growth—from an initial £10 million target now achieved to a record 2025—suggests the campaign has moved beyond awareness-raising into something more durable: an established fixture of the industry calendar.
With treatment breakthroughs now part of the equation alongside the traditional support-services funding, the case for continued participation looks stronger than it has in previous years. The industry has already proven it can mobilize at scale. The question now is whether it will sustain that momentum into a second phase where the finish line has already been crossed, but the work itself is far from complete.
Notable Quotes
Dementia doesn't just affect those diagnosed but touches entire families, friends and communities, and the kindness shown during last year's campaign was incredible.— Chris Lay, chair of Insurance United Against Dementia
The campaign gives the industry a moment to stand alongside the rest of the market, and collective action can make a real impact in the fight against dementia.— Chris Lay
Want the full story?
Read the original at Insurance Business ↗
Politics & Governance