DIFC Academy, the education platform of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial hub in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lloyd’s, the world’s leading insurance market providing specialist insurance services to businesses in over 200 countries and territories.
Paving the way to develop future talent within the insurance and reinsurance market, the agreement builds on a longstanding partnership. It will expand the Lloyd’s Academy’s reach, an education platform for risk professionals developed from London, to help support the development of a talent pipeline into the fast-growing Middle East region.
As part of the agreement, the DIFC Academy and Lloyd’s Academy will work together to organise a series of events, educational bootcamps and on-demand learning that support the drive for talent across the insurance industry.
From a global perspective, the insurance sector has a significant opportunity with respect to talent development. The DIFC remains an ecosystem that fosters talent in the (re)insurance industry by providing learning and mentorship opportunities through the DIFC Academy and developing a robust insurance community through non-profit organisations such as the DIFC Insurance Association.
Alya AlZarouni, Chief Operating Officer, DIFC Authority commented: “DIFC offers a world-class learning environment and guidance from renowned organisations to accelerate development of talent within the sector. We continue this legacy by expanding our existing relationship with Lloyd’s. This initiative enables us to further develop a burgeoning sector in DIFC, representing more than 125 companies. Together, we foster industry growth while shaping the future of finance.”
Dawn Miller, Lloyd’s Chief Commercial Officer and CEO of Lloyd’s Americas, said: “Collaboration and partnerships lay at the heart of Lloyd’s value proposition, and our market has stood the test of time because of the talented individuals and firms that continue to participate. The MOU between the Lloyd’s Academy and DIFC, to drive forward talent development and industry wide education is another step forward on this journey. I look forward to our continued work in the Middle East and helping the development of a talent pipeline into the fast-growing region.”
In 2019, DIFC signed an MoU with Lloyd’s to fuel the region’s insurance sector by upskilling talent, as well as promoting sectoral efficiency and improvement.
DIFC Academy has catered to the learning needs of the financial services industry by providing an accessible platform for top-ranked educational institutes. To date, DIFC Academy has delivered professional development certifications and higher education courses for 32,000 graduates since inception.
