Insurance United Against Dementia and Alzheimer's Society are calling on organisations across the UK insurance sector to take part in Insurance Day for Dementia on November 26, 2026, building on a record-breaking 2025 campaign that saw 3,093 colleagues from 152 businesses raise more than £430,000.
The annual campaign gives insurers, brokers, reinsurers, service providers and industry partners a single day to raise funds and awareness for dementia research and support services delivered by Alzheimer's Society. Businesses can take part through fundraising activities, volunteering, employee engagement initiatives and educational events, with bake sales, fundraising challenges, office competitions and the campaign's dedicated Lunch & Learn webinar among the most popular formats. This year introduces a new industry-wide prize draw as an additional way for employees and supporters to contribute. Organisations can register their participation at the IUAD website.
IUAD has worked with more than 140 organisations across the industry since launching. The campaign officially reached its initial £10 million fundraising goal for Alzheimer's Society earlier this year. That milestone has shifted the campaign into what Alzheimer's Society describes as its second phase - focused on maintaining existing industry relationships while drawing in new participants rather than winding down having hit its target.
The case for continued participation has strengthened with recent developments in dementia treatment. The UK medicines regulator approved two drugs shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease - lecanemab and donanemab - in late 2024. The campaign has cited this as a genuine turning point, with sustained investment now plausibly contributing to research that could translate into real clinical outcomes rather than solely funding care and support infrastructure.
Nearly half of the more than 300,000 people working in the UK insurance sector will be affected by dementia in their lifetime, either directly or through a loved one, according to Alzheimer's Society. That statistic helps explain why the campaign frames this as an industry-wide issue rather than a standard corporate charity initiative - the workforce exposure is direct, not abstract.
Previous editions have drawn support well beyond office fundraising. A charity football match organised by Enterprise Rent-A-Car earlier this year alone raised more than £150,000 with contributions from more than 50 organisations. Past campaigns have included corporate takeovers of London Underground stations and matched-donation pledges from major backers.
Chris Lay, IUAD chair, took on the role in mid-2025 while serving as chief executive of Marsh UK - a position he held for 42 years before retiring from Marsh at the end of March 2026. He has since joined The Ardonagh Group as operating partner at Ardonagh Capital Partners, while continuing to chair IUAD throughout that transition. He also chairs the London Market Group and serves as a non-executive director of Convex Group.
Lay said dementia touches entire families, friends and communities, not only those diagnosed, and that he believes collective action can make a real impact in the fight against the condition.
The consistency of year-on-year growth, and the entry of approved disease-modifying drugs into the picture, means the campaign enters its second phase with a more concrete research funding argument than it had when it launched. Organisations that have participated in previous years now have a clearer line between their contributions and potential clinical outcomes than was available when the campaign began.
