Industry Insights with Alex Heath: Building a sustainable insurance business

Ultimately, prioritizing sustainability allows us to strategically position ourselves in the market as a steward for innovative insurance products and growing resilience in a rapidly evolving world. 

-Alex Heath, Sustainability Manager, DUAL North America 

Alex Heath is DUAL North America’s (“DUAL”) Sustainability Manager who focuses on meeting the needs of evolving sustainability priorities and propelling DUAL forward as a market leader. In her critical role, she drives cross-functional collaboration to improve operational efficiencies, strengthens employee engagement across the U.S., and enhances the company's corporate social responsibility strategy throughout the value chain. As the sustainability sector evolves, we sat down with Alex to hear key insights about how companies can embed sustainability into business strategy and how the insurance industry is adapting.  

Evolving insurance through sustainability 

“As the meaning of sustainability evolves, the insurance industry has all the room for growth to be a business that all generations want to work for, do business with and be a part of.” – Alex Heath  

The insurance industry plays a crucial role in creating a more sustainable future. By providing protection and risk management services, the responses from the insurance industry following major climate events shape how people recover from and respond to disasters. As we work together to move our industry forward with intention and care, we have a powerful opportunity—not just to build a sustainable future, but to actively protect people from financial risk. At DUAL, we aim to lead with purpose and foster that future as a reality. 

At our foundation, DUAL’s mission is to be imaginative in the way we connect people, risk and capital. As such, our guiding principles influence our strategy from the top down; our business is built by and for our people. From employee-elected non-profit partners, robust employee engagement offerings, professional development/underwriting tracks, mental health first aid learning opportunities, and more, we know our people are our greatest asset. The passion, insight, and dedication throughout DUAL is instrumental in shaping sustainability efforts and driving meaningful impact across the entire business and value chain. This value positions DUAL as a forward-thinking steward in the market—championing innovative insurance solutions and strengthening resilience in a world of constant change. 

Shaping a better future for the next generation 

“We’re building a future that honors the next generation—by elevating the fresh perspectives and bold ideas emerging from today’s rising talent.” – Alex Heath  
 

By helping people and communities prepare for and recover from risks, insurers support resilience, protect what matters most to people, and enable long-term progress toward a healthier planet and society. At DUAL, it’s not just our values and leaders helping shape the future, it’s also dedicated young professionals, and everyone in between. DUAL, by nature, is driven by individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong moral compass. Coupled with a culture driven by our people-first value, DUAL’s leadership understands the value of incorporating new ideas throughout the organization and involving voices from all levels in deploying solutions that will support their own future. 

With Millennials and Gen Z representing 46% of the U.S. workforce (Benevity), understanding and aligning with their values isn’t just important—it’s essential for driving meaningful impact and future-proofing our organization. Meaningful work, aligned with purpose-driven values, is a priority in job selection (HBR), with 80% of Gen Z and 59% of Millennials saying that better alignment with their values and interests is a priority for their place of employment (LinkedIn). This matters, not just to DUAL as a people-first company, but to the industry as well, as insurance companies specifically have seen a 14% decrease in turnover among newer employees (with 2.5-year tenure or less) who participate in purpose-driven programs at work (Benevity). Considering the cost of talent acquisition and its impact on the overall bottom line, alignment with the values and interest of a dynamic workforce is key, as the cost of replacing an employee is estimated to be around 30% to 50% of the annual salary for entry-level positions, 150% for mid-level employees, and 400% for seasoned and specialized team members (Benevity).     .      

Involving the newest generations in the decisions made to create a more sustainable world is imperative. It’s essential that these efforts are effectively communicated—not only to external audiences for talent attraction, but also internally to engage current employees who increasingly seek purpose-driven work. As reported in a survey conducted by McKinsey, 31% of employees acknowledged leaving their previous roles due to a lack of meaningful work. At DUAL, the communications and sustainability teams work very closely together to be able to amplify efforts, both before and after they happen. It’s one of the several ways DUAL continues to keep sustainability and purpose as our guiding principles.  

Creating a culture of sustainability 

“Every step forward drives momentum. By starting with a single idea, organizations can ignite meaningful change and cultivate a culture of sustainability from the ground up.” – Alex Heath 
 

Building a culture that champions sustainability is no easy task—but its impact is both measurable and values-aligned. Companies that build a culture of sustainability have seen their success in action, cultivating a better world and bottom lines. Data shows that companies with a corporate purpose had 58% higher revenue than companies without it (CECP). On top of that, 88% of leaders say their company’s impact strategies are future-proofing their business in terms of talent acquisition and retention, regulatory readiness, and customers (Benevity). Building an ongoing and evolving impact program takes time, energy, and most of all, buy-in.  

Rooted in our people-first value, leadership is inspired to champion sustainability—not just from personal conviction, but from a shared vision of organizational progress. Still, the success of programs like these hinges on active employee engagement across all levels of the organization. DUAL focuses on bringing employees together and living our people-first value in a few ways. One is through an employee-led committee steering our community impact efforts across the US, our volunteer paid-time off policy, and employee benefits. 

When rooted in strategy, volunteering becomes a powerful catalyst, strengthens employee engagement, cultivates leadership, enriches company culture, and forges deeper connections with the community. It reflects DUAL’s corporate values in action - boosting morale, attracting purpose-driven talent, and demonstrating a genuine commitment to social impact. Giving back allows DUAL to represent our company values, retain and recruit the best talent, and support current and future generations in our shared goals. The DUAL team gives back throughout the year, including in May when the collective team gives over a thousand hours of volunteer time to the communities we live and work within.  All DUAL employees are encouraged to use their two paid volunteer days each year, whether on their own or through DUAL-sponsored events alongside our leadership, all the way up to our CEO. 

DUAL teams also prioritize sustainability throughout our value chain. In partnership with DUAL’s parent company, Howden, we’re working to reduce emissions towards a Net Zero goal by 2040. As a group, there is a clear initiative to play our part in building a better, more sustainable future for generations to inherit. To learn more about the collective Howden Sustainability vision, read more in the 2024 Sustainability Report. 

Supporting the ongoing growth of sustainability in the workplace 

“Innovation thrives when we challenge convention. To build a sustainable future, we must be willing to rethink what’s always been done.” – Alex Heath
  

The time is now to reimagine how to build a sustainable world and business. Proactively bringing the sustainability team to the leadership table empowers DUAL to embed sustainable practices into core business strategy and thoughtfully shape how we show up in the market. Leadership owning and advocating for sustainability from the top down can make all the difference. This commitment creates the foundation for meaningful action—one that extends beyond internal strategy to strengthen the partnerships that define our impact. We are focused on deepening relationships with our non-profit partners, with those who we have proudly supported in the past alongside the expansion of our base of new opportunities. We’re also investing in the next generation, through our internship program and supporting education pathways for tomorrow's risk management and insurance leaders. As we forge ahead, our focus is clear: to reduce our environmental footprint, strengthen our sustainability-driven business, foster enduring partnerships, and most importantly, cultivate a values-based culture that resonates with and empowers our people.  

The key is to root strategy in company values. Great ideas exist to solve and evolve sustainability in the insurance business, and DUAL is proud to play a role in shaping a more resilient and sustainable future—one that will benefit generations to come. 

For more information about our sustainability efforts or to learn more about DUAL North America, visit dualinsurance.com.