Howden office hit as Extinction Rebellion disrupts Airmic Risk Forum

By Rebecca Delaney

Jan 29 - (The Insurer) - Protesters from the Extinction Rebellion movement disrupted the Airmic Risk Forum on Wednesday, which was held at Howden's London headquarters.

The forum, organised by trade body Airmic, was subtitled "Is another world possible?"

Campaigners gathered outside One Creechurch Place as delegates arrived at the event, with banners emblazoned with slogans including "CEOs burning your future, make them stop" and "Insuring fossil fuels – ensuring climate collapse".

A model of a Lamborghini was assembled as a karaoke booth, with mock broadsheets sporting headlines such as "Hell-A wildfires caused by profit-made CEOs" and "Fire, flood, famine but insurance CEOs laugh all the way to the bank".

Some protesters entered the building and read out testimonies from local communities that have been impacted by the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline.

Members of student movements Insure Tomorrow and the Education Climate Coalition also gained access to the lobby and held a banner reading "No new workers for fossil fuel industries".

A statement by Extinction Rebellion said: "The disruption will be a major embarrassment for conference hosts Howden as it took place in front of their international peers and competitors."

The campaign cited a page from Howden's website that lists its energy liability portfolio, which includes oil and gas, mining, energy service and drilling contractors, and processing and refining companies.

Insure Our Survival spokesperson Lucy Porter said: “It’s difficult to know whether to laugh or cry at an insurance industry conference called 'Is another world possible?' attended by senior insurers who are lining their pockets by helping fossil fuel crooks to burn down the only world we’ve got.

“Insurance staff – it’s time for you to rise up against senior management who are forcing you to be complicit in the destruction of their own futures. Don’t let your CEO make you part of a climate crime that threatens to kill billions. He is burning your future to keep making a killing.”

Spokesperson Steve Tooze added: “The insurance industry has been flying under the radar for decades as a prime enabler of climate breakdown. No longer. Their reputation is being damaged daily as we establish their complicity in destroying our futures in the public mind.

“The insurers who continue to underwrite fossil fuel projects can expect to face double the number of protests in 2025. We won’t stop until they stop enabling climate chaos.”

The Insure Our Survival campaign was launched by Extinction Rebellion in October 2024. An ultimatum letter was sent to a “target list” of UK-based insurance executives demanding a public pledge to cease underwriting fossil fuel projects ahead of planned protests across the UK.

The "week of actions" targeting the (re)insurance sector kicked off on 28 October with protesters occupying the lobby of the London offices of several Lloyd’s carriers.

Airmic and Howden were contacted for comment.