When employees feel they belong, they bring their best ideas, their best work, and their best selves forward.
This simple truth has guided RGA’s culture and talent journey for more than five decades. Today, the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has evolved into a global strategy.
For Larnise Boain (pictured), vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion at RGA, the journey has been both professional and deeply personal.
“What began as a fundamental commitment to doing right by our people has become a companywide approach built on trust, transparency, and respect,” she told Insurance Business.
Her leadership philosophy has been profoundly shaped by parenting a neurodivergent son, an experience that redefined how she views inclusion, vulnerability, and the responsibility of leaders to make space for difference.
Boain’s leadership philosophy has been shaped by her own experiences as well as her DEI work. Early in her career, she was often one of the few people who looked or sounded different.
While that might have been isolating, she was fortunate to have mentors who encouraged her to thrive. “I never saw myself as ‘diverse,’ because in truth, we all bring our own diversity to the table,” she said.
That belief informs her approach to leadership: meeting people where they are, while also being honest about her own growth.
“Inclusive environments invite us to be vulnerable,” Boain said. “They hold us accountable, not just for protecting the integrity of our relationships, but for guiding one another toward stronger professional and personal outcomes.
“As a leader, I’ve learned the importance of meeting people where they are, but I’ve also come to realize how challenging that can be. It requires me to be honest about where I am too. That means acknowledging my own needs and trusting that when I share my vulnerabilities or areas of growth, I’m helping create space for transparency and connection. And that’s not easy for me.”
This philosophy also deepened in her role as a parent of a neurodivergent child. Boain said she has seen how difference can be misunderstood or excluded.
“Watching my son try to build friendships and face rejection simply for being himself was heartbreaking,” she reflected. “Supporting him in building confidence and finding healthy relationships has shown me how essential it is to create environments where people feel safe, respected, and free to be who they are.”
Over time, Boain said, she has come to see leadership less as delivering results and more as practicing curiosity, empathy, and adaptability.
“Earlier in my career, I was focused on proving myself,” she admitted. “What I didn’t realize was that true leadership is about learning from other cultures, perspectives, and lived experiences.”
Her most profound lesson? Surface-level impressions rarely reveal the whole person.
“People are so much deeper and richer than we assume,” Boain said. “I’ve had moments where my biases were broken by someone’s story or insight, which challenged everything I thought I knew.”
At RGA, these insights have informed tangible initiatives. The company has expanded access to learning and development, integrated inclusion measures into engagement surveys, and globalized eight Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that connect employees worldwide.
In 2024, it launched the Community Outreach Awards to celebrate employees who make a difference in their communities, alongside DEI Champion and Change Agent Awards.
“These milestones aren’t endpoints,” Boain said. “They’re markers on an ongoing path of listening, learning, and acting with purpose.”
This year, RGA’s commitment connects directly with the Dive In Festival’s 2025 theme, "Belonging Builds Tomorrow." For Boain, the theme captures how innovation and progress are driven by people who feel genuinely seen and valued. She views events like Dive In as opportunities to spark new thinking.
“I’m looking forward to conversations that challenge perspectives and strengthen the collective commitment to building inclusive workplaces,” she said. “It’s a chance to reimagine what’s possible together.”
Success at Dive In means participants leaving inspired, empowered, and energized to bring meaningful action back to their teams, according to Boain: “It’s about creating lasting momentum, sparking conversations, ideas, and practices that continue to shape our companies and the way we work.”
When asked what action every insurance leader should take to foster inclusion, Boain posed this challenge: “Start every decision-making process by asking: Who is not in the room, and how do we bring their perspective into this conversation?”
It’s a deceptively simple shift, but one she believes could transform the industry. “Seeking out and valuing absent voices can reshape strategies, strengthen trust, and ensure we’re building solutions that reflect the full scope of our clients, communities, and colleagues,” Boain said.
The Dive In Festival returns in September 2025 under the theme “Belonging Builds Tomorrow,” uniting professionals across the insurance and financial services industries to share stories, best practices, and new ideas for creating inclusive workplaces.
With events hosted in more than 40 countries, Dive In offers a unique opportunity to step outside the day-to-day, connect with peers, and reimagine what’s possible when belonging drives innovation.
Register today to be part of the global conversation shaping the future of insurance. Learn more at diveinfestival.com.
