Ian Callaghan speech at 2024 President’s Dinner

Being President of the Chartered Insurance Institute is not just about representing the organisation here in the UK as a National President, I also represent the CII Internationally.

This year the theme of my Presidency has been our members, whether they are located in Lisburn or London, Hobkirk or Hong Kong, Dwyfach or Dubai. I wanted to put them front and centre of our Institute, highlighting how important they are to the organisation and the insurance profession as a whole.

I am very pleased to say that during my tenure as President, I have seen at even closer hand the incredible value that our members bring, not only to the CII as a membership body, but to the wider sector and, in turn, communities and societies around the world.

It has been a great privilege to be able to visit many of our local insurance institutes around the UK. I have attended in excess of 40 events with them, travelling the length and breadth of the country, engaging with dozens of our valued volunteers. It has been a real pleasure to feel first-hand the commitment and passion they show in service to their customers, consistent with the upholding the highest standards for the insurance profession every single day.

Our 50 local institutes are a hub for professionals to support one another and it is volunteers that make these institutes thrive. These are normal, everyday people who step up to support their local councils, organising events, and getting out there to encourage others to join the profession. They engage both professionally and socially – and that is something of which we are immensely proud.

I have also had the privilege to visit our offices in Hong Kong and Dubai, as well as visiting Macau. In Hong Kong and Macau, I was able to meet with both Members and Government Officials, together with local Company CEOs to discuss how the CII can help increase standards and public trust. In Dubai, I was able to meet with some of our Goodwill Ambassadors to discuss a range of opportunities in the region, again with the accent on building standards and trust. I was also invited by the Insurance Institute of South Africa to deliver a keynote speech at their recent Conference to Celebrate Success in the Insurance Profession.

There have been many other highlights this year, two being the CII’s flagship annual events – the Network Conference, which took place in Macclesfield in June, and the Shaping the Future of Insurance conference, in London in October. In addition, I have had the pleasure of presenting awards at the Insurance Institute of London’s Diploma and Prizegiving Ceremony, accompanied by our group CEO, Matthew Hill.

I have also had the honour of being the Board Sponsor for an in-depth review of Corporate Chartered Status. We’re reviewing our rules so that those holding Chartered status can more easily explain to their customers how they set themselves apart, including in relation to achieving better customer outcomes, and to address situations where our rules may unnecessarily inhibit a firm’s ability to grow or ability to retain Chartered status. We have held some initial consultation meetings and focus groups that have enabled us to draw up some new criteria that we believe will meet our ambition. We intend to consult with all Chartered firms on our thinking early in the new year, and we want you to be a part of that, before launching the new approach in summer 2025.

One of my great passions is giving opportunities to nurture new talent. I have always championed our New Generation insurance groups and this year I have sponsored the formation of a new PFS New Generation programme to be launched in September 2025. In other work, I met with representatives of the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters earlier this year to discuss how our Institutes can work more closely together to add value to members of both organisations.

Our CII Insurance Community boards continue to do fantastic work in each of their specialist areas of broking, claims and underwriting, and I have been delighted to be part of their board meetings as they plan how to offer further value and guidance to members.

I have also attended Personal Finance Society board meetings as an observer on behalf of the CII Group Board and I am happy to say that the PFS board has made excellent strides in how it is working for the benefit of members - PFS and CII – with both boards commenting on the positive benefits of further collaboration.

When I spoke to CII Group Chief Executive, Matthew Hill, following his appointment earlier this year, I said I wanted to see the CII increasingly engage with the FCA, ABI, BIBA and other leading organisations both here in the UK and internationally in order to shape the way in which insurance and financial services professionals work. Being thought leaders helps us to feed into the learning and CPD we offer all our members, so they are always ahead of the curve. I am delighted by the progress I have seen in such a short space of time, including through the various roundtable events that have been conducted with members, regulators and consumer groups, the publication of White Papers, and reciprocal attendance at major conferences.

It has been a remarkable year and, as I come to a conclusion, I would like to share what an honour it has been to fulfil this role, of CII president. While I may be reaching the end of my time in office, I know the CII is in safe hands with Nicola Stacey as President and Callum Beaton as her Deputy, who will continue to strengthen the Institute and bring ever greater success to the wider insurance profession.

Thank-you everyone for all your support – it has been a privilege to have been your President.