Inga Beale reflects on a year of action that has seen great progress on diversity and creating a strong link with the Lloyd's market
How quickly a year flies by. When I agreed to be president of the CII, I had no idea how rewarding the role would be -- and looking back I am very glad I decided to take on the position.
During the past 12 months as president, I have travelled the country --
everywhere from Birmingham and Leeds to Kent and Cardiff -- visiting the various CII institutes and seeing first-hand the tremendous work you are carrying out to promote insurance as the important sector we all know it is.
I have been incredibly impressed by all the hard work the CII carries out -- often unpaid, often unheralded -- and meeting all of you has given me great comfort that the future of our profession is in safe hands.
A YEAR OF ACTION
One of the maxims I try to live by as a leader is to "lead by doing". We are all guilty at times of spending too much time talking about what we are going to do, less time on actually doing it. That's why, throughout my tenure as Lloyd's CEO, I have worked hard at promoting action on diversity and new talent throughout our market. This is the right time -- and perhaps our last chance -- to push forward on these intertwined agendas.
Given the pressures on the insurance sector at the moment, we can ill afford to miss out on recruiting our future workforce by not casting the net widely enough. With the CII also working on promoting diversity and new talent, I feel like the past year has certainly been one of action.
When I took over the presidency, one of my objectives was to forge closer ties between the Lloyd's market and the CII and I am proud we have achieved that. It feels like we are now closer together and have renewed a partnership that is a strong force for good in our sector.
"I have been incredibly impressed by all the hard work the CII carries out -- often unpaid, often unheralded -- and meeting all of you has given me great comfort that the future of our profession is in safe hands"
SOLID FOUNDATION
Our joint challenge going forward is to build on this success and leave behind a solid foundation on which the next generation of insurance professionals and leaders can build, to ensure our sector remains relevant in an increasingly fast-changing business, risk and regulatory landscape. Personally, I hope that when I eventually look back on my insurance career I will be able to say I contributed to leaving our sector in a better place than when I first entered it all those years ago.
So, as I end this, my last president's letter, I'd like to say a big thank you to all of you for your enthusiasm, encouragement and hospitality during the past year. I've met some inspiring people, made some great memories and had a lot of fun. It's a time I will never forget.
I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
Dame Inga Beale ACII, President, CII