News analysis | CII manifesto

www.insuranceage.co.uk/tag/cii

CII seeks to build trust in insurance

Institutes manifesto promises push on professional standards and a new broker member programme

BY JUDITH UGWUMADU

judith.ugwumadu@incisivemedia.com
@InsuranceJudith

The headline announcement

in the Chartered Insurance
Institutes (CII) manifesto,
launched 1 November, focused
on re-establishing trust in the
insurance sector.
The statement of intent
followed consultation with
members and a strategic review
supported by PwC.
It also highlighted the
organisations focus to push
professional standards
and make learning more
accessible. The manifesto
outlined an internal change
programme, which the CII
believes will help it become
more relevant, modern and
diverse.
The change has been designed
to ensure the CII keeps pace

CII Manifesto
Five year programme of
change to 2021
The three key points:
Relevant: To be a valued
partner to all stakeholders such
as policy makers, government
and regulators.
Modern: To make learning
simpler.
Diversity: To reflect and
understand the needs of the
entirety of the insurance-buying
public.

with the needs of the modern

workforce and customer base,
it noted. The institute will also
expand its international reach
with stakeholders.

Force for good

Sian Fisher, chief executive of the
CII called for the wider professions
support for the programme of
change. We all know insurance
is a force for social good, she
said. Along with education and
medical care, it is one of the three
great empowerers of all our lives.

and trust, and support its

membership more broadly.
Specifically, this includes
working on key performance
indicators, which will result in 14
different work streams that will
emerge early next year.
Stephen Lark, group managing
director at Lark, who attended
the manifesto launch said it was
encouraging to see the institute
looking to modernise and understand
where they can really help.
But Id like see more detail in
how it will be delivered and how
things might change from the
current situation, he said.

Trust issues

The public believe two

of these are provided by
professionals. They dont think
this about insurance today. Its a
challenge but also an amazing
opportunity for all of us.
Putting flesh on the bones of
the manifesto, Keith Richards,
chief executive of the Personal
Finance Society, who has
been tasked with increasing
engagement with the CII,
explained that that the policy
document recognises that the
institute needs to evolve its own
role in raising public confidence

Also wanting to see more specifics

was Richard Scott, account
executive at Hettle Andrews &
Associates, who noted that the
CIIs programme left out the local
insurance institute network. He
worried that the manifesto started
too negatively but accepted there
were trust issues surrounding the
industry and that the
document would
help address these.
In his view much
of the solution is
about doing our own
PR better.
Lark agreed that
trust was a major public
issue and that the manifesto
would go some way to bolster
it. It wont be straight forward
as change happens over time, he
warned.
Axas commercial director
Alasdair Stewart touched on
the issues of trust yet noted that
the CII has been reticent to talk
recently, which was a problem.
The CII needs to lead and
take a position on things and say,
here is our issue and here is our
position on it for the good of the
sector, he urged.

Broker programme
Acknowledging these issues,
particularly for the broker
community, Richards said there

were many kinks to iron out for

the manifesto to succeed.
For that reason the CII
will develop a new broker
membership programme, which
could see the creation of a
new society for professional
insurance brokers, he said,
revealing that it could be
implemented during the second
quarter of 2017.
He continued: Were now
engaging a number of member
brokers to help us come up with the
right solution. We recognised that
we need to engage with sub-sectors.
On the CIIs flagship diversity
agenda which seeks to bring
more women and a new
generation into the industry,
Scott said he hoped this new
generation would be more diverse
and more reflective of the society.
Looking around in broking
its not just about male rather
than female but its very white,
he stated.
THOUGHTS ON SIAN FISHER
CIIS CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER WHO STARTED ON
1 FEBRUARY
Ashwin Mistry,
former CII president
and chairman of
Brokerbility: I
support what Sian is
doing. Shes transformed the CII to
make it more visible, transparent
and relevant to the end member.
Richard Scott,
account executive
at Hettle Andrews
& Associates: Sian
Fisher is doing well so
far and is certainty taking a fresh
look at what the CII does.
Alasdair Stewart,
Axas commercial
director: Sians got
a tough act to follow.
I think everything is
there she just needs to move on
the progress of [former CII CEO]
Sandy Scott.

8 | www.insuranceage.co.uk | December 2016

008_IA_1216.indd 8

01/12/2016 13:29