President's Message - Final

A last hurrah!

This is my last Presidents Message. My year has flown past and we are fast approaching our Annual General Meeting where I will pass on the Presidential gong to the very able Sarah Deacon.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being your President and, whilst I hope that I have been able to help our local CII continue to grow and develop, I have gained an awful lot myself during the last year – meeting new people, learning new things, and being part of something with real purpose and direction.

I would like to use this last message to reflect on some of the things we have achieved during the last 12 months; to recognise those that have achieved academically during the last year; and to thank those that have made the last year work so well.

12 eventful months

What a year and what a way to end the year!

In April alone, we have held our Annual Dinner, our local Prize Giving Event and an evening Networking CPD session; with the AGM to follow….

The Dinner on the 5^th April was a great success and received hugely positive feedback. A separate flyer issued recently details how the night flowed and includes a number of great photographs – really worth a look. It was so nice to see everyone having a great time, whilst raising over £3,000 which will be split between the Insurance Charities and Suffolk Mind. My sincere thanks once again to Vicki Chapman and our Dinner Committee, to our kind Sponsors, to all those who donated prizes for the Auction and the Raffle, to our Top Table Guests and to all that attended and made the night so special.

The Prize Giving event on the 10^th April was really well attended and it was a privilege to be part of celebrating exam success with a number of our members. Melissa Collett (Professional Standards Director at the CII) attended the lunch time event and gave an inspiring talk about her career to date and the importance of networking. More on the prize winners later…

On the topic of Networking, it seemed fitting that the last educational event of my Presidential year was looking at people and people skills; specifically the art of networking. The Networking evening event at the Novotel in Ipswich on the 25^th April gave attendees the chance to learn a bit more about how to network successfully and then put their learning into practise!

Over the last year we have tried to focus on bringing people together, championing learning and development in all its forms. We have run breakfast, lunchtime, after work and all day events with presentations, seminars, talks and panel events. Since our last AGM, we have looked at everything from GDPR to liability claims and from financial resilience for women to how to identify and work with vulnerable customers. We have looked at marketing skills, study skills and exam techniques and still found time to tackle modernisation topics like the “London Market” and “Blockchain”.

On the social side, we have done more than ever before. Some events have been better attended than others but I can assure you that those who attended each event had a great time. Our social events varied from a civilised Cheese and Wine evening to a slightly bonkers night sliding down a ski slope on giant rubber rings. And I will remember the Summer Party for years to come.

My thanks to Jo Mulley and the Education Committee and to Jess Addison and our Young Professional Group who made all of the above happen.

Suffolk Mind

I need to start with a huge thank you - thank you to everyone for their support of my chosen Charity; to those who Sponsored Sarah and I during Red Jan, to those that have donated funds, bought raffle tickets and auction prizes and helped promote Suffolk Mind and the work it does.

I can confirm that we have raised a total of £6,001.86 for Suffolk Mind over the last 12 months.

We really have built a partnership between our local CII and Suffolk Mind and I know that Sarah and I are keen to maintain this connection going forward. Please remember that all of us have mental health and at some point in our lives most of us will have some kind of mental health issue or concern. Suffolk Mind offer educational courses, counselling services and support mechanisms for all aspects of mental health.

Prize Winners

The 10^th April Prize Giving lunch ended with prize giving to members who had successfully completed a qualification in 2018. We have a huge number of students studying and sitting exams each year, often alongside several other commitments, and it’s important that we recognise their achievements:

Congratulations to everyone. The photo below shows Melissa Collett with those that were able to come and collect their awards at the Prize Giving lunch:

Thank you….

I need to again publically acknowledge our CII Council and register my sincere thanks for all their hard work and support. Since the last AGM we have grown to a group of 19 and new additions mean we have more representation from insurers and from our more southerly colleagues in Essex. We have young professionals and retirees, new joiners and senior managers all represented on our Council; all looking to make a difference and help our membership.

What we have achieved this year is the result of a great group of people working together. This is a great group of volunteers, giving up their own time. And my extra thanks to those who have contributed to the “a day in the life…” section in the monthly messages.

Thank you also to Rachel Pleasance who has put herself forward to tale on the Regional Forum Officer role (representing our CII regionally/nationally) and will be joining Council.

Through the course of a year we receive great help and support from venues and from companies and organisations donating prizes and helping us put on events – my thanks to all involved.

Finally, in taking on the President role, I have needed and received fantastic support from my employer (Willis Towers Watson) and from my family. This has enabled me to dedicate the time required to ensure that I could do the things that I had planned.

And NOT goodbye….

We are, I believe, well placed to grow and develop our local CII. I intend to be part of that and will remain on Council and hope to attend many of our future events and continue to meet up with members.

Please don’t forget our AGM at the Ipswich & Suffolk Club on the 28^th April 2019 – come along if you can. Sarah Deacon will then take on the Presidency and already has many plans for our next 12 months.

On the 9^th May 2019, at The WTW building in Ipswich, we have a Gin and Fizz evening which would be a great chance to meet our new president.

From me, for now, thank you and CHEERS!!