President's Message

I am honoured to have been elected as the Stratford-upon-Avon Insurance Institute President for 2023.

We have many ideas for 2023/24 to improve the support and networking opportunities that we can offer our members. Our focus for the next few months in to support you and your CII, through CPD events tailored towards examination modules and support; alongside soft skills and increased focus on Diversity and Inclusion topics.

Here is a little more information on who we are and what we are about:

Who are we?

We are a group of volunteers who work in the Insurance and Financial Services industry. It is our job to ensure you get the most out of your CII membership by providing local events and initiatives to assist with your career development.

What do we do?

The SII exists to provide educational and developmental support along with networking opportunities to our members living or working within the Stratford upon Avon area. It is important to us that you have the appropriate support to enable you to achieve your goals and we can assist you with achieving professional qualifications, as well as providing opportunities for on-going learning and development.

We've given a lot of thought to how we as an Institute can best support our members and the insurance industry in the Stratford area. We'll be rolling out an exciting series of events over the course of the year and we'll contact you by email to tell you more. Please ensure you are opted in to receiving emails from us by logging in to your account at www.cii.co.uk and ‘opt in’ to receive e-mails and communications from your local institute. If you don’t we cannot contact you and tell you about the fantastic events we have arranged. We promise we won’t bombard you with e-mails just useful information to benefit you.

Education

The SII provides a range of lectures covering a diverse range of interesting and informative topics to support your Continuous Professional Development.

In addition, the SII offers coaching and mentoring services to assist those of you studying for exams. We can put you in touch with a qualified and experienced expert who can provide guidance and mentoring on the area you're studying. Please contact us at cpd@stratfordinsurance.institute if you wish to take advantage of this service - or indeed, if you wish to offer your services as a mentor.

Charity

The SII continues to play a leading role in charity fund raising with over £1,000 from the Annual Dinner alone. The Insurance Charities give vital financial and practical support to past and present insurance employees and their dependent relatives who are suffering financial hardship. We are proud to support the work of the insurance charities, you can find more information out here: http://www.theinsurancecharities.org.uk/.

Networking

Our social events, particularly our Annual Dinner, are great opportunities for networking and meeting others involved in the Industry, and also provides an enjoyable break from the routine of daily work.

As always, the Institute is here to serve YOU, our members, and I recommend that you get to know those of us who represent you on Council, making sure to get full use of the services we offer. We always welcome feedback from our members on how we can improve our support for you, so please do get in touch if you have any suggestions.

Please contact me, or any of the officeholders, via email to events@stratfordinsurance.institute should you have a query about anything related to the Council. I look forward to meeting you.

Best wishes,

Ewart.