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I am delighted and feel rather privileged to be appointed as the President of the Insurance Institute of Manchester. I follow in the footsteps of a number of former Presidents who have provided a superb foundation for my year in office for which I am naturally rather grateful. I have always believed since starting in our Industry that the CII has a pivotal role to play and provides an anchor of values and professionalism to which we can aspire.
We are going through uncertain times in our economic environment which has brought severe pressures to the Financial Services Industry generally and many of our clients in particular. Despite this I believe we can be proud of our Industry which displays financial security through prudent management and has risen to the external challenges well.
Underpinning this of course are the people who work in our Industry and it is imperative therefore that we are equipped and trained to undertake our roles to the absolute utmost of our abilities. This of course is a life long learning requirement embraced by continuous professional development for which we each have a personal responsibility.
The Insurance Institute of Manchester takes this responsibility seriously and through our various committees of Education, Development, Events and Communication there are opportunities to become directly involved and I would encourage you to take part as much as you can. I have been very impressed by the enthusiasm I have found in our Institute and the number of younger members actively involved which gives me great confidence for the future.
As an Institute we have been pleased to have been recognised nationally for our fund raising efforts supporting charity which are a key part of our role and will also continue to be a primary focus during the forthcoming year.
The Insurance Awards initiative now coming into its third year is due to be held in September 2010. This is a regional event recognising professionalism and excellence across a range of disciplines in our marketplace. It is growing from strength to strength and I would commend you to encourage your organisation to get involved as it goes to the heart of what we are about.
Whether you decide to participate in our increasingly active social calendar, strive for examination success or attend one of our Professional Development seminars led by key industry speakers I know you will be made to feel very welcome and benefit from the networking opportunities involved.
We will endeavour to keep all members up to date with our activities and of course no better way than to get directly involved. Please log on regularly to our website at www.iim-manchester.co.uk for news of what we are doing or indeed if you are looking for support or information to assist you.
Kind regards
Norrie Erwin
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