Chairman’s Message

I would like to start this month’s Message by offering the very best wishes and congratulations from all at the Insurance Museum to our friend and supporter Christopher Lay on his election to the Presidency of the Insurance Institute of London. Christopher (known to us simply as Chris), along with his predecessor Julian Enoizi, has supported the Museum since its very beginning and they were both instrumental in helping to fund our Feasibility Study in 2019.

Chris’s theme for the year is ‘Dialling Up Our Purpose.’ He is committed, he says, “to sharpening the focus on the role our industry plays in protecting and promoting the possibilities of individuals, businesses, institutions and societies at large. Our purpose is not always well understood or articulated. Every individual and organisation wants to build greater resiliency to future shocks, and be positioned to take advantage of possibilities ahead… our purpose is to make a difference in enabling that.”

Chris goes on to say that there are three key issues that he is particularly passionate about that are key to Dialling Up Our Purpose:

1. Promoting our industry as a ‘destination career’
2. Fostering greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I)
3. Creating solutions that address what’s changing around us.

Whilst the Insurance Museum is ready to play a significant role in all these issues it is the first that jumps out to me personally. Our aims have always been to engage current and future insurance professionals, as well as the general public, in order to share the incredible story of insurance, past present and future. We hope that by sharing the story of the evolution of the insurance profession, we can educate, build awareness, trust and confidence in our profession.

We will be engaging with schools, colleges and universities and will be making every effort to encourage new talent into this important and exciting profession.