Looking ahead - how Airmic is building on its heritage. A message from the current chair.

Airmic is a forward-looking organisation and, like its members, does not go in for self-congratulation. Nonetheless, as we embark on our 50th anniversary year, the least we can do is recognise those pioneers who had the energy and belief to set up AIMIC, as the association was called at its outset. At the same time, it is natural to reflect upon how much has changed in our business and to wonder what may lie ahead.

Looking forward and trying to anticipate and shape events that affect risk managers is one of the key tasks of the Airmic Board so that we can be of maximum service to our members.

The most successful risk managers of the future will combine a broad understanding of risk with a thorough knowledge of the thought processes of their organisations; they will have well developed ‘soft’ skills to complement their technical ability and enable them to wield greater influence; they will grasp the importance of insurance as a strategic activity and be able to communicate it to their boards; and it is hoped that they will one day be able to earn greater credibility through widely accepted professional qualifications.

Much of Airmic’s current work points in these directions. The association’s technical agenda has expanded to an astonishing degree, and continues to do so. Our Academy goes from strength to strength, with an increasing number of events to enable members to look in-depth at important risk management topics.

Meanwhile, we continue to be proactive in addressing those issues that matter to members – hence, for example, the latest steps towards a global insurance compliance database, as reported elsewhere in Airmic News. Last month the topic we tackled was Reservation of Rights. And there is plenty more in the pipeline, not least the publication this coming June of ‘Roads to Resilience’, a hefty piece of research being carried out for us by Cranfield University.

The progress we have made shows how much things have moved on since the association started, but we owe the founders a huge debt of gratitude. I hope future generations will look back at the current leadership with similar feelings.

Nicholas Bailey, chairman

Nicholas Bailey, chairman