President's Message 2025

• Kris Vind
• Immediate Past President
• kris@chapterhousewealthmanagement.co.uk

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I proudly took on the role of President of the Birmingham Insurance Institute. It’s been an incredible honour to serve such a dynamic and diverse membership across both the insurance and financial services markets.

From the very start, I wanted to invest in bringing people back together—encouraging networking, collaboration, and rebuilding connections after the disruption of recent years. Whether it was a summer BBQ (yes, in September, yes, in the rain!) or face-to-face CPD events, our focus has been firmly on creating opportunities for our members to connect, learn, and grow.

A particular highlight was seeing so many new faces at our networking events, many attending their first ever BII function. It was wonderful to hear the feedback about how welcoming and confidence-boosting our Institute community is.

Supporting professional development has also been a priority this year. We have delivered a strong programme of CPD, both online and in person, covering a wide range of relevant topics. I would like to thank Helen and the PD&E Committee for their incredible work in making that happen. I'd also like to give special thanks to Phil (Quilter Cheviot), Matt (Foresight Group), Gavin (Evelyn Partners) who have supported our CPD programme and encouraged collaboration within the financial advice sector.

During the year, I have also worked hard to stand up for our members:

• Challenging the Personal Finance Society about the quality of events for financial advisers;
• Pushing for greater engagement with younger members to ensure a more diverse future for our profession;
• Welcoming the new CII and PFS CEO to Birmingham—our Institute was the first outside London he visited—and ensuring our members’ voices were heard;
• Introducing a Code of Conduct for our events to guarantee a safe, professional and welcoming environment for all;
• And, importantly, investing your Institute’s money directly into member engagement and services.

Charitable giving and community support have remained central to our work. This year, we partnered with One By One International, an incredible charity fighting modern slavery and human trafficking. Becky Murray's inspiring work reminded us all of the broader impact we can have. I am proud that, through events like our BBQ and Annual Dinner, we’ve helped raise vital funds to support their life-changing mission.

Our Exam Awards Night at Birmingham Council House was another standout moment—celebrating our members’ achievements and promoting insurance and financial advice as true professions, every bit as vital and respected as law or accountancy.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me over the past year: my fantastic Deputy, Stuart Harborne; our Immediate Past President, Angela; the entire Council team, who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved together—and I know there is even more to come.

Subject to ratification at our AGM, I am delighted to confirm that Stuart Harborne will be taking over as President. Stuart has been a huge support to me during my term, and he brings a wealth of experience, energy, and commitment to the role. I know the Institute will be in very safe hands and I hope you will all give him your full support in the year ahead.

Finally, a warm thank you to the Presidents and representatives of neighbouring Institutes who have supported and collaborated with us throughout the year.

To all our members: thank you. I have enjoyed every moment of serving you and look forward to seeing the Birmingham Insurance Institute continue to thrive.

Kris.

A little more about BII

Who are we?

We are the second largest Institute in the UK and are run by elected Officers, Council Members and our Young Professionals’ Group. Everyone involved is a volunteer who seeks to give something back to their profession in the local area, alongside their normal day job.

It is our responsibility to ensure that 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 BII exists to provide educational and developmental support, along with networking opportunities to our members living or working within the Birmingham and surrounding areas. 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 have given a lot of thought to how we, as your local Institute, can best support our members and the insurance industry in the Birmingham area. 

Professional Development & Education

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

For successful examination candidates, there is an annual award ceremony, where diplomas, certificates and prizes are presented to the most meritorious candidates.

Charity

The BII will continue to play a leading role in charity fundraising – both for local chosen charities and the general Insurance Charities. 

Networking

Our social events, as well as our live lectures, are great opportunities for networking and meeting others involved in our industry, and also provide an enjoyable break from the routine of daily work.

If you wish to receive details of these events, please ensure that you are opted in to receive local institute email communications by checking the ‘My CII’ part of the CII website. Otherwise, take a look at the Events link on this site.

Remember, 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, and make full use of the services we offer.

Please contact me, or any of the Officers, should you have a query about anything related to the Birmingham Insurance Institute.

On our ‘About Us’ pages, you will find a contact list of all the Officers on Council.

We warmly welcome anyone who wishes to become involved in the BII Council. It is a great way to meet new people in our industry, and will give you opportunities to:

• Gain an understanding of, and contribute to, ‘the bigger picture’ of insurance;
• Mix with experienced, like-minded insurance professionals;
• Put something back into the local insurance scene.