Hello and a very warm welcome to the Insurance Institute of Southampton. My sincere gratitude goes to all my fellow council members for allowing me to fulfil my role as President this year.

I am looking to engage with more members that have not been involved before.  Our Institute supporters are loyal and they commit their time by attending our events, whether that might be a CPD programme, a social occasion or a networking event - I am very grateful to them.

I have been involved with our local institute since 2014 and to be honest my first few months were a blur owing to the fact that I did not have any understanding of the purpose of having an institute and the roles of an officer. Then it occurred to me that we are generally offering a voluntary service to educate and entertain our members in various of ways.

I relish every moment. My fellow members are humble, enthusiastic and supportive. Being part of our institute has widened my network locally and also nationally owing to national events provided by the Chartered Insurance Institute. It helps me to keep in touch with any current issues and updates within the insurance industry, and expands my experience in new areas.