The General Insurance Standards Council (GISC) fears it will lose its credibility if it fails to attract regional brokers to its board of directors.
Regional brokers comprise 90% of the GISC's current membership, but GISC spokeswoman Catherine Nicoll said the organisation had not been able to find a broker willing to join its board.
Nicoll said the most common reason cited for reluctance to join the board was lack of time.
"One of the points made is that they're so busy implementing the GISC regulations," she said.
"They're running a business at a difficult time, with commercial pressures, capacity, rates and competition in the market-place.
"First and foremost, their loyalty is to their own business, their shareholders, clients and themselves and they're honestly concerned about not having the time to give to the GISC."
However, Nicoll said it was vital the GISC had regional brokers on its board, particularly as a criticism often levelled by brokers at the GISC was that its insurer members overlooked their interests.
"It's important that the board has in its midst the knowledge and experience of the core professional intermediary sector of the market," she said.
"It's also absolutely essential that this sector feels its issues and views are understood and taken into account by the board. It's going to be so important for credibility; they've got to be confident that it's their board."
Nicoll said, having spoken to many brokers at the Insurance Times Premium Content conference recently, brokers were well aware of the need for board representation.
"It's difficult to get people in the insurance industry to agree on anything but all the brokers agreed that, when we have our board elections, it's essential we get one or two people on the board who come from that constituency," she said.
No date has yet been set for the election, but an announcement on the format it will take is expected before December.
