Cila appoints youngest ever president

The Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (Cila) has appointed Melissa Cunningham, senior vice president and UK business interruption leader at Marsh, as its new president. 

At 40-years-old, Cunningham succeeds Hugh Kennaway following her election at Cila’s 64th Annual General Meeting.

Meanwhile, Aruna Chandrapalan, singapore chief executive and head of forensic accounting services in Asia at Sedgwick, has been elected as the new deputy president.

John Bissell, executive director at Cila, said: ”Cunningham and Chandrapalan are excellent examples of the profession that Cila increasingly represents. Technically expert, international and drawn from a diverse range of professional backgrounds.

”They have both been committed and active Cila volunteers and chair of special interest groups including, in Chandrapalan’s case, honorary treasurer. Cunningham’s career in broking demonstrates that loss adjusting expertise is not confined to traditional adjusting firms, while Chandrapalan combines deep technical expertise with an international perspective from Singapore.”

‘An enormous privilege’

Cunningham is a dual-qualified chartered accountant and loss adjuster who built her career in claims, predominantly within the broking sector, and has taken on various senior positions over her eight years at Marsh. 

Meanwhile, Chandrapalan is based in Singapore and specialises in quantifying complex business interruption and financial loss claims.

Cunningham said: ”As someone who has primarily specialised in claims preparation for policyholders, it is an enormous privilege to become president of Cila at a time when both the institute and the profession are evolving to be more inclusive of claims professionals outside of the traditional pathway of adjusting on behalf of insurers.

“One of my priorities will be to champion professional development and ensure that people from a wider range of backgrounds can see a route into, and through, the profession. Loss adjusting expertise today exists across adjusting firms, brokers, insurers and specialist consultancies and Cila should be relevant and accessible to that whole community.

“I am also passionate about encouraging the next generation to progress. Experience will always be fundamental to our profession, particularly when dealing with complex losses, but we must create opportunities for younger practitioners and people with different backgrounds and perspectives to contribute and lead.”