Cii Director General for the past ten years, David Bland, has announced he will retire from the institute on his 60th birthday in December. His job has already been advertised.
Bland said the success of the institute in financial services had been his greatest achievement. But he was critical of the industry for only reacting when forced to do so by regulation - something still concerning him in the general insurance market.
"It's always the stick rather than the carrot with the insurance industry. The stick has been shown to work on the financial services side but the carrot only works with the best companies," he said. He named Independent as one of the few companies that had taken professional training seriously.
Bland's textbooks on insurance have been translated into 14 languages and the CII has grown in influence around the world. The institute has recently altered its constitution and streamlined its committee, with the changes coming into effect just before Bland retires.
He will continue in academia and is keen to take up non-executive posts within the insurance industry.
- Full interview next week.
