theme 6 Truly Sustainable Institute

The overwhelming majority of members have obtained one or more of the Institute’s professional qualifications and many have obtained Chartered status. However, just under 1 in 5 employees in the UK insurance and personal finance sectors is a current member of the Institute, so there is opportunity to grow our membership base. We will do this by demonstrating the value of membership in new and compelling ways and by expanding our offer with new products and services in areas not yet fully covered, such as personal lines insurance. Every Institute member in the UK also becomes a member of a local Insurance Institute or PFS Region, so an expanded membership base will also result in greater local activity and increased local member engagement through our local networks and communities. Similarly, there are opportunities for membership growth internationally and, to achieve this, we will grow our international footprint. Much of this additional effort will be supported by providing services digitally, which the pandemic has shown can be done effectively and delivers greater levels of engagement. That said, a physical presence can be key and, where there is a case to do so, we will expand our physical presence beyond our two current staffed offices in Dubai and Hong Kong.

Further, we recognise the desire for the PFS to be more autonomous within the wider Institute group, so we will refresh and renew our governance and identity to ensure both the CII and PFS can flourish as professional membership bodies.

In common with many professions and professional membership bodies, diversity and inclusivity are key challenges. There is much more to be done within our sectors to address these challenges. We will become an exemplar organisation within the insurance and personal finance sectors, acting as a role model for our professions and seeking to reflect our potential community of members.

The Institute currently occupies leased space in the Walkie Talkie building in the City of London. Just prior to the pandemic we moved to a full hybrid working model with staff able to work flexibly in any location. The lasting impact of the pandemic on working patterns, and workplaces, has been profound and like so many other organisations we need to consider working patterns post-pandemic and the impact on our physical workplaces and member spaces for the future.

With the lease on our London office space expiring in 2026 there is also an opportunity to re-imagine our London presence. The current space is not easily accessible to members and will need to be reconfigured in any event to accommodate future working patterns. We will consider whether the current space is fit for the Institute’s future needs and, if not, consider relocation. A key element of this consideration will be the Institute’s carbon footprint and the goal to become net carbon zero workplace by 2030.