The IISA conference draws near
The Insurance Institute of South Africa (IISA) can trace its roots back to 1898 when a Cape Town institute – affiliated to the Chartered Institute of London – was established. Further branches were opened across South Africa until 1966 when it was decided to ‘merge’ all the local branch offices as affiliates under a single South African organisation, the IISA. The IISA, with various local partners, works to uphold standards in the financial services industry, and to gain recognition for the professionalism of the financial services intermediary.
An important aspect of professionalism is that all industry stakeholders aspire to similar long-term goals. That’s why industry events like the IISA 2009 Annual Conference, taking place at Sun City, Pilanesberg, from 28 to 29 June 2009, are so important. With approximately 500 delegates in attendance, the IISA conference is among the top events on the insurance industry calendar. The theme for this year’s conference is P.R.I.D.E. with presentations focusing on professionalism, research, insurance, development and education. This theme is particularly relevant today given the requirement for continuous professional development set out in the Financial Advisory & Intermediary Services (FAIS) Act.
Challenges all South Africans share
Most of these topics apply across the financial services industry and to South Africa as a whole too. Professionalism, development and education are vital if the country hopes to solve the problems of unemployment and low productivity. Professionalism lifts an industry and encourages all participants to further their education. There’s no better draw to an industry than a career path that goes all the way to the top!
Development covers a range of initiatives that raise standards in the industry. Each stakeholder has a range of roles to fulfil in this regard. Financial services provider must ensure that employees are afforded opportunities to grow in their chosen roles, while product providers strive to introduce new and innovative products for the benefit of intermediaries and consumers alike. The development concept extends to the grass roots level, where potential clients and future employees are waiting to be unlocked.
Education is an imperative for economic growth. As a professional in the financial services industry your hunger for knowledge should never be satisfied. There are always new products, new marketing tools and new investment strategies to investigate. Once your own needs are satisfied you need to look around for opportunities to uplift the community as a whole. By encouraging young learners to enter the financial services industry you increase the chances for the long-term prosperity.
Impressive list of speakers
What can delegates to the IISA 2009 Annual Conference look forward to? Apart from the excellent networking opportunities that include the exhibition centre, golf tournament, Sunday’s Welcome Cocktail Party and Monday night Theme Party, attendees will benefit from an impressive presentation roster. There’s an impressive list of local and international insurance experts.
International presenters include Mr Peter Miller, President & chief executive, American Institute for CPCU and the Insurance Institute of America (USA) and Prof Andy Andrews, ISIE Business School (Barcelona). The local guest speakers include Mr Ian Kirk, chief executive: Santam, Dr Steve Lennon, managing director: Resources and Strategy, Eskom, Mr David O’Brien, Head: Retirement Reform, Old Mutual and Mr Mike Hofmeyr, chairman: Willis SA.
The IISA 2009 Annual Conference encourages debate around topical issues in the insurance industry. It’s an opportunity for all stakeholders to critically assess their achievements to date, and chart a course for the coming year. FAnews will be roaming the presentations and exhibition halls to scoop all the latest news. We hope to see you there.
