CII CEO to step down after more than six years

The  Chartered Insurance Institute's (CII's) chief executive officer (CEO) is stepping down after more than six years at the helm of the professional body.

Sian Fisher (pictured) will complete her six-month notice period and leave at the end of March next year.

Fisher’s term was originally due to finish at the end of 2020, but with the impact of COVID-19 and the arrival of a new CII chair in July 2020, it was extended to ensure the institute had a clear next phase to move to.

During her tenure, Fisher has led the modernisation of the CII, resolving several complex and historic issues, as well as overseeing the delivery of a new Manifesto, CII strategy, IT transformation and a significant culture change programme.

CII said Fisher’s decision to step down has been timed to cover the full period of the forthcoming membership consultation – Shaping the Future Together – which is due to launch in October and conclude in Q1 2022, enabling the Board to recruit a successor to take forward the Board’s refreshed strategy and resulting five-year plan.

Prior to becoming the CII CEO, Fisher was also a vice president from 2003 to 2009, where she built relationships with many of the CII's Local Institutes, and she served on the Board from 2004 to 2010, when she chaired the General Insurance Working Group set up to reshape the qualification framework.

Fisher is also a long-standing member of the Insurance Institute of London.

Helen Phillips, CII Chair, said: “Sian has led the CII at a pivotal time and as a Board we are enormously grateful to her for all that she has achieved. We look forward to evolving her legacy, with a clear focus on building public trust and helping our members to support their clients in becoming more financially resilient.

“I want to thank Sian personally, it has been a privilege and a delight to work with someone whose intellectual agility and commitment to the CII is matched only by her integrity, graciousness and unerring good humour. I look forward to continuing to work together over the next six months.”

Fisher commented: “When I joined the CII in 2016, I made a commitment to modernise the organisation during my five-year term, to make sure it was ‘fit for the future’ and supported the vital role our members play in society. I've always believed that helping advance the influence and impact of the insurance and personal finance profession, is helping advance opportunity and equality for all.

“It has been an absolute privilege to work with all my dedicated colleagues and the Board to transition the CII into a more sustainable, ‘relevant, modern and diverse’ professional body.

“I look forward to spending the next six months overseeing our forthcoming membership consultation – Shaping the Future Together – and supporting the transition to a successor who will lead the next phase of the CII's development.”

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