President's Message

Hello and welcome to the Chelmsford and South Essex CII

I am honoured to accept the position of President for The Insurance Institute of Chelmsford & South Essex for 2026/27. Our Local Institute is only capable of delivering on its objectives thanks to a strong and dedicated Council made up of members from the local industry, and you, the membership we serve by providing a host of CPD, networking and social events throughout the year.

I am proud to take the reins of this role from Aza Row, who achieved an incredible amount throughout his time in office, including creating a Council Apprenticeship scheme which has been recognised nationally to raising vital funds for a small charity close to his heart, and delivering many educational and networking opportunities for our membership.

My theme for the year will be ‘Community’.  We are now five years on from some sense of normality returning to the world after the covid-19 pandemic, and as such, it is my wish to spend the next year building partnerships with local employers in our community to develop the talent we have in our industry and help the next generation of leaders come to the fore.  This will be facilitated by an initiative called the 'Tour of Essex'.

The 'Tour of Essex' will bring together colleagues from local employers with Local CII members to help build their community and learn about a topic of interest within the industry.  This collaborative series has the vision of fostering enhanced relationships with our local employers to help build on the excellent objectives already achieved by our Young Professionals in developing and delivering our networking events. 

For this year, my nominated charity will be The OutHouse.  Founded in 1979, their story starts as the Colchester Gay Switchboard.  Offering compassion and understanding to a community sorely in need of both, the founders worked hard to establish a lifeline to the isolated and alone.

With time, fundraising and the generosity of others, their services developed to what The OutHouse is now known to be today – a source of support, vibrancy and pride.  The charity has since grown in its intentions to ensure members of the LGBTQ+ community feel seen, heard and supported.  Acting as a rounded resource of support, their services extend to the core areas of Community Engagement, Counselling and Training and seek to uphold the values of diversity, equality, celebration and innovation.  The charity now provides vital services to young people in Chelmsford with dedicated Youth Activities Co-ordinators creating a programme of events and activities in the local area to help bring the local LGBTQ+ youth community together.

I welcome you to contact me with any particular training or networking opportunities you, your colleagues or your local industry needs and look forward to meeting with you at one of our many, future events.

Andrew Goate ACII
President
Chelmsford & South Essex CII