Standing for re-election as Insurance Institute of Manchester's next president – Broadway’s Eleanor Moore

Nine years ago, when Eleanor Moore helped a friend on a project around the centenary of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), she never imagined that she would be running for president of the Insurance Institute of Manchester (IIoM) nearly a decade later.

The IIoM, part of the CII, formed in 1873, making it one of the oldest insurance institutes. In 2023, it will turn 150, which Moore says is “something to shout about”.

Her first stint at the IIoM saw her later taking the helm as treasurer for four years between April 2014 and 2018. In 2020, she decided to stand for president of the IIoM, but sadly, Moore’s first term as president was unfulfilled due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Speaking about becoming president, she tells Insurance Times: “Two and a half years ago my life changed, my marriage ended, and it was time to reassess what I wanted, who I was and where I was going now as Eleanor the individual.”

Moore is now seeking re-election for a second term as president – if successful, it will make her the only president at the IIoM to serve two terms since the Second World War.

Manifesto

If re-elected as president, Moore hopes to change the way that continued professional development (CPD) is delivered post-pandemic – this moved online during lockdown.

She says: “Going forward, I would like to see a fusion of both methods so that we can continue to offer the networking opportunities [of in-person events], but our CPD programme will remain accessible to all by being delivered virtually.”

She also hopes that the IIoM attracts more local talent.

The institute is run by volunteers - a mixture of senior, established leaders as well as “up and coming” professionals who have complimentary skill sets.

“The perception of the local institute is that we just arrange exams, but that is far from the truth. Volunteers can learn new skills, enhance their curriculum vitae and develop their professional network,” she adds.

“It would be good to develop a succession plan for the various positions within the institute. It would be great to make the institute more accessible to all of those engaged in the market.”

Moore’s work with IIoM coovers the entirety of the insurance sector and gives her an overall view of the Manchester market, as well as members’ needs. 

One of her tasks as president during her first term was to set up MIIndful Manchester, for example. This is a mental health initiative to help members with the potential issues posed by remote working.

New world order

Thirty years ago, when Moore began her career in insurance, women were scarce in the industry - she says diversity and inclusion is still an area that requires “real attention and investment”.

Prior to lockdown, Moore was addressing this imbalance by speaking in schools and colleges about careers in insurance.

She adds: “There are many female leaders in insurance, such as Amanda Blanc of Aviva and Sam White of Freedom Services Group, who celebrate being females in insurance, but that’s not their only strength. They lead by example, support their peers and fully understand their profession.”

Moore advocates a more flexible approach to work too, based on her first-hand experience of having to return to work just four months after the birth of her daughter.

Women have been the primary care givers and teachers during lockdown, she says.

“I think the new world order that we are going into is post-Covid will make life easier for women because [work-life] balance will be easier to attain,” she says.

However she admits that “there is a place for being in the office and especially for us at Broadway, as a new business, we need to feed off each other’s enthusiasm”.

When asked what advice she would give other women entering the insurance industry, she says: “When you pursue professional qualifications straight from college or university, you are disciplined and familiar with learning for qualifications.

”When you return to it at a later stage, it can become challenging and I speak from personal experience.”