Lockdown prompts president of Insurance Institute of Manchester to seek re-election

Broadway Insurance Brokers’ private client director Eleanor Moore will be standing for re-election as president of the Insurance Institute of Manchester.

This is due to the mass adoption of home working by Manchester’s professionals, meaning that Moore was unable to fulfil her obligations as president during her first 12 months in charge after having been initially elected in April 2020, one month after the implementation of the UK’s first national lockdown to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.

Shortly after being elected as the institute’s current president, Moore became one of the first senior hires at Broadway Insurance Brokers.

If Moore is re-elected, she will become the only president at the Insurance Institute of Manchester to serve two terms since the Second World War.

Moore said: “When I stood for election as president at the start of last year, I don’t think anyone could have anticipated just how dramatically our working lives would change.

“By the time I took up the role, many of my industry colleagues in Manchester and further afield were already working from home, not because of flexibility but out of necessity.

“That has presented obvious challenges for an organisation which is committed to the support and development of those in the insurance industry and those considering a career within it - in part, through a calendar of networking and educational events.

“Such a drastic change in how we work has also had very direct and personal consequences for Institute members. After all, there is only so much we can all do using virtual meetings.”

Manchester mindfulness

Founded in 1873, the Insurance Institute of Manchester places an emphasis on “promoting education and emphasising professionalism” for those working within the insurance sector.

Manchester has the oldest insurance institute in the country. Its 5,500 members are from insurers and brokers across the city, as well as individuals working in the personal finance industry.

Moore said that one of her first tasks as president was to help set up MIIndful Manchester – an initiative to help members deal with the mental health issues posed by remote working during the pandemic.

She added: “The way in which the Institute helps its members has had to change to take account of the radically different circumstances in which we all find ourselves.

“Some people have been more able to adapt to being removed from an office environment in which their colleagues are close by. Others, sadly, have found it rather more difficult.

“Our MIIndful Manchester project is about creating a readily available support structure for those individuals who feel they need help as well as a cadre of trained mental health first aiders, able to respond to whatever problems might arise.

“These resources have not been set up solely for the duration of the pandemic and however long restrictions and home working remain the norm.

“Nevertheless, the Institute takes its obligations to its members very seriously and I want to ensure that I do what I can as president to put in place anything which is required to help colleagues cope.”