The Insurance Institute of London (IIL) has named Christopher Lay as its new president.
A statement on its website said that Lay was succeeding Julian Enoizi. In addition, Lay also serves as the country corporate officer for Marsh McLennan in the UK, providing leadership for the Marsh McLennan businesses of Marsh, Guy Carpenter, and Mercer/Oliver Wyman.
During his more than 30-year career with Marsh, Lay has held a variety of senior leadership positions in the UK, EMEA, North America, and globally. In addition to CEO roles in the UK and Canada, he has had leadership responsibility for the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Russian, and Nordic regions. He has also had global responsibility for sales and captive solutions.
Lay said: “I’m delighted to take on the position of president and have the opportunity to serve the IIL and support its vital work. I’d like to thank the Institute’s members for electing me. I’d also like to thank Julian for his excellent leadership.”
He added: “At this time of immense challenge and opportunities, our industry has a critical role to play in ensuring we can protect and promote the possibilities ahead. I look forward to working with the members to maintain the vibrancy and success of the Institute.”
In a recent address given at the IIL’s AGM in London, Lay said he was ‘honoured and humbled’ to have been appointed. Thanking his predecessor, Lay paid tribute to what he called the ‘outstanding contribution’ made by Enoizi to the industry over the last year.
He added: “As we continue to recover from the pandemic, the world is grappling with new challenges that are increasingly complex. Top of mind are rising geopolitical tensions amid the war in Ukraine, ever evolving and increasingly acute cyber threats, economic challenges including energy supply, increasing inflation and supply chain disruption, and ever-increasing risks associated with climate change.”
He went on: “Together, the CII, the IIL, and our members share a collective responsibility to our clients, to help provide much-needed resiliency that enables them be more confident in this increasingly uncertain world of risk. As such, the theme of my presidency is ‘Dialling Up Our Purpose’: in the year ahead, as your president, I am committed to sharpening the focus on the role our industry plays in protecting and promoting the possibilities of individuals, businesses, institutions, and societies at large. Our purpose is not always well understood or articulated. Every individual and organisation wants to build greater resiliency to future shocks, and be positioned to take advantage of possibilities ahead. Our purpose is to make a difference in enabling that.”
