Insurance Day Handover article
On Friday 19 October, BILA held its AGM at the Old Library at Lloyd’s and David Kendall (partner Edwards Wildman) and Lord Justice Aikens were elected as the new Chairman and President respectively.
Stephen Lewis of Clyde & Co is the out-going Chairman.
“I have been the Chairman of BILA for the past two years. It has been an intensely satisfying experience. For me, two particular events have stuck out as highlights. The first was the “Cyber Risk” Conference in June 2011 which culminated in a mock trial at the Royal Courts of Justice presided over by Lord Justice Aikens. The other was the joint BILA, Law Commission and University of Southampton Insurance Contract Law Reform event in June of this year where a panel of eminent academics, practitioners and market individuals debated the pros and cons of the Law Commission’s law reform proposals. There was in addition the usual excellent series of lunchtime lectures”.
BILA has now been established for almost 50 years, but each Chairmanship has tended to have a different emphasis. Recent initiatives have been designed to reach out to the younger professionals in the insurance market and on 11 October there was a sell-out “Meet the Market” event kindly hosted by Catlin.
Professor Rob Merkin is the outgoing President of BILA and during the last two years has made an enormous contribution in encouraging the involvement of academics and students in BILA . Rob Merkin is now taking on a new challenge of (remaining on the BILA committee as) becoming the Journal Editor and research member for the new website.
David Kendall is taking over as Chairman
” I am privileged to have been elected Chairman of BILA at a time when the association is in such good health and of increasing relevance to the insurance industry. Insurance law is important to a highly regulated industry dealing with risk and liability. English insurance law has a special role to play in international insurance because of the London market”.
David Kendall has exciting plans for the next two years.
“I would like BILA to continue to provide high quality educational seminars and materials; further develop our relationships with the main insurance organisations in the UK: enhance the capabilities of BILA’s website to serve our membership; and encourage young professionals to get involved in insurance.”