The CIAA’s incoming President on the annual conference and future objectives
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The CIAA’s Annual Conference kicks off this Thursday in Victoria, BC. We caught up with the CIAA’s incoming President Mary Charman, and asked her about the organization’s objectives over the next four years.
Mary Charman: We’ve worked extremely hard on our future. Our executives are extremely dedicated and we want to see this plan go through. Education, we’re focusing on that, but also one of our main objectives is to open up communication between insurers and CIAA members. Patti Kernaghan, our present President, she’s begun some huge initiatives and they are very exciting.
And as time goes on we’ll be speaking about it in magazines and stuff like that (about) what we’re doing. Once again education is a big focus, but communication is also a huge focus for our association. We’re a very professional organization. We need to make sure our members are benefiting. We have affinity programs available to our members, E&O programs, reduced advertising in our wonderful Claims Canada magazine; we have rebate programs. We have to make sure our member are aware of what we have to offer. And whether that be by eBlast or things like that. We are so aware with our education the time constraints of our adjusters, so we make sure they are webinars; things that are easily accessible to people. Email traffic is the way to communicate these days.
As President, Mary will sit on the Organizing Committee of the National Insurance Conference of Canada. She explains the importance of this and what it means to the CIAA.
Mary Charman: It’s actually very exciting. We were asked to attend last year’s conference and asked to join on their organizing committee. I find NICC is very professional. It’s a very professional event. And just having us involved confirms my opinion that we are also a very professional organization, and we’re looked upon as such. They are offering up our opinion, which is great. So our involvement is huge in this event.
The CIAA Conference runs from August 26 to the 29th in Victoria BC. And, according to Mary, there is more to gain from attending than just education.
Mary Charman: It’s interesting to go to these conventions. Yes, there’s education and we do learn from that. I personally love meeting the members across our country. They leave lasting impressions and, you know, having friendship.
