BII Insurance Industry Awards Presented
The Bermuda Insurance Institute [BII] held its 15th annual Insurance Industry Awards Event on May 16, 2013 at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.
The following persons were added to the BII roll of honor: Roger Gillett who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Stephen Catlin who was the recipient of the Industry Leader Award, Chris Estwanik who received the Young Industry Leader of the Year Award, and the Argus Group who received the first ever Corporate Social Responsibility Award.
Premier Craig Cannonier was in attendance and provided opening remarks. He spoke of the exemplary talent present in the Bermuda market place and congratulated those who would be receiving awards. Chris Fisher, who presented the awards,commented that it was an honour to preside over his first BII Industry Awards as President of the BII’s governing council and he thanked the current recipients for the wonderful example that they set to all who are working hard to keep the Bermuda insurance and reinsurance industry at the forefront globally.
Roger Gillett, who has distinguished himself in the Industry throughout his career,offered three challenges to the audience regarding volunteerism, the BII, and self-fulfilling prophecy. Mr. Gillett said this about volunteerism: “There are people who make things happen, people who watch things happen, and people who say,‘What Happened’. In the world of volunteerism there is a need for people in the first category. So if my thoughts have resonated with you in any way, step forward and volunteer, particularly our young people, and become part of something which makes things happen. And to the employers, please encourage and recognize this positive behavior. Your people will respect you for it and they will grow.”
The second challenge Mr.Gillett discussed concerned the BII. He told the audience: “Many of you will know that I was on the BII Council through most of the eighties and into the nineties, and I rejoined the Council about four years ago. As I compare the budget from the earlier period to our budget today and see that, taking into account inflation, it has not materially changed. “The market meanwhile, by any measure has grown by multiples.
“We are, within the restrictions of our budget, introducing new programmes, like our Wharton Leadership programme, the Bermuda Insurance Underwriting Conference, and the Captive Education Summit for which we are being commended. But, we still live hand to mouth. This sounds provocative but I have to say it. This is unacceptable and regressive.As the leading captive domicile in the world, a leading insurance center, and a leading reinsurance center, we must have a World Class Insurance and Risk Management Education Facility. I ask you to ponder on this, and hopefully embrace the idea. I believe that a relatively modest amount of funding and effort would result in something that we can point to with pride, to our clients and indeed the world.”
The final challenge offered to the audience focused on self-fulfilling prophecy. Mr. Gillett recounted a quote from Winston Churchill:“Pessimists see difficulty in every opportunity.Optimists see opportunity in every difficulty.”“Over the past few years we have become a nation of pessimists by habit,” Mr. Gillett said. “The Sky Is Not Falling. The time for public self flagellation must end.Having in the past used the power of self fulfilling prophecy to good effect, I have feared through this period that this power was operating in reverse, that is if something negative is repeated enough times , we will all begin to believe it and act accordingly. It is time for us to rise above the negative rhetoric and start talking well about ourselves. We have built something quite unique in Bermuda. At every opportunity let’s celebrate our successes. Let’s challenge the naysayers.”
Chris Estwanik the Young Industry leader of the Year award recipient also had key messages for the audience. The top runner had five messages that persons could apply to their lives. He told everyone that adversity makes you stronger. Mr. Estwanik then recounted meaningful stories from his life and how they helped to shape him and make him a successful marathoner and professional today.
Mr. Estwanik also warned that over confidence leads to disappointing others. He told a story from his college days when he learned this lesson the hard way. To summarize the message he said: “We’re going to mess up, disappoint those that rely on us, but it is what you do afterwards that matters more and can set the tone for your future.He closed his speech with two messages “Hardwork and sacrifice still defines the successful ones” and he urged the audience not to take anything for granted.
Stephen Catlin, the Industry Leader of the Year Award recipient, was unable to attend in person but sent a prerecorded message. In his comments he noted that he had been a part of the Bermuda marketplace since the early 1990’s. He also mentioned that he and his colleagues recognized the benefits of the local market place and were glad to be a part of “Bermuda, the Bermuda society, and the vibrant Bermuda marketplace”. He further stated that he sees his award as a team effort and that the award was “as much for Graham Pewter and his team as it is for him”. Gillian Cross of Catlin Bermuda accepted the award on Mr. Catlin’s behalf.
Alison Hill, CEO of the Argus Group, accepted the award on behalf of her company. Ms. Hill highlighted Argus’ theme of Prevention and said: “Our theme of prevention means that the charities we support are wide-ranging and include The Reading Clinic, Bermuda Diabetes Association, The Family Centre, Crime Stoppers Bermuda and Bermuda Heart Foundation, to name just a few. And, we tackle all sorts of areas with pre-emptive measures targeting issues like obesity, illiteracy and anti-social behavior.” She concluded her remarks with these words: “While this award is fantastic recognition, we get the greatest joy from seeing what these and other charities achieve with the support of Argus. I therefore dedicate this award to our numerous charity partners, and I look forward to our ongoing work together.”
The awards event closed with a tribute to BII Council member and a Past President Laurie Orchard, of the XL Group, for her years of service to the BII and her organization of the awards event.The evening culminated with a cocktail reception.
