The mission statement of ICMIF:

“To promote and work with the cooperative and mutual insurance sector globally.”

The vision statement of ICMIF:

“A world leader in providing information and services to, and representing the interests of, the global cooperative and mutual insurance sector.”

Established in 1922 the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) was originally known as the International Cooperative Insurance Federation (ICIF). Subsequent years saw the organisation develop a significant reinsurance operation and it also started to look at development issues for members.

Fifty years after it was founded, in 1972, the Federation formed an independent Secretariat at the same time moving away from the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). In 1993 a strategic review of the organisation was undertaken; following which it was significantly restructured to align itself with members developing needs.

Following the appointment of Shaun Tarbuck as Chief Executive in 2005 the activities of the Federation were again reviewed by the Secretariat resulting in a new strategy which was announced to members at the Federation biennial conference held in Singapore at the end of 2005.

In recent years ICMIF has seen a constantly increasing membership, rising from 75 members in 1993 to 200 in 2008 and helping it to become a unique global organisation representing cooperative and mutual insurers from around the world.

The membership is spilt one third in Europe, one third in the Americas and with the remainder located in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

These 200 members in turn represent over 400 distinct organisations in 72 countries. That membership comprises of organisations which operate as mutuals or cooperatives, or which sustain the mutual ethos in their operations and dealings with customers.

Through the delivery of a distinct range of dedicated member services the Federation aims include the promotion of the unique identity of the membership with the object of raising mutual awareness, identifying how members are working toward sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and lobbying, and working closely with them to support them in these areas.

Mutuality remains a strong force in many countries across the globe. The ICMIF Secretariat is based at offices in Altrincham, near Manchester, in the UK and comprises of 20 staff as well as a number of secondees from member organisations.

ICMIF history book
If you are interested in obtaining a copy of Not by Chance, which details the history of the Federation, please contact us.


This page is the responsibility of John Gully.
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