After taking over as Chief Executive Officer of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) in November 2024 at the ICMIF Biennial Conference in Buenos Aires, Liz Green has named her new senior leadership team, saying: “As the new CEO of ICMIF, I am deeply honoured to lead our vibrant global membership network into an exciting era and delighted to do that with a new senior leadership team by my side. ICMIF’s mission is to ‘To inspire and assist members to build and sustain a purpose-led, resilient future’ and our entire team strives to achieve this every day.”
The new senior leadership team will be comprised of:
- Vanessa Smith, Executive Vice-President
- Ben Telfer, Chief Membership Officer
- Steve Leicester, Chief Finance Officer and Head of Operations
Vanessa Smith and Ben Telfer have each been promoted to new roles with expanded responsibilities. As Executive Vice-President, Vanessa Smith will chair the Management Team and oversee people and performance strategies at ICMIF, playing a pivotal role in developing and monitoring ICMIF’s strategic goals and driving operational excellence throughout the organisation.
In a newly created role of Chief Membership Officer, Ben Telfer will lead ICMIF’s membership activities, ensuring the Federation’s member value proposition delivers value to all member companies. He assumes responsibility for member engagement, growth and retention across ICMIF’s global network, as well as leading the delivery of ICMIF’s range of member services, events and networks, communications and strategic intelligence.
In addition to overseeing ICMIF’s financial operations, including accounting, auditing, budgeting, treasury management, and the administration of the organisation’s investment portfolio, Steve Leicester also oversees all aspects of day-to-day administrative operations at ICMIF, including office management, technology and risk management.
Speaking about the promotions, Green said: ”Vanessa, Ben and Steve each bring many years’ experience at ICMIF to their new roles leading a wide variety of functions”
As part of a wider organisational shift, ICMIF is evolving its operating structure to be more effective and efficient to deliver better results for members. There will be a growing focus on the use of technology in order to streamline processes and deliver services more efficiently to more members and to help to grow connections between members for the sharing of best practice and knowledge.
Liz Green said: “As I look ahead to 2025, I am optimistic about the future and the opportunities for ICMIF to amplify our collective impact. With 2025 designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Cooperatives, we have a unique chance to raise global awareness of our model and its transformative potential. I am pleased that our former CEO, Shaun Tarbuck, will remain in the business on a part-time basis to lead this opportunity, as ICMIF Adviser.”
The mutual and cooperative insurance sector, represents 26% of the global insurance market and is uniquely positioned to address today’s challenges through long-term value creation, social responsibility, and community engagement, values which are increasingly demanded by consumers and stakeholders.
According to the latest ICMIF Members: Key Statistics report, which aggregates the performance of the growing ICMIF membership, once again, well over half of members outperformed the annual growth of their respective national markets.
Green concluded: “The power of our network lies in its diversity, with more than 210 member organisations spanning almost 55 countries. ICMIF will continue to be a catalyst for meaningful connections and knowledge exchange among our members in 2025 through a diverse programme of events, both in-person and virtual, designed to facilitate collaboration and strategic growth.”
Get to know the ICMIF team here.
Photo shows: Seated (left to right) Liz Green, Chief Executive Officer and Vanessa Smith, Executive Vice-President. Standing (left to right) Steve Leicester, Chief Finance Officer and Head of Operations and Ben Telfer, Chief Membership Officer.
