AIDA Presidential Council report

I have had the privilege of representing AIDA’s acknowledged most active and dynamic chapter. My first meeting as your Presidential Council representative was in Havana, Cuba, at the Latin American Insurance Law Association Conference.

That gave me the opportunity to meet all the South American Council members, who represent a significant body of the AIDA Council membership. It was an exceptional meeting with a very comprehensive program.

My primary objective this year, apart from meeting other council members, has been to supplement the superb work conducted by my predecessor (and AIDA President) Michael Gill and, in particular, the work Michael had done in enhancing and supporting the establishment and evolution of Asian regional chapters.

In July, as a member of the Federation of Defence and Corporate Counsel, I attended FDCC’s summer meeting in Banff, Canada. Apart from the opportunity to interact with my US, Asian and European colleagues and participate in an excellent scientific program, as a member of FDCC’s international committee, I had the opportunity to explore FDCC interest in an Asian regional insurance law conference.

The concept was well received and supported by AIDA Presidential Council Secretary Colin Croly, who is also an FDCC member, and Richard Traub, the newly appointed AIDA representative in the USA.

The FDCC executive is very supportive of joint events with AIDA as a means of consolidating the two organisations’ long-standing relationship. A regional conference in Asia is viewed as the ideal mechanism to introduce US participation in Asia and support AIDA objectives in regional chapters.

AIDA has never held a regional conference in Asia and, with the support of AILA and FDCC, it is likely a meeting will be in Hong Kong or Singapore in the near future.

The AILA National Board is reviewing preliminary budgets with a view to making a decision about the meeting soon, with the possibility of hosting an event in the second half of 2017.

The AIDA Presidential Council fully supports the initiative as it would be the venue for a Presidential Council meeting in that year and provide the ideal opportunity to introduce the council to regional chapters and encourage increased participation in the AIDA working parties.

The second Presidential Council meeting was scheduled for Paris in November. The meeting coincided with the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris over three weeks in late October to mid November.

The French Chapter also hosted a conference, Soft law and insurance, on December 3.

In another significant achievement for AILA, Melbourne has been awarded the rights to host the 2022 AIDA World Conference, following the AIDA 2018 event in Rio.

To say I “replaced” Michael Gill as the Australian representative is to grossly underestimate the phenomenal contribution Michael made to AIDA over many years.

I may have taken over following Michael’s retirement, but I can never replace him, and certainly have no desire (or indeed capacity) to represent AILA for the same continuous years of representation Michael served on the council. If I did so, given my age, I would be your geriatric, demented representative, sustained only by artificial life support! I can only try to continue some of the amazing work he undertook and maintain the reputation Australia enjoys as AIDA’s pre-eminent chapter.