ANZIIF : Everything you need to know

ANZIIF: Everything you need to know

About ANZIIF

The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) is a professional association and education provider founded in 1884, and is one of the oldest professional associations in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and provides training and educational services to the insurance and financial services industries.

Its six faculties consist of Faculty of Insurance Broking, Risk Management, Claims, General Insurance, Reinsurance, and Life & Retirement Income. An ANZIIF qualification is a recognised standard of professionalism within the insurance and financial services sector, and members have access to an array of online professional development, news and networking forums.

The history of ANZIIF

The first institute was formed in July 1884 in the Australian state of Victoria, and was followed by the formation of the New South Wales Insurance Institute in August 1884. The Western Australia Insurance Institute emerged later in 1911, followed by the South Australia Insurance Institute in 1913. It was not until 1919 that all of the Australian institutes combined under one umbrella to form The Incorporated Australian Insurance Institute, dropping the ‘Incorporated’ in 1960 to become the AII.

Over in New Zealand, the Insurance Institute of New Zealand (IINZ) was formed in 1937 through the merger of the Insurance Officers Guild of New Zealand, formed in 1920, and the Faculty of Insurance, formed in 1933.

October 2000 saw members of both the AII and IINZ vote to merge the two professional associations under the new name of ANZIIF, and all Australian institutes became fully affiliated with the new body over the next 12 months.

ANZIIF in the news

October 2013: Prue Willsford is appointed CEO of ANZIIF
June 2014: ANZIIF opens nominations for third annual ANZIIF New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards
October 2015: ANZIIF signs new partnership agreement to collaborate with the Thai Insurance Institute (TII)
January 2016: ANZIIF launches landmark survey to address the skills shortage issue in insurance
May 2017: ANZIIF announces new president and deputy
October 2019: ANZIIF and LIPSWG sign memorandum to improve professionalism of life industry
July 2020: ANZIIF launches conduct-focused training course
August 2020: ANZIIF offers alternative to Level 5 certificate
February 2021: ANZIIF launches training regimen for NZ general insurance
May 2021: ANZIIF turns to Zurich general insurance chief as president
December 2021: ANZIIF award highlights industry members' commitment to professionalism
April 2022: ANZIIF adds insurance leaders as new board members
May 2022: ANZIIF to recognise exemplary professionalism in New Zealand

Key people

Katrina Shanks – CEO

Katrina Shanks was appointed CEO of ANZIIF in January 2024. She has spent most of her career in financial services. Shanks is a Chartered Accountant and started her career in audit as part of Newton Fund Management in London and then joined Westpac Trust. Over the years, she rose through ranks holding several senior leadership roles at many of industry’s biggest names. Prior to joining ANZIIF, Shanks served as CEO of Financial Advice NZ for five years.

Culture

ANZIIF has a strong focus on community education and leadership programmes which are “designed to enhance the overall understanding, professionalism and profile of the insurance and finance industry.” The association has a number of initiatives to address the insurance skills shortage, and to educate young people in schools about the insurance sphere and offer young professionals the opportunity to network.

ANZIIF’s Why Risk It? initiative develops financial literacy programmes at secondary school level, and aims to foster interest in insurance careers. Its Generation I programme offers regular networking events for young insurance professionals and its Know Risk programme aims to improve community resilience by providing information about practical and financial risk management in everyday situations.

ANZIIF also runs the Careers in Insurance initiative, the largest insurance careers programme in Australia and New Zealand.