The Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII) is tendering for a new compliance consultant.
The move was announced at AMII’s 2023 Summit in London yesterday where executive chairman Dave Middleton told delegates that the body’s executive committee felt it was not delivering what members needed in terms of compliance.
Consequently, in September, Middleton said AMII asked four businesses to tender for the business of AMII compliance consultant.
“We really wanted to focus on four areas – one is accessing templates and Consumer Duty is an area where we could have done more in that regard,” Middleton explained.
“Secondly, to really look at a helpline for as and when you need help on any particular compliance issues.
“Thirdly, providing you with a monthly newsletter/bulletin providing information on what’s happened now and what’s happening moving forward.
“And lastly, we don’t feel we’ve got a particularly good, if any relationship with the FCA so we want our compliance consultant to move us closer to the FCA so we can talk to them about the issues we all come across on a daily basis.”
Middleton said that current compliance consultant Branko Bjelobaba (pictured) had decided he did not want to take part in the tendering process as there were other issues he wanted to deal with and other areas he wanted to pursue.
“I do want to thank Branko for his work with the Association over the last 20 years,” Middleton added.
“Moving forward he won’t be our compliance consultant. We will go through to a beauty parade. We have a subcommittee of the exec to look at each and every one of them and we will make a decision by the end of the year.”
For his part, when contacted by Health & Protection, Bjelobaba wished his eventual successor well.
“I have very much enjoyed my work with AMII and their members and remember my first event preparing 70+ members for FSA authorisation way back in 2004 organised by Paula Aitken,” Bjelobaba said.
“We have all been on a journey and I hope I have been able to inform and educate at the same time and answer the countless queries that have emanated from members. I have worked with some very diligent members and it has been a pleasure,” he continued.
“AMII goes strength to strength and it is great what they do and I wish their new compliance support partner well.”