Shaun Tarbuck to retire as ICMIF chief, with Liz Green taking the reins

Tarbuck officially steps down in November 2024 and will stay on part time in an advisory/ambassadorial role

The International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) today announced that Shaun Tarbuck will retire as chief executive in November 2024 after 28 years of service.

Liz Green, executive vice president, has been named CEO designate with immediate effect and will formally take over as chief executive in November 2024.

Tarbuck officially steps down as CEO at the end of the next ICMIF Biennial Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 2024. 

Rob Wesseling, chair of ICMIF and president CEO of Canadian ICMIF member Co-operators, said: “Throughout Shaun’s tenure, the federation has continued to achieve consistent growth, which is in no small way down to his strong leadership. His contribution over the last 28 years has been truly outstanding.

“The selection of Liz Green as Shaun’s replacement follows a rigorous search and selection process by an external, independent recruitment consultant that had been engaged by ICMIF’s nominations committee. We are delighted that both the nominations committee and subsequently the ICMIF board, at its meeting last month, unanimously agreed to appoint Liz as the future CEO.

Related: Q&As for 2022 – Shaun Tarbuck

“In the interim, Liz will be CEO designate as she transitions into the role, and she will work closely with Shaun in the months ahead to ensure a smooth handover and consistent leadership.”

Tarbuck will stay on with ICMIF for a minimum of two years in a part-time advisory/ambassadorial role. In this new role, he will advise the CEO, continue to lead ICMIF’s partnerships with the UN agencies and other sustainability projects which are still in their early stages, and serve as ICMIF’s ambassador to selected external stakeholders.

“Every leader should have the aim of leaving their organisation in a better place than when they started,” said Tarbuck. “When I started at ICMIF in 1995, we had about 65 members; we now have over 200. Back then, the ICMIF name was not known, even in the mutual sector, now it is globally recognised by the insurance industry and key influencers such as the United Nations, the B20 and the OECD.

“We had 130 delegates at the 1995 ICMIF Conference in Manchester; last year we had a record number of 410 at our Centenary Conference in Rome (Italy). ICMIF is financially stable and professionally managed as well as being seen as a leading global association.”

He added: “There are so many accomplishments that I am proud of during my time at ICMIF but the main one is building a team that continues to push the boundaries of a world-class association, fit for purpose to represent the best of the insurance industry.  I believe Liz is well-placed to take ICMIF to the next level and to create a safer more resilient world.”

Green, who joined ICMIF in 2012, said: “I am honoured and energised by the opportunity to continue the incredible work that Shaun and our talented team have already achieved. Our global network of some of the sector’s most inspiring leaders is driving the insurance industry in so many ways.

“It will remain ICMIF’s role to amplify, inspire and connect these organisations in meaningful and inclusive ways. I relish the challenge to continue to raise the bar for our network and look forward to working with Shaun during the leadership transition over the coming months”.