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Jennette Newman, partner at Clyde & Co, has been elected as the new President of the
Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL), and will lead the organisation into a new
era and operating environment ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jennette
replaces Anthony Baker, partner at Plexus Law, who has steered FOIL through a
year of significant change as the insurance industry has been forced to adapt
to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, Stuart Hardy, partner at BLM, has
been elected as FOIL’s new vice-president and will support Jennette through the
next year.
Jennette
has over 20 years’ legal experience in UK and international casualty claims
including coverage and monitoring advice and defence litigation and mediation.
For a long time, Jennette has played a crucial role in the organisation having
previously been President of London FOIL, the arm of the organisation
supporting the Lloyds of London and (Re)Insurance markets. Jennette plays an
active role within the industry and is currently chair of the Chartered
Insurance Institute’s Professional Standards Committee.
Commenting
on her appointment, Jennette said: ‘I am delighted to be appointed President of
FOIL at a pivotal moment for the industry as the need for resilience in the
face of change is more important than ever.
‘Over
the next year, customer focus is going to be key. The industry needs to embrace
better communication and more efficient distribution by making smarter use of
technology. Advanced tech will play an important role in helping build better
relationships and alignments with customers’ needs. For this reason, improved
protection of customer data needs to be a key industry priority.
‘As
lawyers, this means we need to stand ready to support closer and more
transparent interaction in the form of clearer wordings, better product
descriptions and improved efficiency in claims processing in order to support
the reputation of the industry and its role in the UK economy.
‘Now
more than ever, we need the right people in the insurance and legal professions
to manage the challenges we face. Given the unprecedented level of challenge
and change 2021 is sure to bring, we need to attract people from other
industries into the market—people who can bring experience and fresh
perspectives. FOIL will also be looking into how best to support this.’
