FOREWORD A force for good in society Hannah Gurga sums up her busy first year as Director General of the ABI, sets out her vision for 2023 and for the next phase of the associations development. My first year as Director General of the ABI has been focused on one thing our members. It has been a pleasure to get to know you and your firms, and to meet so many of you since I joined in February. I was honoured to be appointed as an ambassador for this industry, and that pride has only grown as Ive heard more from you about the service and support you provide to customers and businesses across the UK and internationally. On many levels, 2022 has been a year like no other. By the time we sent our mid-year update in July, Russia had invaded Ukraine and the UK had already faced some of the worst storms of the century so far. Soon to follow was unprecedented political upheaval and, in September, the very sad passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Throughout all these periods of transition and change, I have greatly appreciated the collaboration across the sector to provide reassurance and stability to customers and businesses. Throughout the year we have worked to tackle significant challenges facing the industry, such as how we can best support leaseholders affected by the cladding crisis and continuing our vital work to help meet the UKs net zero targets about which further detail is provided within this review. Our industry is at the heart of the economic and consumer landscape protecting society and providing peace of mind to businesses, families and individuals across the UK In my view, what makes the ABI special is our power to convene. We are uniquely positioned in our ability to bring together parliamentarians from across the UK, industry, regulators, fellow trade associations and the third sector and to share this, along with our insights and expertise, with our members. This is reflected in our excellent engagement with government, the opposition parties, and other political stakeholders. We were the only trade association to host a Conservative Party leadership husting with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss during the summers leadership campaign. We undertook extensive activity across the political party conferences in the autumn and, back in One America Square, hosted receptions with Labour in Business, attended by the Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds. Beyond Westminster, I met Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy Kate Forbes MSP earlier in the year and we continue to work closely with the devolved administrations in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, participating in a range of working groups and providing our expertise and knowledge on policy issues from flooding, Vnuk and cladding, to financial wellbeing and climate change. I am equally proud of our work to articulate the positive impact of the sector in contributing to the economy and to the security of everyday life for customers and wider society. Earlier this year, we launched our #PensionAttention campaign, which, in collaboration with the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), and with the charisma of grime artist and chef Big Zuu, reached more than 28 million people with our Pay Your Pension Some Attention message. In November, we also launched #SecuringFutures, which is focused on improving the perception of what we do as an industry among parliamentarians and policy-makers and demonstrating our leading role in investing for the future and bringing peace of mind to customers in an insecure world. In the autumn, the government confirmed its package for reform of Solvency II that delivered all of our asks. We were delighted to see the final reforms, which will directly benefit all of our GI and Life members and allow our sector to play an even greater role in supporting the levelling up agenda and transition to net zero. Again, this is testament to the strong collaboration between industry and continues to underline my conviction of strength through association. While more remains to be done as we work towards implementation of Solvency UK, its important to reflect on what a significant achievement it is and the difference that it will enable our industry to make to the economy, to the environment and for customers. Last but not least, the launch of our ambitious new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Blueprint at our DEI Summit in November. The Blueprint, created in collaboration with industry leaders, takes a holistic approach to DEI and looks at each stage of the employment journey, from using inclusive recruitment practices to attract the best talent from all backgrounds, to helping employees grow and progress their careers in the sector, and advancing understanding of what works to drive improvement. This isnt just about changing the way the industry looks and feels; its about driving lasting culture change to create a more effective industry that represents the people we serve. A vision for the coming year I am truly excited about the year to come and how we can continue to make progress on the priorities for our industry. High on that list is the work being led by the Consumer Committee, alongside the Consumer Advisory Group, putting insights into the needs and behaviours of new and prospective customers at the heart of our work. As for the ABI, well be launching our new three-year strategy at our Annual Conference in February 2023. The new strategy will set out our purpose and our vision, and outline our priorities to drive change. Our industry is at the heart of the economic and consumer landscape, but to continue achieving good outcomes on behalf of the industry and for customers, we must act together cohesively and comprehensively. I want to strengthen our offer and expand our membership footprint to ensure we remain impactful, relevant and representative as the market evolves. 2022 has brought home to me the importance of the insurance and long-term savings industry to everything we do as a country and as individuals. On behalf of all of us at the ABI, we look forward to 2023, when we will continue to deliver on your behalf and collaborate to further strengthen the voice of our industry as a force for good in society. Hannah Gurga Director General, ABI