Members of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) will shortly be able to join faculties that provide them with online networking, discussion forums and professional development opportunities tailored to their sector of the industry.

ANZIIF has begun a major overhaul of how it liaises with members and how they can network with each other by offering them membership of faculties based on their career and primary area of interest.

CEO Joan Fitzpatrick says the new structure is a response to the institute’s multi-disciplined and geographically dispersed membership.

“By creating professional faculties within the membership we are restructuring our community to better personalise the services that we provide to each individual, and also to recognise the incredible value of networking and sharing of knowledge between like-minded and engaged peers in a given field,” she told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“We are doing this without reducing or affecting the existing events and member services that our members enjoy so much.”  

ANZIIF will launch the facilities on May 1, and is contacting members asking which of the seven disciplines applies to them. They are general insurance, insurance broking, claims, reinsurance, financial planning, risk management and the faculty of life insurance, health and superannuation.

Ms Fitzpatrick says the project creates online communities for members to exchange information, learn, teach, collaborate and network “without being inundated with the barrage of sales or recruitment messages” prevalent on many professional sites.

“By becoming a member of a membership faculty which reflects their chosen profession, members are able to more easily communicate and collaborate with their peers at any time from their computer or mobile device,” she told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

A new online library will give members access to a growing collection of articles, news, essays, features, video, glossaries and content on insurance, finance, business and management topics.

Members will eventually be able to comment and start discussions, and Ms Fitzpatrick says as the system becomes more sophisticated members’ actions will determine the content delivered to them.

“We have the advantage of starting with an expert community of 16,000 industry professionals,” Ms Fitzpatrick said. “Because of that, one of the most exciting prospects is when they start to contribute to the vast pool of information, creating more value for other members as the system progresses.”

Online professional development will form part of the library, providing hundreds of hours of free online CPD activities including video, interactive modules and quizzes that members can use to maintain their skills and meet ANZIIF membership and regulatory compliance requirements.

“This is something that wouldn’t have been possible even five years ago, but with the rapid expansion of online networking and collaboration we are in the perfect position to foster this exciting new professional community,” she said.