OUR PERFECT TEAM

VERONICA WILKINSON

CERT CII, Company Director/Company Secretary & Financial Planning Administrator

Qualifications and awards

• 23rd July 1987 Certificate of Proficiency – general insurance underwriting and intermediary business
• 27th October 2004 IF3 Underwriting – to achieve a Certificate in Insurance
• April 2005 FA1 Life office Administration
• October 2005 CF1 UK Financial Services Regulation & Ethics – to achieve a Certificate in Financial Administration (Life)
• In 2005 A Distinguished Service Award from the Chartered Insurance Institute
• In 2012 An Exceptional Service Award from the Chartered Insurance Institute
• In 2018 “The Bridgewater Award” from the Chartered Insurance Institute

Additional Professional activities

• I have been a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute since 1978 and a senior member since 2000.
• I have been a member of the Personal Finance Society since 2011.
• I was elected a freeman of The Worshipful Company of Insurers in 2013 and a Liveryman in 2014

Chartered Insurance Institute Local Activities – Insurance Institute of York

• April 1996 to April 2001 Treasurer
• April 2000 to April 2001 Deputy President
• April 2001 to 2002 President
• April 2002 to 2005 CPD coordinator
• April 2004 to 2005 Education Secretary
• April 2005 to date Treasurer
• April 2008/09 President
• April 2009/2015 Vice President
• April 2015 to date Education Secretary
• April 2015 Life Vice President

Chartered Insurance Institute Regional Activities

• April 2000 to May 2019 committee member North East Regional Group
• April 2002 to May 2019 chair of the regional CPD committee for the North East Regional Group
• May 2019 to date committee member North East Regional Forum
• November 2020 to date committee member North East Regional Forum (CPD Focus Group)

Personal Finance Society

• October 2016 Yorkshire Committee member
• Professional Qualifications Officer

Chartered Insurance Institute National Activities

• July 2009 to July 2015 CII Representative Council Member for North East “C” covering Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne and York
• August 2009 to July, 2015 CII Board Member
• 2011 – 2014 CII Grants working party

The Worshipful Company of Insurers

• December 2018 to date Committee Member WCI Charitable Trust & member of the Education Fund Sub-Committee

Work experience

6th July 1970 joined the Yorkshire insurance in York working in their NE regional claims section. The office processed all types of claims including motor personal lines, commercial property and liability. When the integration with the General Accident I became personal assistant to the motor engineer.

September 1975 to March 1976, I worked at the General Accident in Huddersfield working as a motor underwriting clerk

March 1976 I joined the family insurance broking business of Charles Wilkinson Insurance Brokers, Huddersfield and became a partner in the business. This was a general practitioner business covering personal and commercial insurance, including life and pensions.

November 1978 I opened the second office for Charles Wilkinson Insurance Brokers in York. This involved:-

• Drawing up a business plan and arranging the financing with our Bank
• Finding office space and negotiating the lease
• Arranging for the decorating and furnishing of the office and publicising the launch and ongoing business promotion
• Extending our insurance agencies to cover the new office
• Managing the office including staff employment and appraisals
• Maintaining the accounting and client records and liaising with our auditors
• Dealing with the various regulators and ensuring we met all relevant regulations
• Advising customers and executing business for them
• Dealing with claims under policies including negotiating with third parties in respect of uninsured loss claims

I worked as a Partner in Charles Wilkinson Insurance Brokers who in 1991 extended into wider financial services by incorporating the business of Joseph M Dow Financial Advisers.

In 2005 Charles Wilkinson Financial Planning Ltd was established and I became a Director and Company Secretary.

In 2007 I dealt with sale of our general insurance business to J Illingworth & Company.

2007 onwards Company Director/Company Secretary & Financial Planning Administrator.