Middleton was formerly CEO of employment benefits consultancy Portus, which was acquired by Aon in 2017. During his tenure at Portus, Middleton was part of the committees of both GRiD and AMII, and he had shown strong interest in developing AMII’s education and training offering to members.
“I was particularly proud that during my chairmanship we developed the GRiD training academy which is still going strong,” Middleton said at the online meeting. “I believe that strong industry bodies are vital for the future of our industry and think that we should look at how we develop and train the next generation of AMII membership.”
Since the acquisition of Portus, Middleton has held roles as executive director of Benefits Advisory Services (BAS) and as a consultant at CWB – both in the employment benefits space. He is also a trustee of charities Smile for Joel and Sporting Minds UK.
Middleton called for a more integrated approach in the PMI market in a post-pandemic environment.
“Mental health and wellbeing are top of most of our clients’ objectives,” he said. “I am currently a trustee of a mental health charity that supports athletes and I have been staggered by the amount of young people seeking help, particularly in the last 12 months.
“Yet as an industry in both healthcare and risk we are still very much working in silos and are still product driven. We really need to work more closely as physical, financial, mental, and social wellbeing cannot and should not be treated separately.”
The appointment comes at a time where the PMI industry has had to respond to the wide-ranging impact of a global pandemic and a new post-Brexit reality.
“Insurers have responded well, with a willingness to help and support intermediaries and the end customer, with telemedicine and additional support services. It is also commendable that PMI insurers made a pledge to not profit from the pandemic and some have already made appropriate premium refunds to clients in this respect,” Middleton said.
