Chair of the Board's Message

MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF EVOLVING RISK

Our business has always been about risk. Anticipating risk. Analyzing risk. Despite our best effort (and hope), we cannot eliminate all risk.

While I’d love to know exactly what risk will challenge IA&B and its members over the next two years, I recognize that I need to be willing to evolve in real time. I am honored to step into the role of Chair; excited to serve our membership because I believe Independent Agencies are still the best risk advisors in the market. I believe IA&B is the right platform to help us stay there. As Chair, I hope to guide our board with focus and urgency, pushing us to stay ahead of the issues that matter most to the firms we represent.

These principles should also apply to how we run our agencies. We should not be caught off guard when expectations shift, cultural norms evolve, and the workforce looks, and acts, differently than it did two years ago.

Take cannabis. It is becoming legal in more places, socially accepted in more circles, and likely treated casually by more employees. If anything, this diverse legal landscape makes the risk that much more fraught and means that we need to think further ahead. Agencies need clarity of thought and strong internal standards that support both accountability and growth to navigate this new issue. See the feature article on page 14 for insights.

This exemplifies how IA&B plays a key role in helping agencies stay ahead of the curve. We cannot operate from yesterday’s playbook. We need to meet agencies where they are, challenge what’s outdated, and elevate the kind of thinking that keeps us essential in the eyes of the people we serve. This moment demands sharper leadership, not louder commentary.

If we want to keep calling ourselves advisors, we better prove we know what’s coming, both inside the agency, as well as out.

Cheers,Andrew M. Enders, Esq. Chair of the Board

I love music, especially the thrill of sharing what I’m listening to. Here’s what I had queued up while drafting my commentary.

Oasis: Definitely Maybe; Tyler Childers: Snipe Hunter; MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks; The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart; Justin Townes Earle: Midnight at the Movies