Debbie Mitchell (pictured) has been confirmed as president of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) for 2027, with Mandy Hunt, managing director of Shape Underwriting, named as deputy president.
The appointments were confirmed at the CII’s annual general meeting in London this afternoon. Mitchell succeeds Callum Beaton, who began his term as president in January with Mitchell as his deputy.
Hunt is in line to become president in 2028. The CII said that would mark the first time in its history that two women have held the presidency consecutively.
Mitchell is a director of Aberdeen-based financial planning firm Atholl Scott Financial Services, where she has worked for more than 30 years. She has been involved with the Aberdeen Institute of Insurance and Financial Planning since 2008, and was its first female president from 2011 to 2013.
She is a past chair of the Personal Finance Society’s (PFS) North Scotland region and a former member of the CII Representative Council and Local Institute National Forum. She sat on the CII Group engagement board from 2020 to 2024, then served as a PFS board director until December 2025. She remains an observer on the PFS board.
“I have enjoyed my deputy year enormously, and look forward to working with all stakeholders in the coming year to continue to evolve and improve the work of the Institute,” said Mitchell.
Hunt runs Shape Underwriting, the managing general agent (MGA) arm of The Clear Group. She previously spent 25 years at RSA, now Intact Insurance, in roles across its regional business. These included managing director of the Insurance Corporation of the Channel Islands and chief underwriting officer for commercial lines. She is also a former chair of the CII’s Underwriting Community.
Hunt said she was humbled to have the support of CII members and looked forward to supporting Mitchell during her presidency.
The new leadership takes over as the profession grapples with recruitment. Talent attraction and retention is now UK brokers’ top priority, and the CII’s own research has found only 4% of young people express interest in an insurance career, as Insurance Business reported in June.
The pairing brings two different perspectives to the top of the CII. Mitchell comes from financial planning and the Personal Finance Society side of the institute. Hunt brings experience from both a major insurer and the fast-growing MGA sector, where many brokers now place business.
Back-to-back female presidents also send a visible signal on diversity, at a time when insurers and brokers are trying to widen their talent pipelines. For brokers, the CII’s priorities on qualifications, professional standards and early careers will shape how firms train and develop staff over the next two years.
