Where's Kelly? How 400 保険会社s learned their leader had やめる

By Jeff Prestridge for The Mail on Sunday
Updated: 14:53 BST, 18 July 2010

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When feisty Kerrie Kelly, 長，率いる of the powerful 協会 of British 保険会社s, agreed to be the 星／主役にする （衆議院の）議長 at a major 会議／協議会 last week, the organisers were thrilled. Who better than the 53-year-old Australian, brought into the ABI this year at 広大な／多数の／重要な expense, to give a 基本方針 speech on how the 乱打するd 産業 could 殺到する again under a 連合 政府?

This, after all, is a 政府 that unlike 労働 is 意図 on cutting 支援する the 福利事業 明言する／公表する and revitalising the nation's 貯金 habit, in the 過程 供給するing rich pickings for the 保険 巨大（な）s?

But when the coffee and liqueurs were finally served at the Marriott Hotel in London's West End last Thursday night, and 会議／協議会 organiser Peter Le Beau, MBE, stood up to introduce the after-dinner （衆議院の）議長, Kelly was 絶対 nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a nervous, and somewhat embarrassed Nick Starling, 長，率いる of general 保険 at the ABI, took to the 行う／開催する／段階 to 配達する the speech that he had written for his boss.

'Kerrie Kelly has stepped 負かす／撃墜する for personal 推論する／理由s and she is returning to Australia. Maggie Craig is stepping into the 違反 as 事実上の／代理 director general,' Starling told the puzzled audience.

Although some of the 400 guests at the 会議／協議会, held to discuss 基幹産業 問題／発行するs, had been tipped off that Kelly had gone, there was a 集団の／共同の intake of breath as most digested the news.

'Kelly has fled the nest and Starling has had to come to the 救助（する）,' one diner opined. '協会 of British 保険会社s? More like the 協会 of Bungling Idiots,' said another.

Kelly was 草案d into the ABI in February after former director general Stephen Haddrill left to join the 財政上の 報告（する）／憶測ing 会議. No expense was spared as City headhunter Taylor Bennett was told to search 世界的な for a 交替／補充.

That search homed in on K elly, 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある of the 保険 会議 of Australia and a barrister who had received rave reviews for co-ordinating the 返答 of her country's 保険 産業 to the Victoria bushfires and the Brisbane 嵐／襲撃するs of 2009.

In light of such expense, Kelly's 早い 出口 from the ABI, after only six months in a 職業 that is 価値（がある） more than £250,000 a year, is hugely embarrassing.

It is also unfortunate for an 産業 that creeps into all our lives because of the 財政上の 製品s we buy and has been 猛烈に trying to 回復する its image in the wake of the 支払い（額） 保護 保険 mis-selling スキャンダル and （人命などを）奪う，主張するs that many of its 製品s are riddled with 除外s.

Kelly's 出発 couldn't be more 貧しく timed, as Trevor Matthews, 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある of 保険会社 Friends Provident, intimated to 財政上の Mail just 24 hours after her shock goodbye. 'As an 産業, we have a window of 適切な時期 to 影響（力） 政府,' he said. 'It's important to 掴む the moment while we can - the window won't be open for long.'

The ABI is financially 支援するd by 400 保険 companies and 行為／法令／行動するs as the 産業's '発言する／表明する', ロビーing in political circles for 法律を制定する change that will 許す 保険 companies to compete 効果的に both in the UK and the Continent.

The director general 報告（する）／憶測s to a 14-strong board made up of some of the 産業's 広大な／多数の／重要な and good - 含むing Archie Kane of Lloyds Banking Group and 保険 子会社 Scottish 未亡人s, Aviva boss Andrew Moss (still reeling from 発覚s about his 事件／事情／状勢 with a 同僚's wife) and Pru-dential 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある Tidjane Thiam (粘着するing on to his position after failing to 購入（する） an Asian life company).

On Friday, the ABI's public relations machine was still sticking to its 'personal 推論する／理由s' line for Kelly's swift return to Australia. And some of the biggest 支援者s of the ABI 簡単に 辞退するd to discuss the 問題／発行する.

'I'm afraid we don' t have an 公式の／役人 見解（をとる） on the Kelly story,' said an Aviva spokeswoman, while a request to speak to Lloyds' Kane was 拒絶する／低下するd. Such silence could be seen as hypocritical in light of the 保険 産業's 執拗な call, as a major 株主, for companies to 改善する their 法人組織の／企業の governance and 株主 communication.

One board member did shed some light on Kelly's 出発, on 条件 that he wasn't 指名するd. He 確認するd there had been a 落ちるing out and that if she hadn't 申し込む／申し出d her 辞職 at last Wednesday's 会合 of the ABI board - an 申し込む／申し出 made in 令状ing - she would have been 押し進めるd out.

'She wasn't 焦点（を合わせる）d enough,' he said. 'As an 産業, there's a lot to do and we want and need someone to 運動 this through. Kelly, unfortunately, wasn't 配達するing. Some of the 問題／発行するs we were talking about were やめる technical and she didn't appear to 選ぶ it up.'

Although he said that Maggie Craig, with more than 30 years of experience in 財政上の services, would now 'lead the ABI 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金' and had the board's 十分な 支援, there are 恐れるs that the 混乱 原因（となる）d by Kelly's 予期しない 出口 could distract the 産業 from 納得させるing the 政府 that it has a 役割 to play in stepping into the 無効の left by 差し迫った 福利事業 削減（する）s.

Indeed, that very message was 伝えるd by 主要な healthcare academic Sir Mansel Aylward at the 会議／協議会 that Kelly was meant to have 演説（する）／住所d last Thursday.

Aylward （刑事）被告 the 保険 産業 of failing to work together and 存在 self-利益／興味d when it should be 現在のing simple, 最高の，を越す-level messages to 消費者s and the 政府.

With Kelly gone and the ABI rudderless, it seems the 保険 産業 has just made a 危機 out of a 演劇.