The goal of broker unity has finally been achieved. Brokers/Intermediaries/Financial Brokers/Financial Advisers/ Mortgage Brokers of whatever hue, have been forged/coalesced into a single body – Brokers Ireland. It has been a long journey of over 85 years with many bodies having been formed representing various parts of the same discipline – financial/insurance intermediation. It finally took the unification of both IBA and PIBA to create Brokers Ireland to complete that journey.

There are many parts to the business interests which are represented by Brokers Ireland, parts which scarcely know one another and frequently believe that they have no shared interests with some parts of the business which is alien to them. There may be personal lines general brokers who question what they have in common with group employee benefit brokers or financial advisers. What we most have in common is that the public do not distinguish one part of the business as being different to another, they see us as being the same or at least similar.

If one part of the business is damaged in the public mind it has repercussions for the reputation of all parts of the business. Brokers Ireland primary function is, by every means at its disposal, to project a positive image of brokers to make the trading environment on which we all depend, as positive as is possible.