The Insurance Museum
April 2025: Director Howard Benge looks at the project's progress
This Master’s Series webinar was a fascinating deep dive by Howard Benge into the history of insurance and the exciting projects the Insurance Museum has initiated to bring this history to new audiences.
Currently operating in a virtual capacity, the Insurance Museum offers an on line exhibition in its Fire! Risk and Revelations! Fire Insurance gallery. It tells the story of fire insurance from the Great Fire in 1666 until 1929 when the last fire was extinguished by an insurance company fire brigade before a national fire service was formed.
The Insurance Museum also speaks at special events, Insurance Institute events both on line and in person.
It also offers walking tours of London’s insurance district, a fascinating opportunity to learn and observe, rather than rushing by as we normally do.
The long-term ambition for the museum is to open a physical ‘World Class Insurance Visitor, Education and Research Centre’. The Centre will be supported by the CII’s heritage items and 55,000 item library.
Special Offer
The Museum has offered all WCI Members a 20% discount on membership fees – join for just £40. Your donation will be gratefully received by the Insurance Museum, and you will be contributing towards the creation of something unique for our industry.
Find out more here and quote discount code IMWCI2025.
You can download an audio or video recording as well as the slides that illustrated the talk.
Dame Susan Langley and Gary Langley
March 2025: In conversation with the Master and Senior Warden
This Master's Series webinar was a fascinating conversation between Dame Susan Langley and her consort Gary Langley and Master Karl Jarvis and Senior Warden Sara Fardon about Dame Sue's journey from the East End of London to some of the most senior roles in the City of London.
She spoke about her passion for promoting social mobility, bringing youngsters from different backgrounds into the City, a key challenge for all of us: "How do we get these kids into the City because they don't see it as a place for them ... that is quite sad", she said.
As she prepares to step up to the job of Lady Mayor (subject to election), she said that she would have a strong twin focus on business impacts and social mobility.
There was lots of conversation around how to make people more aware of the key City institutions and how she and Gary are mapping out their plans for the next year.
Economic Outlook for 2025
February 2025: Deep dive into the prospects for the UK and global economies in 2025
Charlotte Mueller, European Chief Economist for Swiss Re, launched the 2025 Master's Series with a deep dive into the prospects for the UK and global economies for 2025.
She tackled a wide range of issues, skillfully analysing the potential implications for the insurance sector. This embraced the key issues surrounding global trade, growth, inflation, monetary and fiscal policy as well as wide range of other topics.
- Trade wars
- Immigration
- Looser fiscal policy
- De-regulation
- Longer term trends caused by De-globalisation, De-carbonisation, demographics (ageing populations), debts/deficits, defence and digitalisation
Charlotte Mueller, European Chief Economist, Swiss Re
Charlotte Mueller is the European Chief Economist at Swiss Re, based in Switzerland. She joined Swiss Re in 2015. Charlotte's current responsibilities involve leading macroeconomic analysis and forecasting on Europe's economies, covering topics like the inflation, GDP growth and interest rate outlook. She is also supporting the Swiss Re Institute in broader insurance market research, such as for the Swiss Re "sigma" flagship publication series. Before her current role, Charlotte was working in the macro investment strategy team within the Asset Management division of Swiss Re.
Charlotte has an international background, of dual Swiss-Swedish nationality, grew up in various countries across Asia and completed her studies at the University of St Andrews, UK.
An hour long recording of her talk and the subsequent Q&A session is available in audio or video with the accompanying slides. The slides are also available to download separately.
If you would like to find out more about our membership please click here.
Further information on membership can be obtained from the Clerk to the Company at