Evans rises to the chairmanship challenge

It was a fantastic endorsement of the knowledge, skill and commitment that he brought to chairing the group that people just couldn't imagine it led by anyone else.

Fortunately, we had plenty of prior notice that John would cease to be MP for Ryedale - which he represented from 1987 - because boundary reviews had left him without a seat when the music stopped. Although I couldn't discuss the options with many people, I had a variety of plans that I felt confident would secure the future of the group depending on what sort of Parliament the electorate delivered. With a widely shared strong preference for the chair of the group to come from the House of Commons rather than the House of Lords, my top choice was always Jonathan Evans should the electorate of Cardiff North be kind enough to send him to Westminster.

Mr Evans has been a long-standing friend of Post Magazine. He spoke at the inaugural British Insurance Awards in 1995 when he was Corporate Affairs Minister and hosted a visit of the APPG's officers to Brussels when he was an MEP. He was the obvious choice once the dust of political battle settled last May. Fortunately, both he and the members of the group agreed.

So, how has it worked out? Just read Mairi MacDonald's interview with him in this week's Post to get a really good insight into his grasp of the issues facing the industry today and you will see that he has seamlessly picked up where John Greenway left off and that the group is in very capable hands indeed.