By Business & Finance 
Life Assurance Association Ireland, the leading professional education and development association for those who work in all areas of the Financial Services industry, has been awarded the Guaranteed Irish symbol.
Life Assurance Association Ireland (LIA) is the leading professional education and development association for those who work in all areas of the Financial Services industry. Since its establishment in Cork in 1978, LIA has played a key role in improving the standards of professionalism amongst those who give and support financial advice, through around 6,500 exam sittings annually as well as its national and regional seminar programmes. Most of LIA’s academic programmes are recognised by the Central Bank of Ireland as meeting the minimum standards of competency required to advise on or sell retail financial products in Ireland.
Ireland’s Financial Services sector currently employs over 42,000 people and contributes €2.3 billion to the economy, according to IDA Ireland. Membership to LIA has grown significantly in recent years, with over 11,000 current members. The LIA network currently comprises members from large Life Assurance Companies, as well as Brokerages and Credit Unions nationwide.
Pictured: Joanne Keane, CEO Designate LIA, Brid O’Connell, CEO Guaranteed Irish.
LIA, currently based in Dublin 12, has supported the local community in a number of initiatives this year. Recently, the organisation partnered with Ronald McDonald House, with LIA staff preparing and cooking meals for families currently residing there. LIA also donated generously to charities throughout 2019 through fundraising events, such as a coffee morning for Our Lady’s Hospice, Harold’s Cross and participating in Darkness into Light in aid of Pieta House.
Joanne Keane, CEO Designate LIA, commented:
We are delighted and honoured to have been awarded the Guaranteed Irish mark – I’m sure we all remember the ‘G’ from our childhoods; for me it always stood for Quality and Trust, and LIA is extremely proud to be joining the diverse community of businesses that the ‘G’ represents today.
She continued, “Having grown from very humble beginnings in Cork 42 years ago, as a small ideas-sharing network, LIA is now a thriving community of over 14,000 qualified and student members based in every corner of Ireland. This is testament to the work of our staff, our Board and our large community of volunteers around the country. We continuously strive to meet the ever-evolving needs of our members and students, and our ‘Member First’ ethos informs our approach to everything we do. We look back on the last 42 years with pride, and look forward to working with our members, students, regional volunteers and local communities for many years to come.”
LIA joins 14 other Guaranteed Irish business members in the Financial Services sector, including KPMG, FBD Insurance, and PAYE.ie.
Brid O’Connell, CEO Guaranteed Irish, said:
We welcome the Professional Educational and Membership Association LIA as a member of Guaranteed Irish. LIA has demonstrated its positive impact on the Financial Services landscape in Ireland through its educational offerings and brings additional value to the strength of the Guaranteed Irish network. The Guaranteed Irish symbol helps consumers and businesses to identify products and services that are better choices for communities across Ireland. We only award the symbol to companies which provide quality jobs, support local communities and are committed to Irish provenance. We recognise LIA’s commitment to the local community and look forward to working with them as the Financial Services sector in Ireland builds on current success.”
Guaranteed Irish is one of Ireland’s most enduring, recognisable and authentic symbols of trust. The business membership organisation has a network of 600+ members nationwide across various sectors, supporting over 71,390 jobs with an annual combined turnover of €11.2 billion to the Irish economy. The Guaranteed Irish symbol helps Irish consumers identify products and services that are a better choice for jobs and local communities in Ireland.
For further info on becoming a licensed member of Guaranteed Irish, visit www.guaranteedirish.ie or contact the team at Guaranteed Irish directly on 01 6612607.
