At an International Convention and at other meetings, you often see members with a multitude of colored ribbons hanging from their name tags. The officer ribbons, the CLP and ACR ribbons are all easily understood, but you may notice that some members have a CPIW ribbon and others have a CIIP ribbon. Newer members may ask themselves ‘What’s the difference?”. To add to the mystery, on the Insurance Professionals website, you don’t see any information on how to earn the CPIW or CPIM. I am here to clear up the confusion and share a recent change made by the board of directors.
The story of these three designations shows the evolution of Insurance Professionals over time. The Certified Professional Insurance Women designation (CPIW) was offered by the National Association of Insurance Women and was often the first designation earned by its members. As male members started to join our association, the Certified Professional Insurance Man designation (CPIM) was added. Eventually, the decision was made to only have one designation called Certified Insurance Industry Professional (CIIP) that combined the CPIW and CPIM. Currently, you cannot earn the CPIW/M, but you can earn the CIIP. Members were allowed to keep the CPIW/M designations they had previously earned if they wanted.
In 2015, the CIIP designation evolved again to add an educational requirement to renew. Before that, the only requirement to keep the CPIW/CPIM/CIIP designations was to maintain membership. Those members still holding the CPIW/M were exempt from this new renewal requirement.
The Board of Directors recognizes that, while some members want to keep their current designation, other members may want to switch to the CIIP designation that the current members are earning. However, many of those members have mentioned that they did not want to have to renew their designation under current guidelines. I am excited to inform you that the Board voted to include the following wording into the Comprehensive Manual: “Any member who obtained the CPIW/M designation prior to September 1, 2015, may elect to change their CPIW/M designation to the CIIP designation and continue to be exempt from the CIIP renewal requirements”. This means that members who are currently CPIW/Ms may change their designation to CIIP if they want. It also means that they do not have to if they want to remain as a CPIW or CPIM. It does not mean that CIIPs can change their designations to CPIW/M. Those designations are no longer being granted.
So the next time you see a CPIW, CPIM, or CIIP ribbon, you will know that they are equivalent designations. Just congratulate those members for their achievement!
Jonel Thames Leake, CPCU, AAI, ASLI, CPIW, DAE, CLP-A, is a long-term member of Insurance Professionals. Her very first designation was the CPIW designation. She remembers the excitement of earning it. Jonel is currently serving as International Vice President.