Throwback Thursday: Insurer takes helm of Post

8 April 1976: Through insurance eyes

Peter Gartland, Insurance Post’s new editor, was our publication’s cover star.

Gartland had previously worked in non-life underwriting, claims and broking before becoming marketing controller of Zurich Insurance in the UK.

The fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, who also held a Masters of Science degree from The City University Graduate Business Centre, stayed in the editor’s chair until 1981, when he left to take over the editorship of Money Management.

Recalling his time at the top of Post, Gartland once said: “It was the era of the Lloyd’s scandals, threats of nationalisation of insurance companies and the coming together of insurance brokers under one representative roof.

“I wrote a tough piece urging numerous British insurance companies which has subsidiaries in South Africa to do more for their black employees, lest they be kicked out when the political situation changed.

“It resulted in a small sackful of readers’ letters, mostly telling me not to interfere in things I didn’t understand. I published as many of these hostile epistles as space would allow.

“Nowadays most people are able to see inter-relationships more clearly. In those days some people thought the insurance industry could close the door on the outside world”.

Gartland’s editorship saw the first significant changes in the publication’s style for some years with the more modern division between news, features and comment being adopted.