Dr Sandy Scott told the CII Board yesterday that he will relinquish his role but he will remain in the post until March 2016.
Dr Scott said: "In a constantly changing environment the greatest challenge has been to ensure the CII always remains relevant. The CII today is unrecognisable from the organisation I joined in September 2000.
{desktop}{/desktop}{mobile}{/mobile}
"When I first started no one discussed professionalism. I am delighted to say that through the efforts of my staff and our supporters and advocates we can now claim to be well on the way to becoming a genuine profession. An achievement we should all be proud of."
In a statement released today, the CII said: "During his time at the CII it has grown immeasurably and is now widely recognised across the world as the leading professional body operating in insurance and financial services. The successful implementation of chartered status, the creation of the Aldermanbury Declaration and an almost doubling of membership is testament to the impact he has had.
"His initial efforts to restore the organisations strong financial foundations allowed the CII to broaden its professionalism agenda to areas beyond insurance; creating the Personal Finance Society and playing an active role in shaping the standards that underpinned the RDR and more recently the Pensions Wise initiative."