We capture the excitement of the winners as they share with us what the win means to them, what they will do for the industry and how they will celebrate it.
The AIIA, hosted by Asia Insurance Review, is now in its 18th year and has become a much sought-after mark of excellence and peer group endorsement for insurance players and professionals in the market.
A total of 33 distinguished judges, drawn from a cross-section of industry leaders, regulators and experts, presided over the selection process, which included meeting the shortlisted finalists for face-to-face interviews in the final round of judging in Singapore.
Culminating in the Awards dinner in Taipei last month, 15 winners were presented with this mark of excellence.
Kudos to all participants this year and congratulations to our worthy winners! We now capture the excitement of these successful companies as they share with us what the win means to them, what they will do for the industry and how they will celebrate it.
Winners of 2014 Asia Insurance Industry Awards (L-R)
Service Provider of the Year – MDIndia Healthcare Services (TPA) Pvt Ltd
Personality of the Year Award – Dr Jagath Alwis, Ceylinco Insurance PLC
Life Insurance Company of the Year – Muang Thai Life Assurance Public Co Ltd
Reinsurance Broker of the Year – Aon Benfield
Aon essay winner – Ms Ashlea Lam Yee San
General Insurance Company of the Year – Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co Ltd
Educational Service Provider of the Year – Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance & Finance
Broker of the Year – Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd
Technology Initiative of the Year – Bharti AXA General Insurance Co Ltd
Lifetime Achievement Award – Mr Nasir A Choudhury
Corporate Social Responsibility Award – Prudential Vietnam Assurance Pte Ltd
Employer of the Year – Swiss Re
Life Reinsurer of the Year – Swiss Re
General Reinsurer of the Year – Swiss Re
Corporate Risk Manager of the Year – Mr Franck Baron, International SOS
Life Insurance Company of the Year - Muang Thai Life Assurance Public Co Ltd
Generating valuable benefits for all
I feel it is a great honour and pleasure to have received the “Life Insurance Company of the Year 2014” Award from the “Asia Insurance Industry Awards” which was presented to Muang Thai Life Assurance PCL as a testament of the Company’s business excellence and growth potential.
We drive our organisation by focusing on key policies namely taking a customer-centric approach, reaching target groups through multi-distribution channels, providing service of excellence, developing professional staff, and building the “brand of happiness and smile” that differentiates and gives life insurance a more positive outlook in Thai consumers’ view.
With future potential and existing capabilities as affirmed by this Award, we give our commitment to continuously generate valuable benefits for our stakeholders, Thai society and Thai life insurance industry as a whole, while finding opportunities to expand our breadth to new markets in neighbouring countries and become the “life insurance company of Asia”.
Mr Sara Lamsam
President and CEO,
Muang Thai Life Assurance Public Co Ltd
Innovation of the Year - Apollo Munich Health Insurance Co Ltd
ENERGY – The sweetest thing Award winner
Developing innovative products that cater to the varied needs of ever dynamic customers is at the core of Apollo Munich’s vision. Receiving the “Innovation of the Year” Award for the second time from an eminent jury of highly respected insurance industry stalwarts validates that we are standing true to our vision.
Our innovative product, ENERGY – the sweetest thing, is a result of two years of research among people living with diabetes. We have strived to continue uncomplicating health insurance for the Indian citizens through innovation.
Competing with Asia’s established insurance companies makes our win worthwhile and also encourages us to keep working hard. We hope to leverage our unique parentage that combines health insurance expertise with health care knowhow to keep introducing innovative products in the market. We are already working on our next round of innovations, and this Award will spur us on to greater success.
Mr Antony Jacob
CEO,
Apollo Munich Health Insurance
Service Provider of the Year - MDIndia Healthcare Services (TPA) Pvt Ltd
Working harder to set benchmarks
Quoting Gary David Goldberg, “It takes a lot of people to make a winning team. Everybody’s contribution is important”, the Best Service Provider Award, has humbled us and made us stronger as a team.
We would like to take a moment to thank the Jury. It is our privilege and honour to achieve this Award.
The Award pushes us to think of innovative and better ways to contribute each day, to outperform ourselves. The insurance industry in India is expecting more than the mundane work and we would worker harder to set benchmarks, both in Quality and Standardisation, to stand up to the Award.
Back home, however, celebrations are on, with sweets, cakes and trendy hats, Pan India, with huge smiles and hugs going around…..we are in Euphoria….so thank you all again!!!
The MDIndia Family
Broker of the Year - Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd
A team which is unbeatable
I had a feeling of exuberance as I went up on stage to receive the Award for my company – Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd. I was excited that I was receiving the Award on behalf of my team and that gave me a sense of fulfillment. I felt proud of what our team had achieved in so many years and that this moment was nothing less than the moment of truth for us.
The efficiency and effectiveness of our delivery mechanism has further cemented the belief of all our stakeholders that here is a team which is certainly unbeatable.
We will continue on this journey of enhancing customer satisfaction and it will be our constant endeavour to make INNOVATION as the focus. Innovation in reaching out to new markets, new customer segments. We will continue to work with Insurers/Reinsurers through knowledge sharing and technology initiatives, and rightfully so, not compromising on quality and compliance. This journey will continue in changing the lives of people.
Mr Kumar Pherwani
Principal Officer,
Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd
Reinsurance Broker of the Year - Aon Benfield
At the forefront of research and regulatory developments
Winning the Reinsurance Broker of the Year Award is further endorsement of our investment in quality Talent in the region.
Without this Talent, we would be unable to provide our clients with the outstanding value we provide to them. The Award also endorses our clients’ faith in us as a trusted adviser and to this end, this Award is as much their Award as ours.
We are extremely excited to be recognised for our work in delivering reinsurance capacity from both the conventional and broader capital markets as well as being at the forefront of key regulatory developments, including C-Ross in China which is the first risk-based capital regime for the Chinese market.
Our research and development on catastrophe perils in Asia Pacific informs the industry about risk exposures both within and without the standard suite of available catastrophe models. Winning the Award spurs us to do even better in 2015 and not become complacent in an increasingly challenging and exciting environment.
Mr Malcolm C Steingold
CEO,
Asia Pacific Aon Benfield
General Reinsurer of the Year Life Reinsurer of the Year Employer of the Year - Swiss Reinsurance Company
Global expertise to support sustainable growth
Thank you!
A big thanks to our distinguished judges, clients and partners for giving us this fabulous recognition for our work in Asia.
There is much more to do in partnering with our clients on the significant protection gaps across Asia and we are committed to putting our global expertise to use to support the sustainable growth of the insurance market.
I also want to thank all Swiss Re staff in Asia for their hard work and dedication. The new Employer of the Year award has affirmed that we are going in the right direction in attracting and developing the people that are going to help Swiss Re, its clients and the industry grow. We will continue our best efforts to make Swiss Re the employer of choice and help our employees realise their career aspirations.
Mr Moses Ojeisekhoba
CEO Reinsurance Asia,
Swiss Re
Corporate Social Responsibility Award - Prudential Vietnam Assurance Pte Ltd
Commitment as model corporate citizen
We are extremely excited with this prestigious Award by Asia Insurance Review. More interestingly, the Best CSR Insurance Company Award came to us right on the birthday month of Prudential Vietnam, celebrating 15 years of our footprint in the Vietnam market.
Since day one, Prudential Vietnam have committed to contribute to the long-term development of the Vietnamese society in a meaningful way through well selected social and charitable activities and projects.
We seek to demonstrate Prudential’s commitment as a model corporate citizen whose operating motive goes beyond short-term profit-taking. Focusing on three key pillars: education, healthy living and community support, over the last 15 years, our staff and agents have committed ourselves to the benefits of hundred thousands of less advantaged people through many CSR programmes such as school building, eye screening and operations for thousands of visually impaired children, offering cows to poor farmers, blood donation and so on… We would definitely continue to deliver our commitments in 2015 and the years to come.
Ms Nguyen Phuong Anh
Director, CSR & Prudence Foundation,
Prudential Vietnam Assurance Private Ltd
Technology Initiative of the Year - Bharti AXA General Insurance Co Ltd
Reaching out to under-served Indian masses
We would like to thank Asia Insurance Review and the judges for bestowing us with the “Technology Initiative of the Year” Award. It really inspires us to carry out more initiatives like the digital transformation one for which we were awarded, to increase the penetration of insurance.
The digital medium is a powerful tool to reach out and serve consumers especially in small towns and cities where physical distribution has not reached. We remain committed to being customer centric and pursuing initiatives that bring out customer delight and help us reach out to the large number of under-served Indian masses.
Our employees and partners have been key contributors to achieving this milestone and so have our customers who have continued to inspire and support us with their business. Our celebrations would be incomplete without thanking them.
Dr Amarnath Ananthanarayanan
CEO & MD,
Bharti AXA General Insurance Co Ltd