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Winners of the 1st Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards

The 1st Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards Presentation Dinner was hosted on 12th July 2016 to recognise the very best in life insurance distribution. The Awards saw a truly regional representation with the nine winners coming from six different Asian countries - China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

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2016 Winners

Insurance Agency Leader of the Year
Mr Gabriel Tan Yong Kai, AIA Singapore

Rookie Agency Leader of the Year
Dato’ Irene Gan Ai Ling, Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Bhd

Insurance Agent of the Year
Ms Agassi Wang, Manulife (International) Limited

Rookie Insurance Agent of the Year
Ms Jessica Mok Nga Ching, AIA Hong Kong

Inspirational Agent/Leader of the Year
Dr Mary Chen Ming Li, AIA Singapore

Affinity/Bank Partner of the Year
Axis Bank, India

Technology Provider of the Year for Agents
EAB Systems Limited

Insurance Company of the Year for Agents
Fubon Life Insurance Co., Ltd

Executive Champion of the Year
Mr John Cai, AIA China

WINNERS BOOKLET View Gallery

  • Lead Sponsor

  • Strategic Partner

    AIA
  • Sponsor

  • Co-Organiser

Insurance Agency Leader of the Year

Mr Gabriel Tan Yong Kai, AIA Singapore

For having demonstrated a consistently high level of group production and recruitment, for leading his agency to repeated accolades and for displaying a commitment to professionalism and service to the industry, Mr Gabriel Tan is a worthy winner of the Insurance Agency Leader of the Year.

A 26-year veteran of the industry, Mr Gabriel Tan has been AIA Singapore’s Top Group Financial Services Director (FSD) for three consecutive years. Last year, he led his district to achieving the top number of recruits totalling more than 170 Financial Services Consultants (FSCs). Under his leadership, Mr Tan has groomed 18 Personal Wealth Managers (specialising in the High Net Worth market) and his agency won the Top District with the highest number of Personal Wealth Managers.

Mr Tan’s strong leadership qualities can be observed over the years. He has guided seven of his FSCs to becoming some of AIA Singapore’s most successful FSDs and has also developed many successful Financial Services Managers, creating one of the most dynamic agencies at AIA Singapore.

He has attained his Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU/S) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in his journey of continuous learning and elevating his skills and professionalism. A committed leader, he is also a Fellow of the Insurance and Financial Practitioners Association of Singapore (IFPAS), a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals and was an EXCO member of the Public Awareness Committee in the Financial Planning Association of Singapore (FPAS).

His strong industry and product knowledge enabled him to train and develop competent FSCs, able to provide customers with comprehensive financial health checks and suitable financial solutions to help meet their needs. Always generous in sharing his knowledge and expertise, he is regularly involved in various company and leaders’ work groups to provide constructive inputs.

To reach out to more people to share the importance of financial planning, Mr Tan also lectures at the Singapore College of Insurance and Temasek Polytechnic, and has delivered talks to the Singapore Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Police Force. He is also a regular speaker at various seminars and contributes articles to the media to share his great wealth of knowledge and experience to the greater public.

His outstanding track record and leadership skills, not just in leading his own district but also in grooming more leaders and elevating others to success, makes Mr Tan deserving of recognition as the Insurance Agency Leader of the Year.

Winners List

Rookie Agency Leader of the Year

Dato’ Irene Gan Ai Ling, Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Bhd

With just a year of managerial experience under her belt, having demonstrated a high level of personal and group production and recruitment, a leadership that commands respect and admiration, and commitment to professionalism, Ms Irene Gan Ai Ling is the Rookie Agency Leader of the Year.

Ms Irene Gan Ai Ling has had a good year. Alongside her promotion to Agency Manager at Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Bhd, she has also received several accolades celebrating her success in the field.

Her achievements in 2015 include MDRT Court of the Table, Top Rookie Agency Manager, Top Agency Manager and Top Personal Producer. Not only has she been showered with awards and trophies, she was also instrumental in developing two agents who themselves achieved their own rookie awards – Champion and second runner-up for an award which recognises the achievement of new agents within two years of their service in Great Eastern.

In her first year in a managerial position, Ms Gan managed to recruit and contract 13 agents, and achieved a Direct Unit Group sales of over MYR3.2 million (US$796,000).

Ms Gan has also been recognised for her excellence by the National Association of Malaysia Life Insurance Fieldforce and Advisers (NAMLIFA), breaking its record in 2013.

She has spoken at several NAMLIFA events, giving her the platform and opportunity to share her experience and impart some of her knowledge and skills to motivate others.

Ms Gan was conferred the title of Dato’ by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, in 2016.

Her impressive results and the grooming of high-performing new agents in her first year, and her resolve to provide exceptional service to her clients professionally and ethically, makes her a deserving Rookie Agency Leader of the Year Award winner.

Winners List

Insurance Agent of the Year

Ms Agassi Wang, Manulife (International) Limited

For her years of excellence, for an outstanding performance track record, her proven expert knowledge, for placing the interests of clients first and her service to the industry, Ms Agassi Wang is winner of the Insurance Agent of the Year Award.

Over Ms Agassi Wang’s 22-year career in the insurance industry, she has come to be viewed as a leader and an icon in the Hong Kong insurance industry. An outstanding agency leader, she leads by example in the field and is always aiming high and fully committed to delivering record-breaking results.

She has been the Top Advisor of the Year in her company every year since 2010. In 2015, she produced double the Top of the Table requirement. Her impressive productivity has continued into this year as she has achieved her MDRT in just one month. All in all, she has qualified for Court of the Table four times, Top of the Table seven times and is an Honor Roll Member.

As a Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) and Chartered Insurance Agency Manager (CIAM), Ms Wang regularly participates in intra-industry and cross-industry exchange conferences to build her knowledge base. With a strong belief in helping others to build their success, she willingly shares her knowledge and experience selflessly.

She is strongly committed to helping her clients find the perfect financial planning solutions to address their needs. She takes great pride in her professionalism and her commitment to clients, demonstrated by her consistently strong results and a high policy persistency rate, reaching as high as 99% in 2015.

Her most rewarding accomplishment is becoming the first female promoted to Senior Regional Director at Manulife Hong Kong, which is at the very top of the agency management ladder. She leads a team of close to 200 highachieving advisers. Ms Wang is also devoted to different charity and community services, notably as Co-Chairlady of the SV Foundation.

Her outstanding achievements together demonstrate the extraordinary commitment to the provision of the highest levels of service and professional solutions that customers can expect from Ms Wang, which is why she is truly deserving of the Insurance Agent of the Year Award.

Winners List

Rookie Insurance Agent of the Year

Ms Jessica Mok Nga Ching, AIA Hong Kong

For proving her tremendous potential, her rapid climb to success and her unwavering drive to improve, to serve and better the lives of others in just a few short years, Ms Jessica Mok has been awarded the Rookie Insurance Agent of the Year.

Ms Jessica Mok began her career as a financial news anchorwoman in Hong Kong, viewed by over 7 million people in Hong Kong alone and countless more on a global scale. Her exposure and research into the financial market, her interviews with industry experts as well as connections with the public gave her an insight into the needs, motives and dreams of people.

Through the success and failure stories she encountered over the course of her work as an anchor, it became apparent to her that “failing to plan is planning to fail”. With the aim of helping people plan for a successful and secure financial future with early intervention, Ms Mok mustered the courage to make a career switch to the insurance industry in December 2014.

In 2015, she achieved first year premium of close to US$840,000, qualifying for MDRT Court of the Table. Despite being a rookie, she closed a deal on group medical insurance of a well-known MNC and earned the title of Senior Employee Benefit Consultant.

Other than acquiring Insurance Intermediaries Qualifying Examination (IIQE) professional certifications, Ms Mok has also undertaken Chinese proficiency test and joined Toastmasters International as more decision makers are communicating in English and Chinese. She continues to improve on her knowledge-base and her skills, currently embarking on attaining professional certifications in general insurance and Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

She is also cognizant of the modern technology that drives the daily lives of her clients. She has taken advantage of Cloud and mobility-based computing and utilises a Customer Relationship Management System (CRMS), which allows her to track details on her clients, receive feedback and respond to queries in a timely fashion.

A member of the Life Underwriters Association of Hong Kong, Ms Mok is also an active supporter of charities such as UNICEF, Po Leung Kuk and Nourish the Children. Her charity work lets her give back to society, while also benefiting the industry by promoting the image of a truly selfless and caring agent, earning her the title of Rookie Insurance Agent of the Year.

Winners List

Inspirational Agent/Leader of the Year

Dr Mary Chen Ming Li, AIA Singapore

For working tirelessly, inspiring and guiding fellow agents to success and continuously touching the lives of her customers and helping the underprivileged, Dr Mary Chen Ming Li is the Inspirational Agent/Leader of the Year.

Dr Mary Chen Ming Li was at the pinnacle of her acting career when she married her Singaporean husband in 1980. However, leading a celebrity lifestyle on the income of her husband also led them into eventually falling into a debt of US$1.65 million in 1985.

Embarking on a career as a life insurance agent, she found that as a celebrity, while many people wanted to meet her, few were sincere about purchasing insurance policies from her.

Through sheer willpower and perseverance, she adapted to being in the insurance business and overcame all obstacles and proved her detractors wrong. Her hard work and commitment paid off, and she became the first person in Southeast Asia to qualify for the MDRT Top of the Table in 1988. By 1990, Dr Chen and her husband had cleared all their financial obligations. Setbacks had created opportunities.

This year marks Dr Chen’s 30th year as a Life and Qualifying MDRT member with 28 consecutive years as a Life and Qualifying TOT member. She was also the first Chinese speaker on the Main Platform of MDRT. She was appointed as the first and only AIA Agency Ambassador from 2010 to 2014, and had motivated more than 300,000 FSCs to emulate her success. She has also served in the Agency Leader Management Association’s (ALMA) ExCo for over seven years, contributing to the tremendous success of one of the largest agency forces in Singapore.

As a personal producer, she was AIA’s Top Regional Financial Services Consultant for 18 years and Top Companywide FSC for 12 years. Since moving into agency management in 2005, she has achieved Top Financial Services Associate Director six times.

Dr Chen started the Motion Heart Project together with her Agency Leader, Rayner Lee, to give back to society. They have built four schools in rural China to provide education for underprivileged children. They have also been instrumental in setting up the Motion Academy of Gym Sports for orphans in Cambodia to train them as gymnasts and trainers, which will enable them to break out of the cycle of poverty.

Dr Chen continuously strives for excellence in her career and her life. Her passion for helping fellow FSCs succeed in the industry and touching the lives of her many customers across generations and the community will ensure that she continues to be a shining light in the financial services industry, which is why she has been recognised as the Inspirational Agent/Leader of the Year.

Winners List

Affinity/Bank Partner of the Year

Axis Bank, India

For creating a close partnership that had impressive results, always ensuring financial inclusion in its operations and for utilising technology to create new products and streamline processes for its partners and clients, Axis Bank is the Affinity/Bank Partner of the Year.

Axis Bank is the third largest private sector bank in India with a strong distribution franchise consisting of 2,904 b ranches and 12,743 ATMs. The Bank also has strong international presence with branches in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai (at DIFC), Colombo and Shanghai with representative offices at Dhaka, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and an overseas subsidiary at London, UK. As of 2016, it services about 17.2 million customers who have trusted the bank with total deposits worth US$53 billion.

It distributes the products of Max Life Insurance Company. The partnership has shared values of customer centricity, transparency and an ethical approach to providing best insurance solutions to their customers. Since the partnership commenced in 2010, it has grown to be the largest non-bank promoted bancassurance relationship in India. It has successfully helped insure about 736,000 lives, with over 200,000 during the financial year 2015-16.

About 25% of Axis Bank’s insurance customers are from India’s large population of rural and unbanked segment, owing to a product suite and training of staff to provide insurance solutions across all segments of India’s society.

The bank has adopted a customer-centric approach through an end-to-end digital sales process comprehensively covering all the stages, including prospecting, need analysis, life stage and occupation analysis. It also uses an electronic fulfilment process that has been co-created by both organisations for policy issuance, enabling them to issue policies within four hours of application submission.

With the technological advances, Axis Bank constantly strives to offer solutions that enhance customer convenience. Using the bank’s existing detailed transaction history of its customers, the underwriting engine of Max Life Company can produce a pre-underwritten client base. These analytics helps the bank offer insurance policies to these pre-underwritten clients with no additional documents and no medical test requirement. This industry first initiative further cuts down on policy issuance time and makes the whole process of buying insurance simple and hassle free.

For all of these innovations and initiatives, Axis Bank has earned the title of Affinity/Bank Partner of the Year.

Winners List

Technology Provider of the Year for Agents

EAB Systems Limited

For creating a point-of-sale automation suite that operates on multiple platforms, both online and offline, catering to the increasingly mobile and tech-savvy consumer, while maintaining optimal user experience and performance, EAB Systems Limited is the winner of Technology Provider of the Year Award.

EAB Systems is a leading enterprise software company in the Asia Pacific, offering robust, flexible and scalable solutions to insurers, both regionally and internationally. Leveraging their IT expertise and experience in the life insurance industry, they help customers enhance their distribution capabilities at the point of sale, accelerate the introduction of new products to the market and automate administration processes.

Their most popular product is the 121 System, an award-winning point of sale and sales force automation suite catered to agents. The clientcentric 121 System revolves around the insurance sales cycle. It automates and streamlines the entire sales process with an electronic straight through process, pre-sales tools and post-sales activity management. It also helps agents manage day-to-day activities, improve client relationship management, cross-sell and upsell and monitor targets and progress.

The 121 System is a seamless, integrated solution that combines a shared business engine among different platforms with native user interfaces that guarantee optimal user experience and performance. This avoids the inherent risks and pitfalls and high costs of integrating and maintaining multiple disparate systems. The system provides an end-to-end solution that is cost-effective without compromising user experience and performance, which are key to the success of their customers’ businesses.

Furthermore, the 121 System helps insurers achieve their objective to equip their agents with enriched functionality, improve the overall efficacy and maximise value by reducing the cost of running their business. This enables agents to stay ahead of the competition by streamlining the sales process. Ultimately, this has a positive impact on the insurer, their agents, their revenue potential and the industry and is the reason why EAB Systems Limited richly deserves the Technology Provider of the Year Award.

Winners List

Insurance Company of the Year for Agents

Fubon Life Insurance Co., Ltd

For embracing this changing multi-channel environment and implementing digital and technological advances to improve the effectiveness of its agency force, for setting professional standards that other insurers must measure against and for steady investment into enhancing the skills of its agency force, Fubon Life Insurance Co Ltd is the Insurance Company of the Year for agents.

Fubon Life is one of the leading life insurers and frequent multi-award winners in Taiwan, with nearly 19,000 agents serving over four million clients. The company has a diverse and complete product line and one-stop integrated financial services, providing help to clients with risk management via its agents in the frontline.

Fubon Life encourages entrepreneurship, supporting agents to develop professional capacities and characters via its “Fubon Life Holistic Career Training Plan”. To aid young agents in achieving their goals, Fubon Life has implemented the largest-scale cloud digital training platform available. It features the “Four- Ring Training Framework”, one of the most systematic training programmes consisting of well-designed standard standardised training, connection training, unit training and development training.

Fubon Life’s digital and technology integration continues with an “Online + Offline” integration solution at the business end – a “Mobile Office” built for their agents that enhances the quality and efficacy of service, allowing agents to present themselves as a well-rounded mobile counter for their clients. This platform enables automatic processing of all stages involved in a sale, allowing an agent to efficiently establish, complete and service a sale in a wholly digital space.

In 2015, Fubon Life accomplished its Cloud project; the implementation of Office 365 marks it as the largest life insurer that deploys Cloud systems. The main functions of the Cloud include providing a single entrance to all systems and functions; a mobile app exclusive to their agents that provides multiple services and functions to help them with their work; work flow automation which transfers contents of an e-proposal to an application and e-insurance policy, cutting down the procedure by five to seven working days.

Fubon Life has invested a lot into its agents and made great strides in upgrading its existing systems to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their sales force, which is why it has been recognised as the Insurance Company of the Year for agents.

Winners List

Executive Champion of the Year

Mr John Cai, Chief Executive Officer, AIA China

For his transformative role in creating a culture of leaders and encouraging a customer-centric mindset, as well as leading his company to great heights, Mr John Cai is recognised as the Executive Champion of the Year.

Mr John Cai has been the CEO of AIA China since July 2009. Since then he has transformed the business into one of the most successful life insurance companies in China. He led the entire AIA China team to launch the Premier Agency Strategy in late 2010, which saw remarkable growth of the financial performance and profitable new business of the company over the past six years. In 2015 driven by product optimisation and improved agents’ activity, China became the fastest growing market for AIA.

He proposed that service-driven innovation will always be one of the most important strategies in AIA China. As such, the EODB (ease of doing business) programme was launched, aiming to encourage customer-centric innovation through the promotion of culture and thinking habit transformation, to achieve the transformation to customer centricity by simplifying the process, upgrading the system and enhancing efficiencies.

When Mr Cai became the CEO in 2009, it was a turbulent time due to the financial crisis and the impact on the company’s previous parent company AIG. There were various issues including high turnover rates in its agency force. He set out a goal to bring the organisation together as “one” not only in terms of organisation structure, but relying more on aligning the vision, goals, strategies and a shared mind-set.

He spent most of his time in his early days with AIA China to rebuild and strengthen the senior leadership team with clarity, courage and humanity. Leadership development has always been his top agenda.

He personally facilitated the Organization and People review (talent management review for AIA), revamped the Top 100 leadership pipeline development program known as ALDP (Accelerated Leadership Development Program) and initiated “the real life leadership challenges: on-the-job practices and assignments” to build next level successors and future leaders.

Built upon the 70:20:10 development model with a sharp focus on AIA leadership essentials and its unique organisation capabilities, managers and employees are armed and exposed to the best practices and encouraged to accelerate their learning curves and pursue their career aspiration through the “talent mobility plan”.

With his innovations in creating future leaders and transforming the culture of his company into one of inclusivity and success, Mr Cai deserves the title of Executive Champion of the Year.

Winners List

Drawing the unsung heroes into the limelight

It took the 25th Anniversary celebrations of Asia Insurance Review to remind us that as the voice of the insurance industry of Asia, we can serve the market better by drawing its intermediaries into the limelight.

Hence, this launch of the first-ever Asia Trusted Life Agents and Advisers Awards to recognise and salute excellence in this area of distribution at a time of the digital era. We promise you that this will be beyond just figures and sales targets as we support the industry’s march towards greater professionalism and higher standards on the distribution front, as well as help enhance the image of insurance to the man in the street by highlighting stars and winners.

While drawing from the 20 years of experience in the Asia Insurance Industry Awards series, this Agents/Advisers Awards will be more focussed on individuals who have touched the lives of people in many different ways and those corporate executives, companies, associations and service providers who help agents/advisers on the path to excellence.

The hallmark of success of any Awards is the defined criteria and transparency of the process which is independently audited. The winners of this Awards will be picked by a panel of distinguished judges of leading life insurance professionals, association heads, regulators, and consumer leaders in Asia and the international milieu.

In this first year, we will limit the number of categories to only 12 and will invite nominations from agents themselves as well as the life companies and clients and consumers. We want to make it fun and real but fully professional where the contest becomes a milestone in the annals of the life industry.

I am indeed delighted and grateful to Mr Mark Tucker, Group CEO, AIA, for agreeing to be the Patron of the Awards, to LIMRA our co-organiser, to AIA being our strategic partner and to Manulife as Lead Sponsor of the Awards .

We believe in bringing insurance to everyman in the street in every which way possible. And to recognise and salute excellence in those who do it is our CSR to the industry.

We have miles to go but the journey has begun.
Drum roll, please.

Sivam Subramaniam
Editor-in-Chief, Asia Insurance Review & Middle East Insurance Review

 

Insurance Agent of the Year

For the tied-agent who has demonstrated an outstanding performance track record, expert knowledge, placing the interests of clients first and service to the industry.

Criteria:

  • Performance as measured by MDRT standards – commission, income and/or premium.
  • Commitment to continuous learning and upgrading of skills and competencies through professional certifications.
  • Demonstrates professionalism with expert knowledge, places the interests of customers first, and having in place a system to service clients and develop long-term relationships.
  • Service to the industry through active participation in associations, enhancing industry standards, promoting the value of insurance and giving back to society.

Insurance Adviser of the Year

For the adviser from a FA firm who has demonstrated an outstanding performance track record, expert knowledge, placing the interests of clients first and service to the industry.

Criteria:

  • Performance as measured by MDRT standards – commission, income and/or premium.
  • Commitment to continuous learning and upgrading of skills and competencies through professional certifications.
  • Demonstrates professionalism with expert knowledge, places the interests of customers first, and having in place a system to service clients and develop long-term relationships.
  • Service to the industry through active participation in associations, enhancing industry standards, promoting the value of insurance and giving back to society.

Rookie Insurance Agent of the Year

For the individual under the age of 35 with fewer than three years of industry experience, who has demonstrated an outstanding performance track record, expert knowledge, placing the interests of clients first and service to the industry.

Criteria:

  • To provide a brief background on immediate past career, as well as the reasons and motivations for making the switch to the insurance industry.
  • Performance as measured by MDRT standards – commission, income and/or premium.
  • Commitment to continuous learning and upgrading of skills and competencies through professional certifications.
  • Demonstrates professionalism with expert knowledge, places the interests of customers first, and having in place a system to service clients and develop long-term relationships.
  • Service to the industry through active participation in associations, enhancing industry standards, and promoting the value of insurance and giving back to society.

Insurance Agency Leader of the Year

For the agency/group leader who has demonstrated a high level of group production and recruitment that is repeatable with systems and structures in place, strong leadership qualities, commitment to professionalism and service to the industry.

Criteria:

  • Performance as measured by number of new agents recruited and group commission levels and/or premiums.
  • Strong leadership qualities with systems in place for the group on recruitment, client servicing, and training and development.
  • Demonstrates a track record of consistently helping agents and/or managers to succeed.
  • Commitment as a leader and as an agency/group to continuous learning and upgrading of skills and competencies through professional certifications.
  • Service to the industry as a leader and as an agency/group through active participation in associations, enhancing industry standards, promoting the value of insurance and giving back to society.

Rookie Agency Leader of the Year

For the agency/group leader under the age of 35 with fewer than five years of managerial experience, who has demonstrated a high level of group production and recruitment that is repeatable with systems and structures in place, strong leadership qualities, commitment to professionalism and service to the industry.

Criteria:

  • Performance as measured by number of new agents recruited and group commission levels and/or premiums.
  • Strong leadership qualities with systems in place for the group on recruitment, client servicing, and training and development.
  • Demonstrates a track record of consistently helping agents and/or managers to succeed.
  • Commitment as a leader and as an agency/group to continuous learning and upgrading of skills and competencies through professional certifications.
  • Service to the industry as a leader and as an agency/group through active participation in associations, enhancing industry standards, and promoting the value of insurance and giving back to society.

Life Agents’/Managers’ Association of the Year

For the association representing agents and/or agency leaders that has demonstrated a commitment to promoting the value of insurance to society, ensuring clients are treated fairly, enhancing the professionalism of agents in the industry, and championing the interests of agents.

Criteria:

  • Demonstrates a focus on consumers through financial education outreach programmes and ensuring clients are treated fairly.
  • Commitment to foster camaraderie among agents and/or managers, and enhancing the professionalism and image of the industry.
  • Programmes in place to promote the value of insurance and giving back to society.
  • Working with industry stakeholders to represent and champion the interests of insurance representatives.

Affinity/Bank Partner of the Year

For the affinity/bank partner that has demonstrated placing importance on the risk or wealth management needs of their clients and has worked in close partnership with the insurer in meeting these needs.

Criteria:

  • Demonstrates a mutually beneficial relationship where the partner can tap on the insurer’s suite of solutions to meet its clients’ needs, and the insurer can in turn extend its reach to help meet the needs and close the protection/savings gap of society.
  • Demonstrates a focus on customer-centricity where a single point of contact and/or an integrated approach is used in terms of procedures, financial consultations, customer service and claims.
  • Demonstrates true partnership with tailored solutions and services for the partner’s clients and/or access to the partner’s products and services for insurer’s clients.
  • Commitment to a long-term partnership.

Technology Provider of the Year for Agents

For the technology provider that has supplied the platform, either a point-of-sales system or backend technology, to assist agents in their course of work in servicing their clients by simplifying the financial planning process, application procedures and/or filing of claims.

Criteria:

  • The technology provided assists the agents at point of sales through its ease of use, simplifying the process for agents and clients in financial planning and application, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and boosting the image of the industry.
  • The technology may also be one that streamlines the process of policy applications and claims management, or servicing of and engagement with clients to pave the way for faster services or simpler transactions.
  • Enables significant improvement that is measurable in the system of an aspect of business, leading to higher efficiency of service or greater profitability as shown by statistical evidence for example.

Inspirational Agent/Leader of the Year

For the agent/leader with the most inspiring story of helping a client in a time of need, helping agents/managers to achieve a breakthrough, or achieving a personal breakthrough.

Criteria:

  • Shown to have helped a client avert financial disaster through comprehensive financial planning, demonstrating persistence in overcoming obstacles and objections in processing the claim or at time of sale.
  • For the agent/manager who achieved a personal breakthrough through overcoming personal struggles and obstacles, serving as an inspiration to industry peers and/or enhancing the image of the industry.
  • For the leader who has gone out of his/her way to inspire agents/managers to achieve their personal breakthroughs through overcoming obstacles and persistence.

Executive Champion of the Year

For the CEO or corporate executive who has championed the interests and importance of agents with dedication.

Criteria:

  • For the CEO or corporate executive who has gone out of his way to enhance the interests and importance of the agency distribution channel in his company and/or industry.
  • Works tirelessly to equip agents with the necessary skills and expertise to continue to thrive in the changing multi-channel environment.
  • Listens to and connects with agents to understand and work with them to address any concerns and gaps.

Life Broker of the Year

For the life insurance broker that has set a high professional standard for others to measure against, and places its clients’ interests first.

Criteria:

  • For the firm that places its clients’ interests first, is independent and transparent with its fees and charges.
  • For the firm that is responsive and committed to training and development to continuously enhance its professionalism and expertise.
  • Demonstrates a continual investment in the necessary technology and platforms to improve the efficiency of its financial planning process with clients and customer servicing.

Insurance Company of the Year for Agents

For the thriving life insurance company that has an agency force that sets the professional standards for other insurers to measure against, and continues to invest in and support its agency force to thrive in the changing multi-channel environment.

Criteria:

  • For the insurer that is responsive to the needs of agents and demonstrates a commitment to the training and development of its agents to enhance their professionalism and expertise to remain relevant in a multi-channel distribution world.
  • Demonstrates a continual investment in the necessary technology and platforms to improve the efficiency of its agents’ financial planning process with clients and customer servicing.
  • For the insurer with a professional and high-performing agency force that accounts for a good portion of its business.

  • Ambrose Cheung Ambrose Cheung
    Chairman of Insurance Agents Registration Board, The Hong Kong Federation of Insurers
  • Andy Khoo Andy Khoo
    Managing Director, The Centre for International Assessment and Development, LIMRA
  • Benjamin AngBenjamin Ang
    Deputy Editor and Head of Digital, Asia Insurance Review
  • David GrantDato' Haji Syed Moheeb bin Syed Kamarulzaman
    CEO, The Malaysian Insurance Institute
  • David GrantDavid Grant
    Regional Chief Agency Officer, Manulife Financial Asia
  • Gary ComerfordGary Comerford
    Chairman and CEO, Pacific Insurance Conference
  • Khoo Kah SiangKhoo Kah Siang
    President, Life Insurance Association, Singapore
  • Mark Saunders Mark Saunders
    Group Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, AIA Group
  • Mark Wallis Mark Wallis
    Managing Director, International Business Development, LIMRA & LOMA
  • Michael MorrisseyMichael Morrissey
    President and CEO, International Insurance Society
  • Richard VargoRichard Vargo
    Managing Director, Bancassurance, DBS Bank Ltd
  • Rizalina MantaringRizalina Mantaring
    Board Member, Philippine Life Insurance Association, Inc
  • Robert PainRobert Pain
    Chairman, Association of International Life Offices
  • Roger SteelRoger Steel
    President, New Markets and Business Development, Sun Life Financial Asia
  • Roger SteelSanjay Tolani
    CEO, Goodwill World
    (Youngest Life Member of MDRT at age of 28.)
  • Roger SteelSK Samy 
    Chairman, Asia Pacific Financial Services Association
  • Roger SteelSara Lamsam
    President, The Thai Life Assurance Association
  • Tahir Ahmed Taher Sachak
    Member Executive Committee, The Insurance Association of Pakistan
  • Toi See Jong Toi See Jong
    President, Life Insurance Association of Malaysia

Are nominations free?

Yes. You don’t have to pay anything to nominate yourself or your client. There is absolutely no fee required to take part in the Awards, which is run as a CSR project to recognise and salute excellence in the insurance industry. 

Organising the Awards costs about US$250,000. Funding comes from table sales for the Awards Presentation Dinner, as well as sponsors who support the cause to boost standards and professionalism.

Why take part in the Awards? What is unique about the Awards?

The Asia Trusted Life Agents and Advisers Awards goes beyond figures and sales targets. It is fully transparent with the judging process independently audited. The Panel of Judges is made up of the leading lights in the industry.

Nominations are free and open to all. You don’t have to be a subscriber, an advertiser, a sponsor or a client of AIR to be nominated or to win.

The winner is chosen by the Panel of Judges which represents a cross section of the industry including regional and international market leaders, association heads, and regulators.

Judging and conflicts

All judges are involved in rating and ranking the entries. We allow companies employing the Judges to take part as otherwise it will be penalising the Judges. But the “conflicts” rule ensures that Judges do not vote in the categories to select the winners that their companies are taking part in.

It is the integrity of the Judges that underpins the Awards system. Judging is not based on consensus but on the Judges’ scoring of the write-ups in the first instance, and then ranking the finalists after on Judging Day. The Judges contribute their time and effort to this grueling process as their social service to the industry.

Why are only finalists announced?

To allow everyone to take part without fear of embarrassment, we adopt a positive approach where we will only announce the finalists. The other nominations that don’t make it to the finals are never named. Nonetheless, the nominee is free to do his own marketing should he want to.

Why are self-nominations allowed?

Self-nomination is neutral. This is to make the system as fair as possible and to allow everyone to get a chance to be recognised.

Did Award winners pay or sponsor to win?

No. The process is transparent and audited. Everything depends on the Judges’ selection.

Why are the results kept secret till the day of the Gala Dinner?

This is to add excitement and to ensure that all the finalists will attend the Dinner. And most awards that are genuine do not announce the winners until the very night of the presentation, like the Academy Awards.