They came, they saw, they conquered
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Nov 2021
This year’s Middle East Insurance Industry Awards proved to be a strong beam of light piercing the gloom of the pandemic. The mood was upbeat, the achievements memorable – and the signals for the future
stronger than ever.
By Paul McNamara
Well over 200 guests signed in to take part in the single most important event in the calendar of the regional insurance industry this year for the eighth iteration of the Middle East Insurance Industry Awards (MIIA).
Seasoned industry veterans rubbed shoulders with newbies to see who had come out top in each of the awards categories.
There were plenty of winners – and not a single loser – since every finalist had already been through a gruelling selection process to reach the shortlist revealed on the evening.
The atmosphere was electric ahead of the big reveal for each category – and the buzz continued throughout the entire evening.
No one was left in any doubt that the insurance industry in MENA has never been in better shape – shrugging off the dark days of the pandemic. The signs for the future were all pointing towards more digitalisation, more customer acquisition, better marketing - and continued efforts to close the protections gaps in MENA.
Roll on MIIA 2022. M
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Woman Leader of the Year
What winning this award will mean for you and your firm?
I am honoured to be the chosen winner for a category that is very near and dear to my heart. This award is truly a celebration of the developments and growth we are achieving as women within the insurance industry.
I share this achievement with my team, especially my fellow female colleagues at ACE, who have been a leading source of support in becoming a prominent figure for our business. I hope this award encourages them to be proud of their contribution to our company’s success and the role that women play in business and within our society.
How do you intend to promote your winning of the award?
We have shared the news on our external digital channels and internal communication channels.
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Strategic Partner of the Industry and Young Leader of the Year
What winning this award will mean for you and your firm?
The MIIA has held a predominant position by inspiring initiatives towards product innovation, corporate social responsibility and long-term sustainability. The fact that we won this award a second time around brings fruit to the efforts we are putting in. This would not have been possible without the support of our entire team of around 100 individuals who are working hard to keep our clients satisfied and raise the bar on actuarial services within the MENA region. We are grateful to our clients for their continued trust without which this would not have been possible.
We have started many new trends such as regular research reports, industry workshops and training to raise the level of transparency and technical expertise within the industry. We consider ourselves as solution architects strengthening our partners to optimise performance and winning this prestigious award means we are going in the right direction.
How do you intend to promote your winning of the award?
We wish to advertise these accomplishments across our social media platforms and in all our marketing collaterals.
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Educational & Training Initiative of the Year
Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance head - centre for insurance Manal Mohammed Mashkoor (Click to view video)
What winning this award will mean for you and your firm?
The MIIA has been established as the industry’s ultimate testament to the quality and value of the work of the winners.
Hence, BIBF is proud of winning the award for the fourth time and considers it recognition from the industry across the Middle East for its work and contribution in developing human capital in insurance. The award gives BIBF an assurance that it is moving in the right direction and drives us to work harder and deliver impactful initiatives towards a more professional insurance market in the region.
How do you intend to promote your winning of the award?
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Uploaded announcement posts to all our social media channels: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
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The award announcement was shared with influential accounts such as Education.bh, Bahrain Financial Times and the Bahrain Insurance Association
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We will be issuing a press release to all local newspapers, publications and other online news platforms
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Bahrain Television will be conducting an interview to be aired on the news segment
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Video recording of an interview on the winning of this award and how it reflects on the BIBF and the insurance programmes
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An email will be sent out to our insurance database with a message about the award
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The award logo will be used on our main corporate presentation which is usually presented to customers, visitors and officials
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The award logo will be used on other marketing collateral
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An internal email to all staff will be issued to announce the award
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Email signatures of the insurance, marketing and registration teams will carry a picture of the award. We will reach out to local newspapers for an interview
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Health Insurance Company of the Year
What does winning this award mean for you and your firm?
We are extremely thrilled to win the award for the second year in a row. Given the awards’ prestigious position and the intensive competition as many major players in the insurance industry in the region were locked in a tight race towards the final goal, we couldn’t be happier and prouder of this achievement.
This award is not just a recognition but it reflects the quality work and services we offer our customers daily. Being the leading health insurance company in the region comes with its set of challenges and great responsibilities.
When it comes to Bupa Arabia’s success, we believe that what sets us apart is offering innovative programmes and services that are one step ahead of our competitors and tailor-made for our local customers.
That vision has been with us since the inception of the company in Saudi Arabia over 20 years ago. Focusing on serving our customers in wellness and illness and improving their experience has served us well as we believe it is the only way to continue to be leaders in the industry.
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Reinsurance Broker of the Year
What does winning this award mean for you and your firm?
Winning this award for the sixth time and five of them in a row has not only a meaning but it is a symbol: A soldier accomplishing his mission, a doctor saving a life.
Every year we add new targets to our business objectives. For the past six years, what was achieved was great for our industry, for our clients and us and this is why we won.
The award is the fruit of our achievements, the result of the extra mile we did for our company, for the industry and our customers.
Everything we do, every step we take, every solution we tailor-make is a step towards an award but in fact, it is for our clients’ benefits and of course for the industry’s development and future.
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Digital Initiative of the Year
What winning this award will mean for you and your firm?
We are delighted to have won the award, which recognises our hard work on the digital solutions we launched over the past year. The pandemic compelled us to push our boundaries and develop innovative solutions that cater to the evolving needs of our customers – from cardless access to services to our employee assistance programme to enhanced telehealth services. This award validates our effort to enhance our offerings to our customers and the wider community while providing continuous support and upholding high standards.
Cigna’s vision is to make quality healthcare more accessible to individuals and families, in addition to meeting the unique needs of consumers in the region. We will continue to explore opportunities to expand our digital services through ongoing market research and learning from peers and competitors.
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Personality of the Year
What does winning this award mean for you?
This award is the consequence of 30 years of servicing the Arab insurance industry; but more importantly, this award is a recognition of the efforts done and the achievements of the GAIF secretariat during the past 30 months. We are all honoured, proud and thankful to MEIR and the judges.
How do you intend to promote your winning of the award?
Our duty as GAIF is to promote the insurance industry, improve awareness and the exchange of the business between Arab companies and reinsurers; moreover, we work on promoting the best practices, corporate governance and digitalisation.
This award will help us – with no doubt – to raise our image and name within the industry and internationally. We will leverage the impact of the award to launch new initiatives; we aim within GAIF to bring an added value to the insurance community.
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TPA of the Year
What does winning this award mean for you and your firm?
It is rewarding for me and for the team to be recognised for the outstanding results we achieved in servicing our partners and customers. It is also great to be acknowledged by MEIR judges who are familiar with the challenges the insurance industry has been facing. We have done quite well in these difficult economic times - expanding into new markets, leading market share, successfully integrating our acquisitions, and introducing new services and new business models.
This award is a good sign we are moving in the right direction. I see it as an opportunity to add more effort and investment to expand our customer service capabilities and our digital services, especially there is always room for improvement when it comes to customer experience. We want to support our valued partners with healthcare solutions to fit their particular needs and our members to have seamless healthcare and we will continue to do our best to achieve higher levels always.
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MetLife Gulf
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Gulf Insurance Group K.S.C.P.
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National Takaful Company (Watania)
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Mr Ahmed Ragab, Gulf Insurance Group
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