Eighteen industry stalwarts claimed top honours at the 9th Middle East Insurance Awards (MIIA), held in person at Conrad Dubai on 21 November. This is the first time the awards have been held in person since the onset of the pandemic.
The award winners edged out over 200 entries from the MENA region to earn the top spots, proving their mettle and commitment to the sector in an increasingly dynamic competitive environment and digitalised world.
To reflect the increasing strength of the reinsurance sector, the Reinsurance Company of the Year award was split into General Reinsurer of the Year and Life Reinsurer of the Year.
Saudi Re and International General Insurance (IGI) were named joint winners of the General Reinsurer of the Year award – the first-time in the MIIA’s nine-year history that a category has resulted in a tie.
RGA Middle East claimed the title of Life Reinsurer of the Year for its passion and commitment to making financial protection accessible to all throughout the MENA region.
The InsurTech of the Year – also introduced for the first time – was clinched by ATOM Technologies, an end-to-end insurance operating system created by insurance professionals.
The big winner of the night was Marsh Middle East and Africa. It claimed Broker of the Year title for the fourth time and Reinsurance Broker of the Year for the first time. The company launched its main strategic imperatives – reinforcing its core capabilities – and its ‘modernisation’ agenda encompassing operations, IT and talent.
Several first-time winners made their mark in this year’s competition: Zurich International Life for Life Insurance Company of the Year; Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company for General Insurance Company of the Year; Solidarity Bahrain for Takaful Company of the Year; and Qatar Insurance Company for Digital Transformation of the Year.
Zu’bi & Partners’ Ms Raghad Hammad was named the Woman Leader of the Year for her efforts in advancing the (re)insurance sector across the MENA region and dedication to empowering women.
The Young Leader of the Year title went to Dubai Health Insurance Corporation’s Mr Ali Fareed Lutfi in recognition of his many achievements and contributions to the insurance industry.
The highly coveted Insurance Industry Leader of the Year award went to Middle East Insurance Company’s Dr Rajai Sweis, recognised for his sound leadership, business acumen and progressive vision in leading the organisation.
“The winners must really be saluted for coming out on top after such a gruelling competitive process. We salute all those that participated and would like to congratulate all our winners and finalists alike. To us, you are all winners,” said Middle East Insurance Review CEO Sheela Suppiah.
About MIIA
The MIIA, organised by Middle East Insurance Review and supported by DIFC, DIFC Insurance Association, Insurance Business Group, FAIR, GAIF and RIMS, is considered the premier awards of the MENA region with a set of clearly defined criteria and a transparent judging process.
A panel of 25 distinguished judges was involved in the assessment of the nominations this year. The results were independently audited by EY.
Sponsors this year include AM Best, Chedid Re, GIG, Huntington Partners LLP, Lloyd’s, Marsh, Nextcare and RGA. M
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Roll of Honour 2022
Life Insurance Company of the Year
Zurich International Life Limited
General Insurance Company of the Year
Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company PJSC
Health Insurance Company of the Year
Cigna
Takaful Company of the Year
Solidarity Bahrain
TPA of the Year
Nextcare Claims Management LLC
Life Reinsurer of the Year
RGA Reinsurance Company Middle East Limited
General Reinsurer of the Year
Saudi Re
International General Insurance
Broker of the Year
Marsh Middle East and Africa
Reinsurance Broker of the Year
Marsh Middle East and Africa
Educational & Training Initiative of the Year
Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance
Digital Transformation of the Year
Qatar Insurance Company
InsurTech of the Year
ATOM Technologies Limited
Strategic Partner to the Industry
Badri Management Consultancy
Law Firm of the Year
Clyde & Co
Corporate Risk Manager of the Year
Mahboob Khan, Abdul Latif Jameel
Woman Leader of the Year
Raghad Hammad, Zu’bi & Partners
Young Leader of the Year
Ali Fareed Lutfi, Dubai Health Insurance Corporation
Insurance Industry Leader of the Year
Dr Rajai Sweis, Middle East Insurance Company
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| Winners’ thoughts |
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Life Insurance Company of the Year
Zurich International Life Limited
“As a company, our ultimate goal is to empower our customers to be ready for life, inspire confidence and help them to fulfil their protection and savings needs – building a brighter future together.
This award is a testament to all that we stand for and everything we have achieved in the region so far. It also further motivates us to innovate and accelerate our efforts towards helping our customers be better prepared for the future.”
- Zurich Insurance CEO – Middle East Mufazzal Kajiji
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General Insurance Company of the Year
Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company (ADNIC)
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“We are delighted with this prestigious recognition that truly reflects our promise of being our customers’ reliable insurer, as well as the commitment and hard work of our employees.
We are likely to announce our win through our social media channels, our quarterly investor presentation, our official website and through employee communications.”
- Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company CEO Ahmad Idris
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Health Insurer of the Year
Cigna Insurance Middle East
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“This recognition is testament to Cigna’s commitment in making healthcare accessible to a wider segment through innovative but simple, affordable and flexible solutions. It is an endorsement of our contribution to the health insurance sector in the UAE and the region, and our efforts towards adding value to our stakeholders.
We are thankful to our partners, our broker community and our incredible team at Cigna for their hard work and contribution in delivering simple yet predictable solutions and bringing quality care to the community.”
- Cigna International
CEO of domestic health and health services Jerome Droesch
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TPA of the Year
Nextcare
“Winning this award for the seventh time in a row can only make us prouder year-on-year. This proves once again that with ongoing focus, efforts put behind innovation, transformation and process improvement can really help an organisation to stand out in a challenging and volatile marketplace, while maintaining its leadership.
This award recognises the services we are offering to members for easy access to care and peace of mind; it also demonstrates our ongoing customer focus.”
-Nextcare
CEO, head of health services, utilities and MPM Christian Gregorowicz
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Digital Transformation of the Year
Qatar Insurance Company (QIC)
“Receiving the Digital Transformation of The Year award at the Middle East Insurance Industry Awards 2022 is an acknowledgement the entire Qatar Insurance Company (QIC) team is proud of. It’s indeed another strong testament to QIC’s significant contribution to reshaping the digital insurance landscape region-wide this year.
With our dedication to innovation and our relentless investments in the digitalisation of our products and services, we have cemented our position as the digital insurer of choice in Qatar and beyond, and we will continue designing and introducing further solutions that will make our customers’ experiences in Qatar and the MENA region easier and better.”
- Qatar Insurance Company
CEO - UAE operations Ilango T
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Strategic partner to the industry
Badri Management Consultancy
“This is a testament to our continuous efforts in the field of advisory and risk management, actuarial services and insurance business strategies. This award is also a recognition for the consistent efforts of our employees and the trust our customers have put in us.
It is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious awards for any actuarial firm in recognition for its service to the industry. We have started many new trends like regular research reports, industry workshops and training with the intention of raising the level of transparency and technical expertise within the industry.
Badri possesses an extensive social media outreach by way of platforms including LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. We intend to apply both the static post along with video presentation for promoting our award. We will also be showcasing the award as part of regular communication with our clients and other stakeholders as a strength of ours.”
- Badri Management Consultancy
managing director Hatim Maskawala
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Broker of the Year
Reinsurance Broker of the Year
Marsh Middle East and Africa
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“The value of winning the awards extends well beyond reputation to instilling pride in our colleagues and for them to be recognised for their hard work. We are a business with a strong industry focus, global reach, delivered locally with possibility as our mantra.
Winning the awards is crucial to Marsh because it reminds us of who we are with possibility as our purpose. The awards are for our colleagues demonstrating that together success is truly possible, whilst solidifying our position as the leading insurance and risk adviser.”
- Marsh Middle East and Africa
CEO Christos Adamantiadis
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Life Reinsurer of the Year
RGA Reinsurance Company Middle East Limited
“RGA is incredibly proud to be named Life Reinsurer of the Year. It is a true honour, and we are grateful to all for recognising RGA’s efforts to work alongside clients in the region to navigate the changing financial and regulatory environment, take a sustainable approach to product development and create innovative insurance solutions that help make financial protection more accessible.
We intend to promote this recognition via social media and other marketing channels throughout the coming year as testament to our ongoing commitment to the region and the continued success of our clients.”
- RGA Reinsurance Company Middle East
managing director Ashraf Al Azzouni
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General Reinsurer of the Year (Joint Winner)
Saudi Re
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“Winning this distinguished and well-judged award for two consecutive years is a testament to Saudi Re’s progress and the dedication of our passionate employees.
Saudi Re is proud to be a home grown Middle Eastern reinsurer with an expanding foothold in the international market.
We thank our valued customers and stakeholders for their trust and those who have played a role in making Saudi Re one of the region’s leading reinsurers.”
- Saudi Re CEO Fahad Al-Hesni
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Woman Leader of the Year
Ms Raghad Hammad, Zu’bi & Partners Legal Consultants
“It is a great honour to be awarded and recognised as the Woman Leader of the Year for the insurance industry across the Middle East. It is great to see how the insurance industry in the Middle East is empowering women by recognising the contributions made by them to the industry.
We consider this an achievement for our firm, Zu’bi & Partners Legal Consultants, this award is a result of the efforts taken by our firm to maintain equal job opportunities for both male and female lawyers.
Being a regional law firm and having our offices across the Middle East, our marketing team intends to promote the victory over social media platforms and other various legal and insurance platforms across the Middle East region.
We will share this achievement with our client database and will write articles documenting our experience.”
- Zu’bi & Partners Legal Consultants
partner and executive director Raghad Hammad
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Young Leader of the Year
Mr Ali Fareed Lutfi, Dubai Health Insurance Corporation, Dubai Health Authority
“Winning this award is a great recognition and reaffirmation of my efforts and role in the insurance industry. It boosts my confidence that I am progressing and developing in my career in the right manner by being recognised by the Middle East Insurance Industry Awards for my continued work and impact on the industry. It also motivates me to continue learning and progressing in the industry so I can hopefully continue providing valuable contributions to the sector throughout my career, in addition to guiding or teaching young new entrants to the field.
I plan to continue marketing the award via both my professional and personal social media accounts. In addition to placing the award in my office along with the winners’ booklet on display for all that visit me in my office to see. I have also shared the news internally within my organisation in hopes of motivating others to continue the hard work to hopefully see them take this award or others in coming years.”
- Dubai Health Authority
head of payer regulation Ali Fareed Lutfi
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Insurance Industry Leader of the Year
Dr Rajai Sweis, Middle East Insurance Company
“No doubt it is an honour for me to be awarded this important trophy and honestly, I believe it also goes for my company and my colleagues who have supported me all these years to achieve our goals.
I strongly believe that a person who has worked in any field for a number of years and was recognised and rewarded by his group must give back to his industry in a way to show his gratitude. Giving back has a variety of forms. This is what I have been doing over the years and encouraging my colleagues to do the same.
It is of great value for the customers to be informed of the status of their insurers, brokers, lawyers, etc whenever the chance arises. This is what makes individuals and companies work harder to satisfy the needs of their markets and clients and above all to satisfy the urge to excel within themselves.”
- Middle East Insurance Company CEO Rajai Sweis
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