Aon and the American Benefits Council have released the Global Benefits Governance and Operations Study 2018/2019. The study queried over 200 multinational companies  ranging in size from over 100,000 to fewer than 10,000 employees, and asked global compensation and benefits leaders for their views on best practices in global benefits management. The survey also explored key issues such as what these organizations can do to improve the alignment of

Wambui Wainaina in May 2019 was appointed Director of Compensation & Benefits at software engineering firm Andela, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Andela hires and trains African software engineers to work in its offices in Lagos, Nigeria; Nairobi, Kenya; and Kampala, Uganda. The 1200 developers work for third-parties that struggle to find technical talents. Wainaina joins Andela from Philip Morris International where she served as Benefits Manager, EEMA. Previously, she

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GBV author Ruchika Pal in May 2019 joined Apollo Tyres as Group Head – Corporate HR, based in Singapore. Headquartered in Gurgaon, India, Apollo has 16,000 employees worldwide and manufactures tires under the Apollo and Vredestein brands. Ruchika is in charge of global rewards, global mobility, HR policy, and other corporate HR functions; she also serves as HR Business Partner for all corporate functions. Previously, she was the Founder

Generali group general manager Frédéric de Courtois in May 2019 was elected vice-president of Insurance Europe (IE), for a three-year mandate. He succeeds Torbjörn Magnusson, group CEO and president of Sampo Insurance Group. Insurance Europe is the federation of national re/insurance associations from 34 E.U. and other European countries. Frédéric de Courtois began his career in the IT sector with CGI Informatique in France, before moving to French insurance

Worldwide Broker Network (WBN) in May 2019 appointed Alan Fergusson as Employee Benefits Director and member of the executive staff, based in the UK. He reports to WBN CEO Francie Starnes and replaces LeAnne Stefl who joins Gallagher as head of global benefits. Alan held his previous position as managing director of Mattioli Woods after selling his company – Kudos Financial Services in 2011. He has previously served on

Independent captive management firm USA Risk Group‘s senior management team in May 2019 completed a management buyout from Spencer Capital Holdings. The buyout includes operations from all jurisdictions USA Risk Group operates in. The senior management team includes Paul Macey as President; Rob Leadbetter, Senior Vice President and Charmain Aggarwal, Vice President. Jeanne Crawford leads the Barbados office; John Tortell, the Malta office; and Steven Lill, the Cayman Islands

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Out of 25 OECD countries for which data are available, the United States, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, England, and Wales experienced a rise in the average of opioid-related deaths (ORD) of more than 20% from 2011-2016. These findings are highlighted in the May 2019 OECD release: Addressing Problematic Opioid Use in OECD Countries, which calls for governments to take urgent action to combat the rise of ORD. In Canada,

The OECD in May 2019 published its Economic Outlook, containing analysis and projections for its 36 member countries and other major economies. A summary of the Economic Outlook and key data is accessible at http://www.oecd.org/economy/economic-outlook/. A special chapter in the Outlook analyses the ongoing digital transformation of the economy and complementary effects on productivity, which is one of the key themes of the 2019 OECD Forum and Ministerial Council

U.S. health insurer and administrator Cigna and pharmacy benefit management organization Express Scripts in May 2019 announced they collaborated with Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant device, to produce two new voice skills. Express Scripts customers who use prescription home delivery services will now be able to manage their pharmacy prescriptions using voice technology. By saying “Alexa, open Express Scripts”, users can monitor their prescription order status and receive notifications

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8th  WPC Forum, Brussels 23 & 24 May 2019: Pension and Insurance in the ‘Age of Geoeconomics’ Nicolas J. Firzli is Director-General of the World Pensions Council (WPC), a Paris, France-based international association of public and private pension institutions, and an Advisory Board Member for the World Bank Group Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF). GBV: Nicolas, you are one of the original coiners of terms such as ‘The New Silk

Nike, in January 2019, promoted Daniela Carstea as Director, EMEA & Asia Benefits, based in Hilversum. Carstea held her previous position as Global Benefits Manager since 2016 and was also a Global Employee Benefits consultant from 2013 to 2015. She left Nike briefly from 2015 to 2016 to be  Benefits Management Europe Lead for Teva Pharmaceuticals. Prior to that she was with Nike EMEA as a Global Employee Benefits

AXA, in April 2019, promoted Yann Illouz to Group Pension and Savings Director. He was previously the Group Pension and Savings deputy director and chief sales officer since joining AXA in 2018. Illouz came to AXA from Arial CNP Assurances, where he was Deputy General Manager from 2014 to 2018, and CNP Europe Life, where he was most recently Head of Retirement Services, as well as CEO from 2009

Vivium, in May 2019, announced that Hans Callebaut has joined the company as Commercial Manager, Employee Benefits, based in Antwerp, Belgium. Callebaut was previously with Mercer Marsh Benefits Belgium where he was Country Leader, and AG insurance, where he was Head of New Business AG Employee Benefits. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Economics from VLEKHO, and a Master’s degree in Germanic Philology from Vrije Unifersiteit Brussel.

The newly established Dajia Insurance Group will absorb Anbang Insurance Group’s life, pension and asset management businesses, according to a May 2019 statement from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. Dajia Baoxian, which translates to “Everyone Insurance,” will engage in businesses ranging from insurance underwriting to consulting and brokering. Some investment-type policies sold by Anbang in excess of quotas assigned by the government (for up to 724 billion

The OECD in April 2019 released its 2019 edition of the OECD Employment Outlook, which presents new evidence on changes in job stability, underemployment and the share of well-paid jobs available. The report also discusses the policy implications of these changes with respect to how technology, globalization, population ageing, and other mega-trends are transforming the labor market in OECD countries. The report also focuses on how labor market regulation

According to the OECD’s latest Employment Outlook 2019, released April 2019 as part of the OECD’s Future of Work initiative, governments need to overhaul their approach to employment and jobs to reduce further social and economic tensions. Without rapid action, many people, particularly the low skilled, will be left behind. Among the findings of the report: A rising number of young people with less than tertiary educations in many

The U.S. Economy The Conference Board released its findings for the U.S. economy on 10 April, 2018. The group indicates that the U.S. economy has slowed a great deal since the middle of 2018, to just over 2 percent in the first half of 2019. Although set to see “solid though not spectacular performance this year”, 2019 data so far point to more challenging business conditions than 2018. While

The 2019 edition of the European Association of Paritarian Institutions‘ (AEIP) annual conference will be held on 6 November 2019 in Brussels, Belgium. The conference venue and agenda will be announced soon. Contact: info@aeip.net  

Zurich Insurance in April 2019 announced that Paolo Marini is now Global Head, Customer and Distribution Management – Corporate Life and Pensions (CLP). Marini was previously Director of Global Customer & Distribution Management and Global Head, Customer Management for CLP. Previous to his tenure at Zurich, Marini was Director of Sales, Marketing, and Communication and a regional manager for Generali Employee Benefits. He holds a political science degree from

The 11th Annual Transatlantic Conference will take place in upstate New York near the state capital Albany, on 19-21 June, 2019. The conference is hosted by the U.S. National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP) and co-organized jointly by the European Association of Paritarian Institutions (AEIP), the Multi-employer Benefit Plan Council of Canada (MEBCO), and the World Pension Alliance (WPA). PensionsEurope will chair the day devoted to pension topics.

April International, a provider of insurance solutions for globally-mobile employees, in April 2019 announced that Amanda Barrett has joined the firm as Business Development Manager. She will be based in Sheffield, UK. Barrett is an experienced international sales consultant with an experience in the financial services industry. She was previously an International Health & Protection Consultant with Towergate Insurance, and has served as an International Sales Consultant, Intermediary Sales

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in April 2019 announced that Christophe Meurier is to assume the role of Global Head of Financial Solutions. He succeeds Paul Davidson, who will continue as chairman of Financial Solutions. The position reports to Adam Garrard, leader of WTW’s global lines of business. Meurier joins WTW after 25 years with BNP Paribas where he held the roles of Head of Insurance Solutions within Corporate and

French broker Diot in April 2019 promoted Anne-Jacques de Dinechin to Chairman of the Executive Board (CEO) and Jean Couturie as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Diot and LSN Assurances are members of Groupe Burrus Courtage (GBC), which also includes captive manager Sogecore and other businesses. Anne-Jacques de Dinechin worked for 18 years in the AXA Group in France and the United States, focusing on business P/C insurance, before

Mercer UK in April 2019 named Sylvia Pozezanac as its CEO. She will replace Fiona Dunsire, who becomes Mercer’s global wealth leader. Pozezanac was previously senior managing director for Prudential Financial’s client management unit, based in New York. Prior to joining Prudential, she enjoyed a 26-year career with Willis Towers Watson in a number of senior leadership roles in retirement and insurance, and where she also oversaw elements of