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

Deloitte in April 2019 released its Global Human Capital Trends report for 2019. The theme of the report is “Leading the social enterprise—Reinvent with a human focus” and the report examines the challenges organizations face to reinvent the ways in which they engage with their stakeholders. The report cites “intensifying economic, social, and political issues,” as the driving factor in this need for change and states: “After nearly 10

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in April 2019 announced that Carrie Burns has been named Director, Health and Benefits, and based in Washington D.C. Burns was previously Client Relationship Director at WTW, and based in the Richmond, Virginia, area, as well as a Senior Vice President and Director of Human Operations, Human Capital Practice, in Glen Allen, Virginia. She joined WTW in 2002 as a marketing manager. Previous to joining

Johnson Controls, Munich division, in April 2019 announced the promotion of Markus Enzner to Executive Director, Total Rewards, from Senior Director. Enzner has been with Johnson Controls since March 2013 when he joined the company as Senior Manager Compensation & Benefits EMEA. Previously, he was Senior Expert in the Center of Excellence (CoE) for Compensation and Benefits at Deutsche Post, and Senior Manager HR Compensation and Benefits for McDonald’s.

Swiss insurer Baloise in April 2019 said it is acquiring the Belgian insurer Fidea for 480 million euros ($543 million) from China’s state-controlled Anbang Insurance Group to boost its position in the Belgian non-life and life insurance market. The acquisition of Antwerp-based Fidea means that Baloise will employ around 1,600 employees in Belgium. Baloise said the deal will increase its share of the non-life business in Belgium by 1.7

BHP announced the appointment of Mhar Anthony Trabado as Global Mobility Specialist for North and Central America. Trabado comes to BHP from a position as Senior Global Assignment Consultant for SIRVA Worldwide Relocation & Moving, and Regional Mobility Consultant for Crown World Mobility, based in Singapore. He was also an International Assignment Consultant for Cartus, and Global Mobility Consultant, Asia Pacific, CIS, Middle East, for Amec Foster Wheeler. He

Giesecke+Devrient in April 2019 announced the promotion of Tina Lilios to Head, Competence Center Human Resources, and Senior HR Business Partner C-IT. She will be based in Munich, Germany. She was previously a senior HR business partner with the company. Lilios came to Geisecke+Devrient from Sandoz, Holzkirchen, Germany, where she served as HR Business Partner Global Support Functions, and head of HR Tech Ops Finance and Transformation, as well

The agenda of the 8th World Pensions Forum, held at The Brussels Grand–Place, 23-24 May 2019, and organized in association with the European Association of Paritarian Institutions (AEIP) now is finalized. The forum will focus on pension and retirement governance, pension law and regulation, long-term investment and risk management in the “Post-Brexit Era”. Plenary panels include: a discussion of the latest advances in the field of ESG and Impact

Luxembourg-based captive manager Sogecore in April 2019 acquired Abacus Risk Management Services in Malta. Abacus manages and operates captives and insurance carriers on behalf of their owners; it also offers Protected Cell Company (PCC) services. What is a PCC? A PCC is essentially a slice of a single insurance or reinsurance carrier that operates separately from other such slices in the same carrier. The carrier’s license and support functions

UK rewards and benefits consulting firm Benefex in April 2019 announced the appointment of Stephen Hackett to the position of Head of Corporate Benefits, based in Southampton, UK. Hackett joins Benefex after a previous position as Director, Employer Services, for Broadstone Corporate Benefits in London. He was also Head of Health & Risk proposition for Aon Employee Benefits in London. He has held other leadership positions at Capita Employee

Safran Seats, a French suppliers of aircraft seats for passengers, crews and helicopters, in April 2019 announced that Emma Voisin has joined the company as Director of Compensation and Benefits. Voisin was previously with Orano, most recently as Global C&B and International Mobility Manager. She also served in Global Compensation & Benefits, C&B International Mobility advisor, and Expatriate/Impatriate Coordinator. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Science, Communication, HR,

The UK government in April 2019 published practical guidance on social security contributions for UK and EU internationally-mobile workers in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal. This guidance also includes actions UK employers would need to take for outbound employees to the EU. This follows draft legislation published in December 2018 by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) regarding the UK’s proposals to

Alcon in April 2019 announced it had added Sahil Batra to its staff as Senior Asia Benefits Manager, based in Singapore. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Alcon is a global eye care provider. It was founded in Fort Worth, Texas; Fort Worth still is “a major operational, commercial, and innovation hub”. According to the company’s website, Alcon is “the largest eye care device company in the world” and has “complementary

According to information prepared by Deloitte UK in April 2019, the UK government has published practical guidance on the social security contributions position for UK and EU internationally mobile workers if the UK leaves the EU without a deal and actions UK employers would then need to take for UK outbound assignees to the EU. This follows on from draft legislation published by the Department of Work and Pensions

Mercer in April 2019 announced the promotion of Alana Rae to Senior Associate, based in Edinburgh. Her areas of expertise include providing consulting advice and managing broking activity on international risk and medical plans. Rae began her career at Mercer as an international benefits analyst based in London and moved up to assistant lead for Mercer’s Centre of Excellence for Mobility Benefits (EuroPac) in London. She relocated to Edinburgh

The flag carrier airline of the Netherlands, KLM, in April 2019 announced the promotion of Albert Smidt to Senior Consultant, Pensions & Insurable Benefits, effective in May. He was previously a consultant in the same division. Prior to joining KLM, Smidt was Consultant Consensys for Fortis Bank (Nederland) where he served in an advisory role working with corporate clients on their employee benefits. Previous to that, he was Senior