Randstad in March 2019 released the first quarter 2019 edition of its Workmonitor report. Workmonitor’s Mobility Index, which tracks employee confidence and captures the likelihood of an employee changing jobs within the next six months, provides a comprehensive understanding of sentiments and trends in the job market. Besides mobility, the survey addresses employee satisfaction and personal motivation as well as a rotating set of themed questions. The report for

People respond to voice warnings, not to standard fire alarms, and evacuations are speedier when timely information is communicated, according to a study released in March 2019 by Siemens Building Technologies. It has been noted many times, in multiple studies, that building occupants often ignore or are slow to respond to standard fire alarm sounders. There is even a tendency for people to continue with their activities, oblivious to

Lockton in March 2019 named Timothy Gardner as CEO, partnered with Nicholas Durant and Claude Yoder, of its new company, Lockton Global Re. Gardner will be based in New York City, USA. Gardner joins Lockton from Guy Carpenter, where he was CEO for U.S. Operations. Previously, Gardner was with Marsh as Risk Management Global leader and COO for the US and Canada divisions.  He was also Eastern Regional Manager

Lockton in March 2019 named Nicholas Durant as CEO partner, along with Tim Gardner and Claude Yoder, of Lockton Global Re. This new reinsurance unit will incorporate Lockton’s specialty team based in London as well as its current reinsurance units Lockton Re U.S. LLC and Lockton Re U.K. LLP.   Durant will be based in New York. Durant was previously managing director with Guy Carpenter, and president of Marsh Captive

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s and Interim Economic Outlook published in March 2019, global growth is slowing, showing signs of decoupling, with greater concern for Europe than the US, which is experiencing a slight slowdown. The slowdown has been faster than anticipated a few months ago; growth in Europe has been particularly disappointing, as trade growth both within the EU and with external partners

Emerging markets will remain the growth engine for the global economy and the insurance industry over the next decade, according to the latest sigma report from Swiss Re Institute, published in March 2019. The study explores how the seven largest emerging markets will contribute more than 40% of global growth in the next decade, with China accounting for over a quarter of the global output. (The seven largest emerging

Robert Bauer in March 2019 joined insurance broker Marsh to lead its U.S. Sharing Economy & Mobility Practice. He is based in San Francisco and reports to Jeffrey Alpaugh, Growth & Industry leader for Marsh’s U.S. and Canada division. Bauer will focus on developing and delivering products and services to companies operating in the new economy, working with others across Marsh including Marsh’s Digital, Data & Analytics team. Bauer

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in February 2019 released a new paper, titled “Trends in life expectancy in EU and other OECD countries” that reports on trends in life expectancy in the 28 EU countries and some other high-income OECD countries, and examines potential explanations for the slowdown in improvements in recent years. The slowing of improvements, which has been measured since 2011, has been greatest

MetLife in March 2019 announced changes to its Executive Group in connection with its CEO transition. As a reminder, Michel Khalaf, now president, U.S. Business and EMEA, will become MetLife president and CEO on May 1, 2019. U.S. Business, EMEA Ramy Tadros, currently executive vice president and Chief Risk Officer, will become president, U.S. Business, reporting to Khalaf. Tadros joined MetLife from Oliver Wyman, where he was a partner,

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in March 2019 appointed Ricardo Almeida as its new head of distribution, reporting to MAXIS GBN CEO Mauro Dugulin. He succeeds Andy Stocker who in December 2018 became head of employee benefits at MetLife Gulf, based in Dubai. Prior to his new position, Ricardo was regional sales leader for the Americas at MAXIS GBN; VP and Latin America Employee Benefits Head at MetLife

Swiss Life in March 2019 announced that it has increased its net profit by 7% from CHF 1013 million to CHF 1080 million for the year 2018. Adjusted profit from operations increased by 4% to CHF 1553 million with a result in the savings segment of CHF 889 million. The risk segment result was CHF 410 million. Swiss Life achieved an increase of 8% over the previous year in

Allianz in February 2019 announced it had increased the size of its Insurtech venture capital fund Allianz X to €1 billion. Allianz Group’s initial investment in Allianz X was €430 million in 2016. The funds will be used to make more direct investments in digital companies that are strategically relevant for Allianz. To date, Allianz X has made more than 15 direct investments. For example, Allianz X invested $96.6

Max India in February 2019 sold its 51% stake in Max Bupa Health Insurance to private equity firm True North for USD 72 million. Max Bupa Health was co-owned by Max India, itself owned by Max Group. The Max Group is an Indian conglomerate with a presence in life insurance, health and related businesses, as well as in manufacturing. Max Group also owns Max Life Insurance through its Max

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in February 2019 published the 2019 edition its annual “Global benefits financing matrix and poolable coverages” table. An indispensable tool of the trade for global employee benefits practitioners, it is available for download as a PDF. The matrix “provides a complete listing of the eight global benefits networks, and their affiliated insurers across 200 countries and the offshore (third-country national or expat) capabilities for each.”

Swiss Re in February 2019 reported it had realized an overall full-year net income of USD 421 million in 2018. The result includes estimated large claims of USD 3.0 billion, net of retrocession and before tax, which significantly affected both Property & Casualty Reinsurance (P&C Re) and Corporate Solutions’ segment earnings. In addition, an estimated pre-tax USD 599 million impact due to a change in US GAAP accounting guidance

Global broker Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC) in February 2019 announced the appointment of Martine Ferland as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mercer. Ferland reports to MMC President and CEO Dan Glaser and joins the company’s Executive Committee. She joined Mercer in 2011 as Retirement Business Leader for Europe and Pacific regions.  She then served as Europe and Pacific Region President and Co-President, Global Health, before being

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has issued recommendations for the insurance sector in case the United Kingdom (UK) withdraws from the European Union without a withdrawal agreement.

Great podcast with OECD Head of Social Policy, Monika Queisser, on social protection for gig workers. A great overview of the issues at hand.

Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB), Marsh & McLennan Companies’ (MMC) international employee benefits business, in February 2019 appointed Hervé Balzano as Leader of MMB International, based in London. He reports to Flavio Piccolomini, President of Marsh’s International Division, and Martine Ferland, President and CEO-elect of Mercer. Balzano will be responsible for ensuring MMB meets increasing demand for health and employee benefits, especially in global growth markets, as well as enabling firms

A London judge in February 2019 ruled that a European Union agency, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), could not use Brexit to break its lease. The EMA is moving its 900-people headquarters to Amsterdam, The Netherlands as a direct result of Brexit. It has a 25-year lease for 10 floors in a building in London’s Eastern financial district, Canary Wharf, with 21 years to run. The European agency pays

AXA XL in February 2019 announced it would shed over 700 jobs in Europe. AXA XL has 9,500 staff worldwide. AXA’s business insurance division will end 275 positions in the UK, 222 in France, 140 in Germany, 41 in Italy, and 33 more across the rest of Europe. The move is a step in the integration of XL Catlin, AXA Corporate Solutions, and other AXA entities into AXA XL.

Fitbit in February 2019 launched a new fitness tracker, the Inspire, which is available through health and wellness providers only. From a consumer perspective, the Inspire is a fully subsidized (i.e. free) product intended to be distributed in mass quantities and is promoted “as a way to encourage the well-being of health care recipients”. The tracker monitor activity and sleep, calories burned, and prompts wearers with reminders to get

Gatehouse in February 2019 released its 2019 State of the Sector Report. A member of global brokerage Gallagher, London, UK-based Gatehouse is an internal communication agency providing consultancy on internal communications research. With over 820 responses from 40 countries, the report surveys the internal communication and employee engagement landscape. It also provides internal communications strategists with insights into careers, budgets and working practices, as well as insight into what

France in February 2019 published transitional (or emergency) measures related to insurance in case of a no-deal Brexit. As per the new rules, contracts may not be amended if additional premiums are collected renewals, including automatic renewals are not allowed payment of claims will not be considered a breach for at least the first 12 months The new rules apply to contracts covering French risks and entered into before

InsurTech Oscar Health in February 2019 named Sid Sankaran CFO, reporting to CEO Mario Schlosser. He succeeds Brian West. Sankaran joins from American International Group (AIG) where he was CFO and earlier, chief risk officer. Prior to AIG, he worked for consulting firm Oliver Wyman as a partner in the Finance and Risk practice in Toronto, Canada; and Mercer Risk, Finance & Insurance Consulting and MMC Enterprise Risk. He

Generali Global Assistance (GGA) in February 2019 announced the acquisition of U.S. travel insurance specialist TripMate. GGA is Europ Assistance’s main brand name outside of Europe, and Europ Assistance is part of Generali Group. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, TripMate is a specialized provider of travel insurance products. It acts as a managing general agent (MGA), operating as an intermediary between travelers and the U.S. travel insurance market. It

The 8th edition of the World Pensions Forum will be held in Brussels on 23 and 24 May 2019. The forum will focus on pension investments, financial regulation, and risk management in the post-Brexit era. It also will address the evolving fiduciary role of pension executives and trustees – notably corporate governance, green growth, and women’s economic empowerment. Furthermore, UK, US, Canadian and European Union policy makers, financial regulators