Alera Group, a U.S. employee benefits, property/casualty, risk management and wealth management firm, in February 2018 announced that they have acquired Spring Consulting Group, located in Boston, Massachusetts. This acquisition expands the national presence of Alera Group to 17 U.S. states. Spring Consulting Group is a multidisciplinary employee benefits and risk management consulting firm that is well known in the employee benefits captive market. Their expertise covers the full

After raising $48 million in 2017 to tap into the growing needs of businesses to handle their global workforces, MOVE Guides in February 2018 announced the acquisition of Polaris Global Mobility, in order to expand its footprint in the market and the services it offers to customers. Polaris works with large enterprises to build software to manage expat programs and payroll. With the acquisition, MOVE Guides will now be

Swiss Re in February 2018 announced it was in preliminary talks with Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, which could end up owning up to one-third of the global reinsurer. The deal is valued at around USD 10 billion. Other $10+ bn investments by SoftBank include Sprint (telecoms), ARM Holdings (microprocessors), Vodafone Japan (telecom), Didi Chuxing, Uber Technologies (both transportation); smaller investments in insurance include Lemonade. As to the rationale behind the

JoAnne Steed in January 2018 has been named senior account executive at Lockton’s South Florida operation, and will be responsible for day to day client strategy and service on health and welfare plans, benefits administration, benefits financing, and structuring employee benefits programs. An experienced employee benefits advisor with more than 15 years of experience guiding clients as an account manager and consultant, Steed has previously worked with Mercer, United

Broker and iPMI third-party administrator Henner Group in January 2018 announced that they have named Nicolas Savy as Executive Vice President of Finance and Data. Savy will coordinate and support the financial transformation of Henner Group. He will also be in charge of deploying a policy and data service and as such will be responsible for the actuarial department. A graduate of the NEOMA Business School, Nicolas began his

Wolters Kluwer Legal and Regulatory U.S. in January 2018 announced the release of a new white paper: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Will Present Retirement, Benefits, Executive Compensation and Payroll Professionals with New Challenges in 2018, which examines the impacts of the tax bill recently signed into law by President Trump. The white paper looks at aspects of the new law, which will affect a wide range of retirement,

It’s a globalized world, and corporations are increasingly multinational, with multiple locations and ever-more-mobile employees. As pension burdens increasingly weigh on public finances, retirement is not only the responsibility of the state, but also of employers. The time has come for a more global HR policy on pensions.

Broker and iPMI third-party administrator Henner Group in January 2018 announced that they have named Laure de Tilly as Executive Vice President of Domestic Operations and Digital. Ms. de Tilly will coordinate and support the transformation of the healthcare, life & disability, as well as insurance operations. She will also be responsible for the digital division and customer experience, whose development is vital for the transformation of operations and

The Worldwide Broker Network (WBN) in January 2018 announced the appointment of Antoinette “Toni” Gambonini as Global Property & Casualty Consultant.  Based in London, Gambonini will work with WBN member companies on six continents in the areas of cross-border training, new business opportunities, and strategic engagement with major insurance carriers. Gambonini had previously held a similar role for Europe within WBN prior to her promotion. Prior to joining WBN

Lockton in January 2018 named Matt DiGregorio as Senior Vice President of its South Florida operation, based in Miramar, Florida. DiGregorio, who is a graduate of Temple University’s Risk Management and Insurance program, will advise clients in private equity, real estate, and other industries on employee benefits programs. In addition, he will be responsible for new business development. DiGregorio has fifteen years of experience in consulting. Most recently, he

CNA Hardy, a commercial insurer operating within the Lloyds market, in January 2018 appointed Stuart Middleton as CEO of its subsidiary in Luxembourg. The company had announced in June of 2017 that it would set up a subsidiary group in Luxembourg ahead of Brexit. Middleton joined CNA Hardy in October 2017 as head of small business, coming from leadership roles such as Chief Underwriting Officer for Europe at Hiscox,

Aviva, the UK’s largest general insurer and a leading life and pensions provider, in January 2018 announced its intention to withdraw from the international private medical insurance (iPMI) market, following a strategic review which found that iPMI “is not central” to the company’s focus on growing its health business in the UK. As of 1 May 2018, existing iPMI customers will be able to continue coverage by accepting a

James Reid in January 2018 was appointed Executive Vice President, Global Employee Benefits at MetLife, reporting to Michel Khalaf, president U.S. business and EMEA. MetLife Global E.B. includes MetLife Worldwide Benefits and MAXIS GBN, a joint-venture with AXA; it provides group life and health, pensions and credit products on a worldwide basis. Reid in 2012 joined MetLife U.S.’s group benefits organization, most recently in Regional and Small Business Solutions.

The conference on pan-European pension plans organized by asset manager Amundi and insurer LaLux on 5 February 2018 in Luxembourg announced its final agenda. Introduction by Claudia Chalmes-Coumont, LaLux Vie, Director Keynote speaker, H.E. Mr Pierre Gramegna, Luxembourg Ministry of Finance 2017 Annual Pension Survey, key findings, by Prof. Amin Rajan, CEO Create Research Panel on the Pan-European Pensions Regulatory framework – where do we stand? Panel moderator: Sophie

AIG in December 2017 became the sole owner of the AIG Global Benefits Network (AIG GBN). By way of background, through one of its units, AIG in mid-2015 had acquired a controlling 50%+1 stake in the former ING network. Two years later, the two minority shareholders of AIG GBN, Malakoff-Médéric of France and NN (formerly ING) of The Netherlands, sold their respective stakes. The move confirms AIG’s commitment to

The Canadian Bar Association and the American Bar Association together with the International Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyers Association (IPEBLA) announce a joint conference, to be held in Boston, USA, June 10-12, 2018. This two-day session will deal in-depth with legal issues concerning pensions and benefits in the context of a changing global environment. It will provide educational and networking possibilities for lawyers from all countries, with attendees encouraged

This event organised by IGP on recent developments concerning employee benefits in Indonesia will be held on 11 April 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Maria Madjid, Head of Employee Benefit Distribution at Manulife Indonesia, will present “Employee Benefits Programs in Indonesia.” Followed by “Introduction to the World of Pooling”, presented by Chua Wan Ching, IGP’s Regional Director for Asia. The event is open to Human Resources professionals, benefits specialists and risk managers

Lockton hosts its annual Global Benefits Forum focusing on “Rethinking Corporate and Employee Wellbeing”. In 2018, the Forum will be held in Chicago, Hong Kong, and London. General and breakout sessions will address how corporate policies and employee benefit programs can best support the financial, physical, mental, and social wellbeing of employees in a global organization. The European edition of the Forum is held over two days on June

Lockton hosts its annual Global Benefits Forum focusing on “Rethinking Corporate and Employee Wellbeing”. In 2018, the Forum will be held in Chicago, Hong Kong, and London. General and breakout sessions will address how corporate policies and employee benefit programs can best support the financial, physical, mental, and social wellbeing of employees in a global organization. The American edition of the Forum is held over two days on May

Lockton hosts its annual Global Benefits Forum focusing on “Rethinking Corporate and Employee Wellbeing”. In 2018, the Forum will be held in Chicago, Hong Kong, and London. General and breakout sessions will address how corporate policies and employee benefit programs can best support the financial, physical, mental, and social wellbeing of employees in a global organization. The Asian edition of the Forum is held over two days on June

IGP’s “Workshop on International Employee Benefits, Multinational Pooling & Captives” provides an opportunity for representatives of global companies to learn more about multinational pooling, captives and employee benefits from an international perspective. The program runs from Monday, June 4 at 14:00 to June 5 at 14:30 and includes dinner and a light lunch. Registration is subject to a contribution of EUR 125 to defray costs (payable by credit card).

IGP’s “Workshop on International Employee Benefits, Multinational Pooling & Captives” provides an opportunity for the European advisor community to learn more about multinational pooling and captives. The workshop is mainly aimed at newcomers to the international benefits field or people needing a refresher course on international pooling & captive matters and the services IGP can offer. The program runs on June 7, 2018 from 10:00 to 16:15 and includes

In the context of the impending Brexit, Tokio Marine Group in September 2017 announced plans to set up an insurance company in Luxembourg for writing European business. For decades, the group has been active in the European Economic Area through several of its subsidiaries, principally Tokio Marine HCC and Tokio Marine Kiln. Tokio Marine is aiming to have the new insurance company incorporated and capitalized within the first half

Every year, from 5 to 20 percent of the people in the United States will become infected with influenza virus. An average of 200,000 of these people will require hospitalization and up to 50,000 will die.