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

Opioid-related deaths have been rising over recent years in North America and globally. New data released by the Public Health Agency of Canada reveals that more than 10,300 Canadians died as a result of an apparent opioid-related overdose between January 2016 and September 2018.

Set in a fictional firm in New York, the TV series Suits glamorises the life of lawyers working in a modern corporate firm. One of the main characters, Harvey Specter, dresses impeccably in an expensive designer suit and expects others around him to do the same. The lawyers in the firm are hugely ambitious, work late into the night (we rarely see them away from the office) and demand excellence in everything they do. For these professionals, work is life. This is, we are led to believe, what a lawyer’s life could be like.

A cultural shift in the workplace towards satisfying individual employee needs means attracting and retaining talented staff now requires a deeper understanding of the personal resources employees need to flourish. Conceptualizing benefits as resources may help explain how many leading organizations are enjoying enhanced employee wellbeing, engagement and increased productivity through transitioning to cafeteria-style benefits plans.

Do you move around a lot during your sleep? Or have you lost your sense of smell? New insights into Parkinson’s disease suggest that these might be the early signs of changes in the brain that mean you are at greater risk of developing Parkinson’s.

Every death from malaria is a tragedy. But many infections can be prevented. This is particularly true for holidaymakers, travellers, or people visiting their families in malaria endemic areas. All they need to do is follow some very simple rules. Malaria is a complicated disease – I should know, after studying it for more than 30 years – but the solutions to avoiding and treating it can be as simple as “ABCD”. If the basics of prevention are followed, a great deal of unnecessary illness and mortality can be avoided.

Perhaps your GP has recommended you exercise more, or you’ve had a recent health scare. Maybe your family’s been nagging you to get off the couch or you’ve decided yourself that it’s time to lose some weight.How do you find the motivation, time and resources to get fit, particularly if you haven’t exercised in a while? How do you choose the best type of exercise? And do you need a health check before you start?

Sometimes it seems as if life is passing us by. When we are children, time ambles by, with endless car journeys and summer holidays which seem to last forever. But as adults, time seems to speed up at a frightening rate, with Christmas and birthdays arriving more quickly every year.

Australians are increasingly using prescription or over-the-counter painkillers to ease emotional, rather than physical, pain. Our cultural understanding of pain is changing, and as a result it’s becoming more difficult to distinguish intoxication from relief.

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 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 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