Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. So, in order to treat or cure almost any disease or condition – including cancer – you first need to have a fundamental understanding of cell biology.. While researchers have a pretty good understanding of what each component of a cell does, there are still things we don’t know about them – including the role that some RNAs molecules play in a cell. Finding the answer to this may be key in developing further cancer treatments, which is what our research has sought to uncover.

Not to burst anyone’s water bottle, but healthy people can actually die from drinking too much water. I am an exercise physiologist, and my research focuses on overhydration and how drinking too much water affects the body. Since water – and sodium – balance is essential to life, it is extremely rare for people to die from drinking too much – or too little – fluid. In most cases, your body’s finely tuned molecular processes are unconsciously taking care of you.

There are many reasons why mental wellbeing is important. Not only is it protective against physical illnesses and linked to greater productivity, but the mental wellbeing of a population is essential for a country’s sustainability, long-term growth and development. But despite the clear benefits, governments tend to focus public spending on treating and preventing disease, and providing care for those who are ill. While this is important and should continue to be prioritised, such strategies alone won’t increase levels of mental wellbeing overall.

Nowadays, any discussion around healthcare for your employees will inevitably center around Covid. At a time when the pandemic and its challenges are still making headlines as outbreaks, infection rates and vaccines flood every news bulletin, it’s easy to overlook the impact on other areas of healthcare. Many of these involve complex or life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer. Global Benefits Vision recently spoke to Further Group CEO Frank Ahedo about the impact that Covid is having on the treatment of serious medical conditions, and how this changing landscape will affect the way employees have access to treatment.

. ithin the head offices of many organisations, employee benefits (EB) come as a concern to a variety of C-level decision makers. The responsibility of ensuring suitable employee benefits for an organisation’s workforce is linked closely to a manager’s capacity to meet specific targets. However, to meet those targets, companies require the ideal employee benefits scenario – the ‘dream.’ As a result of operational limitations, the ‘dream’ EB scenario

The European Association of Paritarian Institutions (AEIP) in April 2021 announced the 2021 edition of the World Pension Alliance & Transatlantic Conference. The event will be held online on 2 and 3 June 2021. It brings together leading experts in pension and healthcare benefits, as well as trustees and employee benefits plan professionals from around the world to share their knowledge and experience on the most prevalent issues. The

There’s no shortage of weight loss programmes out there to choose from, each of which claim to have the key to shedding pounds. One of the latest popular weight loss programmes out there is Noom, which claims that behavioural psychology is the key to helping people lose weight for good – including those who haven’t had success in the past.

Staying in touch with loved ones without seeing them in person has become even more important during the pandemic. But for some people, making or receiving calls is a stressful experience. Phone anxiety – or telephobia – is the fear and avoidance of phone conversations and it’s common among those with social anxiety disorder.

COVID-19 has hijacked people’s lives, families and work. And, it has hijacked their bodies and minds in ways that they may not even be aware of. As we see it, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is a sort of zombie virus, turning people not into the undead but rather into the unsick. By interfering with our bodies’ normal immune response and blocking pain, the virus keeps the infected on their feet, spreading the virus.

As we pass the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a global pandemic, its impact on the mental health and well-being of children is undeniable. Indeed, news headlines on whether “the kids are alright” have frequently surfaced, bringing to light the immense challenges for kids, and their families, as they cope with ongoing changes during COVID-19, including online schooling and social distancing from friends..

Generali Employee Benefits recently onboarded network partner for the Belgian market, Vivium. Global Benefits Vision interviews Hans Callebaut, Commercial Director at Vivium and Thierry Mestach, Chief Network Officer at GEB, to learn more about the added value this pairing will bring to the Employee Benefits market and more specifically to the multinational corporate customer segment.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in April 2021 published its latest set of Composite Leading Indicators (CLIs). Designed to anticipate turning points in economic activity relative to long-term trends, CLIs continue to strengthen in most major economies. In the US, the CLI increases steadily, thanks to a greater consumer confidence. In Japan, Canada, and the euro-area (especially Germany and Italy), the CLIs point towards a steady

Kornelia Köhler in February 2021 joined Zurich’s multinational pooling network, Zurich Global Employee Benefits Services (ZGEBS) as Costumer Relationship Manager, based in Zurich. She had been working at AIG Global Benefits Network (AIG GBN) for six years, first as an account manager and later as a regional manager. She holds a Master of Applied Economic Sciences from the University of Antwerp, Belgium.

Olga Collins in April 2021 became the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Worldwide Broker Network (WBN), based in San Francisco, California. She succeeds Francie Starnes, who became CEO five years ago and will assume the role of CEO Emeritus through 2021. Collins had been leading WBN member firm Beecher Carlson’s multinational practice for 7 years, as well as WBN’s Young Professionals Academy. Beecher Carlson is the large

U.K. risk and insurance management association Airmic in April 2021 appointed Julia Graham as its new CEO. She takes over from John Ludlow and will work with the association’s chairwoman Tracey Skinner. Previously, Graham served as director of risk management and insurance at global law firm DLA Piper; head of strategic risk, insurance, and compliance for RSA; and was Airmic’s deputy CEO and technical director since 2015. A past

AXA in March 2021 announced a series of senior leadership changes in the context of the implementation of its new strategic plan, Driving Progress 2023, presented in December 2020. According to CEO Thomas Buberl, “[…] a renewed leadership team and a simpler organisation [will] accelerate the execution of our strategic priorities […]”. Simplification of AXA’s Corporate Center AXA’s Corporate Center will be led by two Deputy CEOs: Frédéric de

Zurich Insurance in March 2021 launched a new global risk management business unit called Zurich Resilience Solutions (ZRS). It will be led by Hanno Mijer, reporting to Sierra Signorelli, CEO, commercial insurance at Zurich. Initially focusing on property/casualty (P/C) risks, ZRS includes more than 750 risk engineers to deliver risk prevention and mitigation services, complementing traditional insurance products such as employers’ liability, construction, motor fleet, general liability, and property.

In February 2021, MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) announced the advancement of Paul Lewis to the position of Regional Director for the Americas. He is joined in this new team by Paul Mielkhe as Director, Christinea Chase as Senior Client Relationship Manager, and Diana Daszewski as Senior Account Manager. Lewis joined MAXIS GBN in 2016 and had been leading their US East Region’s Business Development team. Henceforth, he

Gallagher in February 2021 announced that Dieter Gistelinck had joined as Managing Consultant, in the Multinational Benefits & HR Consulting practice in Gallagher’s Benefits and HR Consulting Division. Gistelinck will be based in Brussels, Belgium. In his new role at Gallagher, Gistelinck will be responsible for developing the Gallagher Global Workforce Strategy consulting portfolio in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. This is achieved through understanding clients’

The World Economic Forum (WEF) in January 2021 published the 16th edition of its annual Global Risks Report. Prepared with input from global broker Marsh McLennan, South Korean conglomerate SK Group, and insurance carrier Zurich, the 2021 edition of the report focuses on risks arising from societal fractures, with implications for human health, unemployment, widening digital divides, youth disillusionment, and geopolitical fragmentation. According to the WEF, large cohorts of

As CEO of MAXIS GBN, Mattieu Rouot oversees relationships with more than 500 multinational companies in over 120 countries around the world. Global Benefits Vision: Mattieu, thank you for speaking to us – Can you share a few highlights of your career, perhaps with emphasis on global employee benefits?

International employee benefits network IGP in December 2020 announced the launch of its “Virtual Training Series” to be held in the first half of 2021. The series of six webinars will be repeated in different time zones and will be available in English, German and/or French. January 21, 2021: Trends & Development of the International Employee Benefits Market February 18, 2021: Introduction to IGP Pooling March 18, 2021: Introduction

International employee benefits network MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in January 2021 announced it had selected ICAS World, a London, UK-based employee assistance programme (EAP) platform, as a global provider of counselling support and assistance. As part of the MAXIS Global Wellness solution, multinational clients will be able to choose to work with ICAS World, giving their employees access to counselling and work-life services including legal and financial

Allianz Global Benefits (AGB), the employee benefits network of Allianz Group, in December 2020 announced the appointment of Frank Forster as Managing Director and Chief Transformation Officer. According to the company, “Forster’s responsibility will include introducing new digital offerings to meet the growing demand of multinational corporate clients while implementing AGB’s holistic business model, organized as an employee benefits platform, to simplify and digitize the business.” In a statement,

The role of compensation and benefits manager in charge of a company’s pension plan has always required multiple skills. Not only must you know about the pension scheme itself, you also must be an honorary actuary and an expert in finance, accountancy, and tax.

Generali Employee Benefits (GEB) and San-Francisco, California-based Sensely in December 2020 announced a strategic partnership to advance patient interactions through Artificial Intelligence and provide access to Virtual Health Assistants (digitized interactive ‘human-like’ characters or avatars) that respond to voice and onscreen commands through a multi-functional, cloud-based platform. This strategic partnership brings together GEB’s leading network capabilities in the corporate sector and local market knowledge in over 118 countries with

U.S.-based Insured Nomads in October 2020 appointed Allen Koski as President and Chief Innovation Officer, to provide the insights necessary for the company to grow into new markets and unique client segments.. Insured Nomads is an insurtech focused on the healthcare needs of expatriates, remote workers and business travelers.