A new report from MAXIS Global Benefits Network entitled, “In the changing world of employee benefits, does one size fit all?”, reveals that multinational businesses failing to offer more flexible employee benefits packages will struggle to attract and retain staff in an increasingly competitive market for talent. According to the report, the rise of flexible, tailored and personalized E.B. is due in part to the highly sophisticated options now

Gallagher in June 2019 announced that LeAnne Stefl had been appointed Practice Leader of its Multinational Benefits and Human Resources Consulting practice, part of Gallagher’s Benefits and Human Resources division. She reports to Leslie Lemenager, President, International, Benefits and Human Resources division. Stefl joins Gallagher with more than 30 years of insurance industry experience, including executive and leadership positions with several large global consultancies. Most recently, she founded Solvere

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Aon and the American Benefits Council have released the Global Benefits Governance and Operations Study 2018/2019. The study queried over 200 multinational companies  ranging in size from over 100,000 to fewer than 10,000 employees, and asked global compensation and benefits leaders for their views on best practices in global benefits management. The survey also explored key issues such as what these organizations can do to improve the alignment of

Swiss Re in May 2019 released its latest SONAR report, in which they highlight emerging and “slow-burner” emerging risks and their potential effects on the re/insurance industry. Emerging risks are newly developing or evolving risks that are difficult to quantify, but potentially have a significant impact on the industry and society. Emerging trend spotlights examine early development, which may offer both opportunities and risks for the insurance industry in

Wambui Wainaina in May 2019 was appointed Director of Compensation & Benefits at software engineering firm Andela, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Andela hires and trains African software engineers to work in its offices in Lagos, Nigeria; Nairobi, Kenya; and Kampala, Uganda. The 1200 developers work for third-parties that struggle to find technical talents. Wainaina joins Andela from Philip Morris International where she served as Benefits Manager, EEMA. Previously, she

As experts in your field, we would appreciate two minutes of your valuable time to answer ten questions to help us best serve our industry, and set the future direction of our GBV magazine +website. For our appreciation of completing the survey, we are offering a one-month, free subcription to GBV magazine and all back issues. Please note your coupon code at the end of the survey and click

GBV author Ruchika Pal in May 2019 joined Apollo Tyres as Group Head – Corporate HR, based in Singapore. Headquartered in Gurgaon, India, Apollo has 16,000 employees worldwide and manufactures tires under the Apollo and Vredestein brands. Ruchika is in charge of global rewards, global mobility, HR policy, and other corporate HR functions; she also serves as HR Business Partner for all corporate functions. Previously, she was the Founder

Generali group general manager Frédéric de Courtois in May 2019 was elected vice-president of Insurance Europe (IE), for a three-year mandate. He succeeds Torbjörn Magnusson, group CEO and president of Sampo Insurance Group. Insurance Europe is the federation of national re/insurance associations from 34 E.U. and other European countries. Frédéric de Courtois began his career in the IT sector with CGI Informatique in France, before moving to French insurance

In the May 2019 issue Fulfilling the diversity of employee needs: are cafeteria-style benefits plans the future? – Olivia Dunn R&D: The Legal Profession Has A Mental Health Problem – Neil Graffin, Emma Jones, Mathijs Lucassen, Rajvinder Samra R&D: The Opioid Crisis Is Not About Pain – David Walton R&D: Using Painkillers for Emotional Relief – Kev Dertadian R&D: Feel Like Time Is Flying? How to Slow It Down

Fulfilling the diversity of employee needs: are cafeteria-style benefits plans the future? The Legal Profession Has A Mental Health Problem The Opioid Crisis Is Not About Pain Using Painkillers for Emotional Relief Feel Like Time Is Flying? How to Slow It Down Out of Shape? How to Start Exercising Simple Steps to Keep You Safe from Malaria Parkinson’s: Four Unusual Signs You May Be at Risk

Worldwide Broker Network (WBN) in May 2019 appointed Alan Fergusson as Employee Benefits Director and member of the executive staff, based in the UK. He reports to WBN CEO Francie Starnes and replaces LeAnne Stefl who joins Gallagher as head of global benefits. Alan held his previous position as managing director of Mattioli Woods after selling his company – Kudos Financial Services in 2011. He has previously served on

Independent captive management firm USA Risk Group‘s senior management team in May 2019 completed a management buyout from Spencer Capital Holdings. The buyout includes operations from all jurisdictions USA Risk Group operates in. The senior management team includes Paul Macey as President; Rob Leadbetter, Senior Vice President and Charmain Aggarwal, Vice President. Jeanne Crawford leads the Barbados office; John Tortell, the Malta office; and Steven Lill, the Cayman Islands

As experts in your field, we would appreciate two minutes of your valuable time to answer ten questions to help us best serve our industry, and set the future direction of our GBV magazine +website. For our appreciation of completing the survey, we are offering a one-month, free subcription to GBV magazine and all back issues. Please note your coupon code at the end of the survey and click

Out of 25 OECD countries for which data are available, the United States, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, England, and Wales experienced a rise in the average of opioid-related deaths (ORD) of more than 20% from 2011-2016. These findings are highlighted in the May 2019 OECD release: Addressing Problematic Opioid Use in OECD Countries, which calls for governments to take urgent action to combat the rise of ORD. In Canada,

The OECD in May 2019 published its Economic Outlook, containing analysis and projections for its 36 member countries and other major economies. A summary of the Economic Outlook and key data is accessible at http://www.oecd.org/economy/economic-outlook/. A special chapter in the Outlook analyses the ongoing digital transformation of the economy and complementary effects on productivity, which is one of the key themes of the 2019 OECD Forum and Ministerial Council

U.S. health insurer and administrator Cigna and pharmacy benefit management organization Express Scripts in May 2019 announced they collaborated with Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant device, to produce two new voice skills. Express Scripts customers who use prescription home delivery services will now be able to manage their pharmacy prescriptions using voice technology. By saying “Alexa, open Express Scripts”, users can monitor their prescription order status and receive notifications

As experts in your field, we would appreciate two minutes of your valuable time to answer ten questions to help us best serve our industry, and set the future direction of our GBV magazine +website. For our appreciation of completing the survey, we are offering a one-month, free subcription to GBV magazine and all back issues. Please note your coupon code at the end of the survey and click

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.