Next Insurance, a Palo Alto, California-based digital insurance company that focuses on small businesses, in August 2018 became a licensed insurance carrier, shedding its brokerage business model. As a carrier, Next Insurance is able to write policies independently, resulting in better control over underwriting, pricing, and policy wording. The company now works directly with U.S. state insurance regulators to introduce innovations in the small business insurance market, including on-demand

Marsh & McLennan (MMC) in September 2018 announced the acquisition of Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) for $5.6 billion. Based in London, JLT is the eighth-largest insurance broker and employee benefits provider in the world as per 2016 revenues (1.55 billion). JLT was created in 1997 when Jardine Insurance Brokers merged with Lloyd Thompson Group. The firm operates in 40 countries with particular strength in the UK and Australia. MMC

The 10th edition of AEIP’s Annual Conference will focus on the adequacy and sustainability of social protection in the years ahead. The conference program includes keynote speeches by Ms. Ruth Paserman from the European Commission; Ms. Ulrika Hall from the Social Protection Committee of the EU; and Ms. Flavia Micilotta, from the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance. Panel discussions will address the issues of access to social protection

Livio Mocenigo in September 2018 was appointed by Zurich as the Global Head of Corporate Life & Pensions (CLP), reporting to James Shea, CEO Commercial Insurance. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, Livio replaces Hanno Mijer who becomes the new CEO of Zurich subsidiary Cover-More. Livio previously headed the Global Customer and Distribution Management for CLP where he established strategic partnerships with major employee benefit consultants, and strengthened the relationship with

Two US researchers recently sparked controversy with their work on the role of “luck” in cancer. Their latest article was published in the March issue of the prestigious journal Science. The researchers, Christian Tomasetti and Bert Vogelstein of John Hopkins University in Baltimore, showed that the disease is less dependent on hereditary (a genetic predisposition) and environmental risks (such as smoking, or asbestos exposure) than on random mutations (such as DNA replication errors) arising spontaneously in cells as they divide and reproduce over the course of our lifetimes.

Health coaching is one of the most powerful ways of changing people’s mindsets for the long term. Practitioners are rapidly taking their place alongside executive coaches, life coaches and personal trainers as another means of making us better people through one-to-one improvement sessions.

We live in a digitized era. Our professional and personal lives go by the dictum that data should drive our actions and reactions. In the course of doing business, companies receive and handle a significant volume of data, and in many instances, this data will include critical—and sensitive—personal data about individuals, be they customers or even employees. Data is increasingly seen as essential to be competitive and is, in its own way, a currency. However, being a data handler also comes with responsibilities and significant risk. In the Philippines, an archipelago composed of 7,107 islands and a population of over 100 million, legislators realized that legislation needed to catch up with this new digital reality.

The UK Group Risk market – even more employees and premiums but, continuing a theme, still too few employer customers purchasing group risk benefits

In today’s landscape, employee benefits need to become the hot topic of conversation. There are many factors driving this since the demographics surrounding today’s workforce are constantly changing. With evolving employee demands and expectations, and new ways of working (think gig economy), employers need to play the employee benefits card to entice potential and current talent to stay put.

Global Benefits Vision: Reto, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Has elipsLife adopted InsurTech? What is your strategy going forward and what are your achievements regarding InsurTech? Reto Toscan: InsurTech is a hot buzzword that gets thrown around a lot, but at elipsLife we’ve embraced it by building one of the most digital and integrated platforms in the business.

Global Benefits Vision: Hello Enrique. Tell us about the highlights of your career, but first, how did you come to enter the insurance field? Enrique Avecedo: Right after I graduated from university with my business degree, I started working in administration at my father’s insurance brokerage firm. I learned operations in a hands-on manner: record-keeping, taking policies to clients, collecting premiums—I’ve done everything.

The current epidemic in the US is thought to have begun with the over-prescription of opioids for pain relief: in 1991, 76m opioid prescriptions were dispensed by US retail pharmacies. By 2011, this figure was 219m. The overall rate of death from drug overdose more than trebled in the US between 1999 and 2016.

Updated blood pressure guidelines from the American Heart Association mean that many more Americans, notably older people, are now diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension. This may sound like bad news, but the new guidelines highlight some important lessons we cardiologists and heart health researchers have learned from the latest blood pressure studies. Specifically, we have learned that damage from high blood pressure starts at much lower blood pressures than previously thought and that it is more important than ever to start paying attention to your blood pressure before it starts causing problems.

Global Benefits Vision is celebrating its third year of publication, an auspicious milestone for a magazine that appeals to such a specialised audience. Owned and operated by global employee benefits industry executives, Global Benefits Vision’s mission is to contribute to the development of the market and to the development of global employee benefits and global mobility professionals, whilst keeping a neutral position among providers.

Hanno Mijer in September 2018 became CEO of Zurich’s travel insurance provider Cover-More, succeeding Mike Emmett. He will relocate from the city of Zurich, Switzerland to Sydney, Australia. He reports to Jack Howell, CEO Asia-Pacific, and to Group Chief Strategy, Innovation and Business Development Officer Giovanni Giuliani. Before his appointment at Cover-More, Mijer was Zurich’s Global Head of Corporate Life and Pensions, a major driver of the growth of

Insurer – Country of Destination – Date Announced – Source MS Amlin – Brussels – 28 June 2017 – Press release Lloyd’s of London – Brussels – QBE – Brussels – CNA Hardy – Luxembourg – RSA – Luxembourg – AIG – Luxembourg – FM Global – Luxembourg – Hiscox – Luxembourg – Liberty Mutual, Special Markets – Luxembourg – Admiral – Dublin – Beazley – Dublin – Chesnara –

U.S. reinsurer TransRe in September 2018 announced plans to redomicile its continental European legal entity TransRe Zurich to Luxembourg and change its name. The continental European offices in Munich, Paris and Zurich, as well as Dubai, will become branch offices of Luxembourg. Commenting on the move, Paul Bonny, President TransRe Europe and Asia Pacific, said: “we are now simplifying our corporate structure [for] our European, Middle Eastern and North

Gallagher in September 2018 acquired Wheatman Insurance Services from Woodland Hills, California, a retail property/casualty broker that also offers employee benefits consulting services. Since January 1, 2018, Gallagher has closed 26 acquisitions for an total amount of approximately $240 million.

Jacqueline Carter and Rasmus Hougaard, authors of new book, “The Mind of the Leader”, published by Harvard Business Press in March 2018, will be on hand and present their key messages at the launch event supported by Generali Employee Benefits – GEB. According to the authors’ research, organizations and leaders are not meeting employees’ basic human needs of finding meaning, purpose, connection, and genuine happiness in their work. Furthermore,

Gallagher in September 2018 acquired Australian brokers Super-Advice Corporate Services and Personal Advice Services, based in Perth, Western Australia and Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Super-Advice is an employee benefit consultants and corporate advisory group, expanding Gallagher’s superannuation (employer-funded occupational pension programs) and employee benefit consulting service capabilities across Australia. Robert O’Shea, Dean Lawson and their associates will continue to work from their current locations in Perth and Sydney

Generali Global Assistance (GGA) in September 2018 appointed Philippe Gervais as President of GGA’s Travel Insurance company. Gervais, located at the Travel Insurance headquarters in San Diego, California, reports to Chris Carnicelli, CEO of GGA North America, who oversees the travel insurance and assistance, identity theft protection, and medical risk management business lines. Prior to joining GGA, he was CEO of Europ Assistance Belgium. Generali operates its assistance businesses

U.S. insurance carrier Travelers in August 2018 acquired a reported 60% stake in Canadian insurtech broker Zensurance. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Zensurance offers online commercial lines broker services and will continue to work independently. Founded in 2016, Zensurance creates segmented insurance packages for each industry. It says it has more than 2,500 clients in Canada and works with over 40 insurers. Zensurance CEO Danish Yusuf and CTO Sultan Mehrabi keep

Global broking network Brokerslink in August 2018 announced it was considering a private share placement for third-party investors. The purpose of the expected capital increase is to support growth. Operating from Portugal and incorporated in Zug, Switzerland, Brokerslink features cross-shareholdings between the network and its partners, to create “a unity of purpose and vision”. Since an October 2016 private stock offering, Brokerslink has 55 independent shareholders in 40 countries;

U.S. insurance carrier Allstate in August 2018 acquired identity theft services company InfoArmor for $525 million. Allstate’s stated intent is to grow its employee benefits business. According to Tom Wilson, Chairman, President and CEO of Allstate, in 2017 “there were over 16 million victims of identity fraud [in the U.S.], which resulted in over $16 billion of losses.” InfoArmor is a private company with headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its

Allianz Partners in August 2018 announced the establishment of three new innovation centers focusing on travel, health and assistance. The automotive innovation center was launched in 2014. Allianz Partners is Allianz’s B2B2C provider of assistance, international health & life, automotive, and travel insurance products. They combine insurance, service and technology. They are distributed through partners or via direct and digital channels under four commercial brands: Allianz Assistance, Allianz Care,

T&D Holdings, a Japanese listed life insurance holding company, and Swiss digital health platform company dacadoo in July 2018 announced that they will cooperate in the development of digital life insurance products for Japan. Dacadoo develops and operates a digital Health Engagement Platform to motivate users to achieve and maintain healthy lifestyle habits. Additionally, dacadoo offers a risk engine for underwriting. T&D Holdings owns three life insurers: Taiyo Life

Global brokerage Gallagher in August 2018 acquired Leystone Insurance & Financial, based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Leystone offers employee benefits and retirement consulting services, focusing on the province of Ontario. David McCulloch, Darryl Phippen and their team will continue to work from their current location. They now report to Leslie Lemenager, head of Gallagher’s international employee benefits consulting and brokerage operations. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.