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,

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 and a member of Met’s executive committee. In an exclusive interview, James discusses his plans with Global Benefits Vision. GBV: Should we start with the highlights of your career, focusing on employee benefits and international, that is global employee benefits including global mobility? James Reid:

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.

Mid-2018 will see German insurer Allianz sell part of its Taiwan business’s traditional life insurance portfolio to China Life Insurance in a move by Allianz to actively manage its Taiwan life portfolio for more capital-efficient solutions. The deal includes a portfolio of around 78,000 policies with a guaranteed interest rate of 4 percent or higher, with combined policy reserves of 1.2 billion euros (on a IFRS basis, $1.42 billion

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

‘Why is it so unpopular,’ the editorial asks, ‘to work longer even among people with longer life expectancy and in good health? Is the proposition of retirement and leisure so much more attractive than work, even if working longer is rewarded with higher pensions? Does it perhaps make no economic sense to work longer? Or are people being pushed out of work by their employers who do not see

The seventh annual World Pensions & Investments Forum will be held on 22 and 23 March 2018 in Paris, France. The conference focuses on “Remaking Long-Term Investment and Board Governance”; the provisional agenda can be downloaded here. The conference is organized by the World Pensions Council, the international association of pension and social security funds. It is open to representatives of pension funds, sovereign funds, government agencies, and insurance

Aetna in November 2017 sold its group life and disability insurance and absence management business to The Hartford for $1.45bn. Life and disability was the only non-health insurance related part of the business remaining after Aetna cut its property casualty insurance business in the mid-1990s. It only brought in about $2bn in premiums in 2016, while Aetna recorded $63.1bn in total revenue, and healthcare premium revenues reached $54.1bn. The

Sompo International Holdings, a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and wholly-owned subsidiary of Sompo Holdings of Tokyo, Japan, has launched a new strategic partnership in Africa: Sompo International will form alliances with both Sanlam Limited and SAHAM Finances through a partnership agreement executed by Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance. This partnership will give access to new markets by allowing Sompo to leverage the experience and

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between 291,000 and 646,000 people worldwide will die from seasonal influenza-related respiratory illnesses each year, higher than a previous estimate of 250,000 to 500,000. These findings are based on a multinational survey from a collaborative study by CDC and global health partners. The study appeared in a December 2017 issue of The Lancet. The new estimates, which exclude deaths

SunCorp Group, one of Australia’s largest financial services institutions, announced in October 2017 that they have named Gary Charles Dransfield as Chief Executive Officer, Insurance. Mr. Dransfield has been with Suncorp since August 2009, first as Executive General Manager for Personal Insurance Retail Distribution, and then as Chief Executive Officer Vero New Zealand in April 2011, Chief Executive Officer Personal Insurance in October 2015. He most recently filled the

Global Bankers Insurance Group, an international family of insurance and reinsurance companies, will acquire Lincoln Benefit Life Company, a Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.-based provider of life insurance and annuity solutions. The transaction that will conclude in the first quarter of 2018. Subject to appropriate regulatory approvals by the Nebraska Dept. of Insurance, the sale was prompted by the decision of Lincoln’s Resolution Group, which planned consolidation of Lincoln’s insurance activities

Lloyds Banking Group, the parent of Scottish Widows, in October 2017 announced a deal wherein it will buy Zurich UK’s workplace pensions and savings business in Q1 of 2018. The combined deal would place Scottish Widows as the UK’s third largest workplace savings provider. Zurich will get exclusive distribution rights for group life protection to certain corporate clients of Lloyds’ commercial banking business, while broadening Scottish Widows’ offering in

The Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) has released a report that provides ‘a series of policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the contribution of the cyber insurance market to managing increasingly prevalent risk’. The report, based on questionnaire responses culled from insurers, reinsurers, and brokers active in the global market, as well as the ministries of finance and insurance regulators responsible for overseeing that market, identifies the growing cyber risk

Thomsons, the company behind the online benefits platform Darwin and a member of Mercer, in December 2017 released its Global Employee Benefits Watch Report 2017/8 entitled “The next wave of globalization and digitization.” The report focuses on the pace and scale of change in the global benefits market and especially the importance of the adoption of a technology infrastructure which is “three times more likely to see a reduction

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in October 2017 announced that it has appointed Neil B. J. Irwin as the new leader of the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEEMEA) region, reporting to Adam Garrard, WTW’s head of International. Irwin will also act as head of Corporate Risk and Broking for CEEMEA. The CEEMEA is a diverse and high-growth region with around 2,300 WTW employees in more than

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

Pensions at a Glance 2017, a new report issued in December 2017 by the OECD, warns that further reforms are needed across OECD countries to mitigate the impact of population aging, increasing inequality among the elderly and changing the nature of work. The OECD also says that public spending on pensions for the OECD as a whole has risen by about 1.5% of GDP since 2000; however, the pace

As the growth of pan-European pension plans is reported to accelerate, asset manager Amundi and insurer LaLux jointly organize a topical half-day conference on 5 February 2018 in Luxembourg. Featured speakers include: Luxembourg Minister of Finance, Pierre Gramegna European Commission head of the insurance and pensions unit, Nathalie Berger PensionsEurope CEO, Matti Leppala EIOPA Executive Director, Fausto Parente Create Research CEO, Prof. Amin Rajan Group head of compensation &