According to a June 2022 press release from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in the first quarter of 2022, gross domestic product (GDP) in the G20 area rose by 0.7% quarter-on-quarter according to provisional estimates, down from the 1.3% increase recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021. The slowdown in the G20 area in Q1 2022 reflects weaker performance in the United States, where GDP contracted by 0.4% quarter-on-quarter

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in May 2022 announced a new partnership with MindCo Health, a digital health company which specializes in virtual reality (VR) programs focused on mental health and smoking cessation. Based in San Jose, California, MindCo joins several other suppliers which make up MAXIS’ wellness technology marketplace. MAXIS GBN will offer multinationals and their employees MindCo’s MindCotine service, a VR-based smoking cessation programme. MindCotine helps

Ludovic Bayard in May 2022 was promoted to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Generali Employee Benefits (GEB). The position reports to Marco Sesana, Country Manager & CEO of Generali Italia and Global Business Lines, and is based in Luxembourg. Ludovic previously was GEB’s General Manager. He is well known in the global employee benefits market where he is recognized as a trusted point of reference in a sector where

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in April 2022 announced the appointment of Federico Morosi as Chief Technical & Financial Officer, effective on May 2, 2022. Based in Paris, Federico oversees MAXIS GBN’s Finance, Legal, Portfolio Management and Reinsurance & Reporting teams. A member of MAXIS GBN’s Executive Committee, he reports to CEO Mattieu Rouot. Jérôme Picon, Head of Finance & Operations, will be taking on new responsibilities within

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in April 2022 published its February 2022 unemployment figures: unemployment rate in the OECD area dropped below the pre-pandemic rate to 5.2%, down from 5.3% in January. This is the lowest level since the start of this data series in 2001. The number of unemployed workers in the OECD area also continued to fall, reaching 34.9 million, 0.7 million below its

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in April 2022 published its February 2022 inflation statistics, confirming their acceleration. Year-on-year inflation in the OECD area rose to 7.7% in February 2022, compared with 7.2% in January 2022, and 1.7% in February 2021. This increase reflected in part another sharp rise in inflation in Turkey, increasing from 48.7% in January to 54.4% in February. Excluding Turkey, inflation in the

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in April 2022 published its latest Composite Leading Indicators (CLI), based on data available up to March 2022. CLIs are designed to anticipate turning points in economic activity relative to long-term trends. The newest numbers point to growth losing momentum in Europe, but a stable growth in other major OECD economies. In Europe (U.K. and the Euro area) the lower growth

French iPMI broker-TPA MSH International in March 2022 announced the appointment of Frédéric Grand as its new CEO. Grand succeeds Frédéric Van Roekeghem who becomes Group EVP in charge of corporate function of MSH International’s mother company Diot-Siaci. MSH International is dedicated to international health and life insurance solutions. It is one the three leading French iPMI broker-TPAs, with Henner and April. Grand started his career at French mutual

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in March 2022 published its January 2022 inflation statistics and confirmed the record-breaking figures of December 2021. Inflation in the OECD area rose to 7.2% in the 12 months to January 2022, compared with 6.6% in December 2021, and just 1.6% in January 2021. Similar to last month, this increase was driven in part by yet another surge in Turkey (to

Immigration experts Fragomen will host an online event about the Russia-Ukraine Crisis, Resources and Crisis Management Pointers for Employers. The webinar is intended to provide further insight into the immigration ramifications of the situation: Updates regarding the evolving crisis in Ukraine as related to immigration How [Fragomen] can help employers and employees navigate the current challenges Reducing vulnerabilities by assessing immigration risks and mitigating their impact through planning and

Global broker and consulting firm Aon in January 2022 appointed Sven Roelandt as Global Leader Captive EB Services. He now heads Aon’s new global team supporting captives for employee benefits (E.B.) risks. Sven previously was Aon’s global expert for EB financing strategies and carrier relations and continues to be based in Antwerp, Belgium. He came to Aon from Further Financial Services in Madrid, Spain, where he served as Director

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in February 2022 published its December 2021 inflation statistics, showing the highest rate since July 1991, more than 30 years ago. In fact, inflation in the OECD area rose to 6.6% in the 12 months to December 2021, compared with 5.9% in November, and just 1.2% in December 2020. This increase was driven in part by a surge in annual inflation

  Worldwide Broker Network (WBN) in February 2022 announced the appointment of Enrique Acevedo, CEO of Colombian insurance broker Correcol to its Board of Directors. Enrique Acevedo has over 25 years of intermediary experience as head of the Correcol insurance brokerage. For the last 16 years, Correcol has been the largest independent broker in the Colombian insurance market, employing over 250 staff within its headquarters in Bogota, and regional

Global broker Gallagher and employee benefits management software provider Cobee in February 2022 announced a new partnership agreement. Founded in 2019, Cobee operates in Spain for companies such as Ogilvy, Group M, Booking, Avis, TripAdvisor or Glovo. In January 2021, it expanded its services to Portugal. Under the agreement, Cobee will offer bespoke brokerage and administration solutions in Iberia to Gallagher’s Multinational Benefits & HR Consulting (MBHRC) practice clients,

Global employee benefits network IGP in February 2022 announced the launch of a Center of Expertise (CoE) for Reinsurance to Captive and Global Underwriting Programs. The new CoE represents a departure from IGP’s long-standing focus on pooling. Alongside the more traditional multinational pooling programs, IGP has expanded its offer to Global Underwriting and Reinsurance to Captive programs and now introduces a re-designed operational workflow that facilitates their implementation either

WTW France in January 2022 announced the appointment of Mélanie Birgé as Head of Health & Benefits for France. A member of the executive committee, she is responsible for defining the commercial strategy and managing the business line dedicated to social protection and employee benefits for all WTW clients in France. Mélanie succeeds Liliane Spiridon who leaves WTW for Aon France. Mélanie Birgé began her career in Burkina Faso as

Zurich Insurance in January 2022 announced the sale of an Italian life and pension portfolio to Portuguese carrier GamaLife – Companhia de Seguros de Vida. The stated purpose is to reduce Zurich’s solvency requirements and free up capital. The amount of the transaction has not been disclosed, but the press release states that the Solvency Capital Requirement under Swiss solvency rules will “decrease by approximately $1.2 billion.” and that

Global actuarial and consulting firm Milliman in January 2022 announced the appointment of Dermot Corry as its new chief executive officer, effective 1 January 2022. Corry, who is the first professional from outside the United States to be elected Milliman’s CEO, succeeds Stephen White, who is retiring. Corry currently is a Principal of Milliman’s Dublin, Ireland office and has served as the firm’s global life and financial services practice

A member of the “YES” project, German insurance carrier SOKA-Bau on 18 January 2022 organizes an online workshop about the “Challenges of Posting in the Construction Industry”. SOKA-Bau is the umbrella brand of two paritarian institutions serving the construction industry: the Vacation and Wage Compensation Fund of the Construction Industry (Urlaubs- und Lohnausgleichskasse der Bauwirtschaft, ULAK) and the Supplementary Pension Fund of the Construction Industry (Zusatzversorgungskasse des Baugewerbes, ZVK).

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in January 2022 published its November 2021 inflation figures, showing the highest rate in 25 years. In fact, inflation in the OECD area surged to 5.8% in the 12 months to November 2021, compared with 5.2% in October, and just 1.2% in November 2020, reaching the highest rate since May 1996. The rise was particularly marked in the United States, where

Willis Towers Watson in January 2022 announced it had changed its brand name to WTW. In France, WTW will drop the well-known Gras Savoye brand name in favor of WTW. Willis had acquired Gras-Savoye in 2015. Furthermore, WTW’s ticker symbol on the NASDAQ stock market will change to “WTW” instead of “WLTW”. These changes occur in the wake of WTW’s failed acquisition by Aon “as [the company now moves]