In April we hosted our second annual underwriting summit where underwriters from our client companies joined us for a day of continuing education and relationship-building. Topics included Alzheimer’s disease, family history, underwriting trends around the world, and an introduction to pricing with examples of how the underwriting, pricing, claims, and medical teams work together to price and design profitable products.
In May, 15 highly motivated, international underwriters gathered in Cologne for the advanced level course “Medical Expertise in Underwriting”. The programme has been designed to highlight the importance of medical, digital and regulatory trends in underwriting as well as the future impact of climate change.
Great discussions arose around complex conditions in oncology, neurology and cardiology and application of knowledge in real-life insurance applications. Our participants especially enjoyed the excursion to the Immune-Oncological Centre in Cologne (IOZK).
The Business School thanks everyone involved. We look forward to the next module of the advanced underwriting series, “Mental Health in Underwriting” (14–18 October 2024 in Cologne).
Can you imagine growing up in the “wrong” body? In our most recent Spotlight session, we delved into the topic of people who identify as transgender. Matt Ellison, who transitioned from female to male, shared with us his journey to becoming his real self. His inspiring and thought-provoking talk was accompanied by clarifying questions arising in underwriting when assessing transgender applicants.
Spotlights is a webinar series that brings together Gen Re experts and clients to discuss important insurance topics.
What else does the Spotlight series bring to the table this year?
You are very welcome to join us for our future Spotlights. Do you want to know more, or have any questions? Please get in touch.
In March, we were delighted to host our inaugural Gen Re Day in Mexico City, which was attended by more than 30 of our enthusiastic clients. This event featured a unique reinsurance workshop, a first of its kind, where participants had the opportunity to learn and reinforce key reinsurance concepts.
One of the highlights of the day was the Reinsurance Experience (RE) activity. This was an immersive experience designed to simulate the primary operations of a reinsurer. For the first time, attendees were able to engage in a hands-on exercise that involved making important business decisions in a dynamic market environment. They learned how to craft an offer and, most importantly, gained insights into a reinsurer’s perspective on risk.
We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to our Mexican team for orchestrating such a memorable event. Their hard work and dedication made this day truly unforgettable. We look forward to hosting more of these enriching experiences in the future.
On 8 May, the Madrid team held the 20th Life & Health event in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, titled “Encontro de Vida e Saude”. The event was attended by around 40 people from 13 entities of the Portuguese insurance sector. This event has been held continuously since 2005. Over the past 20 years, we have had over 700 attendees.
The topics addressed on this occasion were the importance of a healthy diet, biases in the assessment of mental disorders, an approach to risky sports (with special attention to trail running), the importance of Big Data in insurance, and finally the experiences of other markets in relation to fraud in life insurance.
During the afternoon, a workshop was held in which all attendees were able to participate, and in which practical cases were presented for risk and claims analysis. The event closed with the presentation of the traditional Certificates of Participation awarded by Gen Re.
On 22 April 2024, a delegation of 29 Nan Shan Life’s representatives from Taiwan visited our Cologne office – a very successful cross-segmental cooperation between Gen Re Asia and ELM. This delegation consisted of mainly Nan Shan’s top agents who not only reached a high sales target for health policies but also provided various health services to clients. The top 30 agents won the title “health promotion ambassadors” and a trip to Germany.
It was Gen Re’s special honour to welcome the health promotion ambassadors to our Cologne office as part of their learning journey with expectation to expand their international vision of healthcare and health services.
Not only did Nan Shan gain experience from us, hosting this visit was also a golden opportunity for Gen Re to have close contact with Nan Shan’s top agents and executives from the sales channel who ultimately generate reinsurance business for us. At the same time, Gen Re was able to directly demonstrate our professionalism to this very important and profitable client as a global reinsurance player.
This significant event started with an introduction about Gen Re today and its history by Uli. Thanks to our network in the German industry, we invited an external speaker, Christian Wreschniok, from the leading German health insurance company, Debeka.
Mr. Wreschniok is personally involved in Debeka’s health management program and shared his knowhow on the development and implementation of innovative and customer-oriented solutions to the German health insurance market. He also explained Debeka’s future plans and visions in its health management program. Similar to Debeka’s program, Nan Shan partners with a number of service providers to create an ecosystem focusing on wellbeing, prevention and rehabilitation. To reflect the experience of Taiwan, Nan Shan’s speakers presented about sales and service empowerment in its Health Protection Circle. With a demonstration of a comprehensive physiological measure tool in combination with a digital application, Nan Shan showed its dedication and ambition to provide innovative advances for customer services. The sessions ended with an exchange of gifts and taking photos as souvenirs of the event.
After a tour of our office environment and Archive, the visitors were invited to our guest canteen. This fruitful event at Gen Re ended after a delicious lunch. All the “ambassadors” were very impressed by Gen Re’s overall arrangements and gave us excellent feedback on this highly valued tour.
We held four Underwriting and Claims Seminars in January this year, one each in Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh, and London. We had a variety of talks, from Claims Automation and Changes in Cancer Staging and Treatment through to the Impact of Distribution Dynamics on Underwriting and Claims. The Seminars were well attended and well received by our clients.
Gillian Wilhelm presented at the annual Canadian Reinsurance conference on Critical illness insurance covering the history, product innovations and the future of this product in the Canadian market. Tanya van Niekerk presented at the same conference on climate change and the impact this may have on mortality and morbidity business in the future. This is an annual conference attracting almost 500 attendees across the reinsurance and insurance industry and typically covers all disciplines including actuarial, underwriting, claims and marketing.
Team members from the underwriting team also attended various underwriting events in Quebec (AQTV) and Ontario (CIU winter event, SWOUC, UAT) as well as the AHOU conference in Boston.
Gen Re China sponsored the SOA China Symposium 2024 as a Platinum Sponsor in Wuhan, 30 – 31 May 2024. Charlie Shamieh presented as a keynote speaker on “The Evolving Life Insurer Investment Allocation Strategies in a post-COVID-19 World” at the conference. More than 300 participants attended the symposium. Gen Re Shanghai celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2024 and this was highlighted with Gen Re’s sponsorship and presence at the symposium.
For the first time, we were actively involved in the annual Miami Reinsurance Week, a prestigious event held in Florida’s vibrant coastal city. Our Gen Re México team, led by Carmelo Galante, had a packed schedule over the course of two days.
This event presented us with a plethora of opportunities that emerged from various meetings and appointments. We look forward to leveraging these opportunities to further our growth and strengthen our presence in the reinsurance industry.
The Mexican team participated in the annual Mexican Association of Insurance Convention, held in April, with more than 1,000 delegates from the insurance sector (the largest event in the market).
We have had the privilege of conducting visits across our region, spanning Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. These visits provided us with the opportunity to deliver both technical and underwriting-based in-house training sessions, in addition to numerous online training sessions upon request.
The market is currently witnessing a surge in the development of new products, and we at Gen Re are honored to be recognized as a trusted partner in achieving our clients’ objectives. Our commitment to fostering strong partnerships and providing exceptional service continues to be a driving force behind our operations. We look forward to continuing our work in this dynamic and evolving market.
The Taiwan Life Insurance Management Institute (LIMI) was established to strengthen and enhance the management expertise and performance in the life insurance industry in Taiwan. Every year, LIMI holds its annual meeting to enable the exchange of ideas on life insurance management among members domestically and internationally.
Japan and Taiwan are facing similar challenges of having an aging population, especially the increased demand for long-term care and healthcare services. The challenges and opportunities of aging societies have become a popular topic in the life industry for decades. Gen Re Taiwan invited an expert from Japan, Tetsushi Yamaguchi, to present on the topic “Development and Sale for Elderly Products in Japan” in the 2024 LIMI annual meeting on 22 March. We are delighted that Mr. Yamaguchi, CEO of Group Strategy Office in Prudential Holding of Japan, was the lecturer in this event.
All LIMI members were very impressed and grateful that Mr. Yamaguchi shared his valuable expertise with a lot of humour.
Juliana Baumbach joined the Life & Health Germany team in April 2024 as Actuarial Associate. She finished her Master’s degree in March 2024 and has worked as a working student for a primary insurer, an actuarial consulting company and a reinsurer. She plays the violin and enjoys speaking Portuguese and Spanish.
Laura Campagnoli has joined the Gen Re office in Milan. After her degree in modern foreign languages at the Catholic University in Milan, she joined the magic insurance world and worked for almost 25 years in the Prudential Insurance Italian Business in Milan.
Laura worked in the Marketing area for 10 years and later in the New Business & Underwriting Department. She had the opportunity to meet Gen Re in 2010–2011 when she received the certification of Certified Medical Underwriting Specialist. In 2019 she held the position of Senior Underwriter & Claims Specialist at SCOR Italia.
As Senior Medical Underwriter & Claims Specialist at Gen Re, she will be responsible for medical underwriting and claims management for Life & Health’s Italian business, and she will help to develop new business opportunities with our customers by offering Gen Re’s subscription services and tools.
We are delighted to introduce Chia-Hui Chen as the Compliance Officer for Gen Re’s Taiwan Branch, effective from 1 May. Chia-Hui has brought a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to the team. Her extensive experience, coupled with her academic achievements at Soochow University (Taipei) and Washington University in St. Louis (U.S.) where she graduated as a Master of Law, positions her as an excellent addition to the team of Gen Re Taiwan Branch and the Legal Department.
Her expertise in the insurance industry in Taiwan, particularly in the realms of life insurance contract law, corporate governance, and her focus on AML/CFT compliance since 2018, will undoubtedly be of great value.
William Chieu is part of the Life & Health Canada pricing team. He is excited to start his journey at Gen Re.
Didi De Kock, Head of Pricing, Cape Town
Jessica Freire is a new member of the Life & Health International Client Accounting team.She started in February 2024 in the Madrid office, and will be working as a Client Accountant, mainly focused in the Spanish and Portuguese markets. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Auditing from the Universidad Central del Ecuador.
She has previously worked for two years as an auditor in Deloitte&Touche in Quito, Ecuador, and has achieved several certifications relating to IFRS, Internal Control, etc.
Away from the office, Jessica is dedicated to mastering the art of dance, especially salsa, and her dream is one day to become a professional dancer and compete on international stages.
Aline-Sophie Neu joined the Life & Health Germany team in May 2024 as a Legal Specialist/Associate. She studied law at the University of Cologne and was a working student for an insurance agent. Aline is happy to be part of the Life & Health Germany team and to work in an international environment. She enjoys spending time in nature or dancing socially such as salsa and bachata.
Monica Tang joined Gen Re's Canadian Underwriting team in February. Previously, she spent eight years with Securian Canada. She was born and raised in Australia and before moving to Canada in 2009 she worked in underwriting for Swiss Re Australia and other direct life companies. Monica lives in British Columbia and is an avid rock climber and mountain biker. She is thrilled to be part of the Gen Re family.
Kelly-Ann Thornton joined Gen Re Cape Town on 1 May 2024. She qualified as a physiotherapist in 2012 and started her insurance career with Old Mutual in 2015. She worked for two other primary insurers before moving into reinsurance in 2021. Kelly is mum to a 3 year old boy and they love spending time outdoors and doing fun activities at weekends. She loves coffee and enjoys a good book in her spare time. She would choose cake over food any day and loves visiting new places to try desserts.
Benjamin Wu joined Gen Re in Sydney as a Pricing Actuary in the Life business. When he is not perfecting spreadsheets and producing life insurance prices, you can find him exploring new cafes/restaurants, heading to the gym (to burn off the food he just ate) and occasional horizontal running on the couch while catching the latest shows on streaming platforms.
Rebecca Yang has joined the Shanghai office. Before joining Gen Re, she was an underwriter in an insurance company in Shanghai for about six years and was mainly responsible for handling various cases, new product underwriting rules, and new product training. Before being an underwriter, Rebecca was an attending doctor majoring in treatment of hepatitis B and C and other liver diseases. She worked in hospitals for over a decade.
Dr. Aparna Rangnekar, Claims Manager Life & Health in the Gen Re India Branch, successfully completed the graduate course of study in Life Insurance Risk Selection prescribed by the Academy of Life Underwriting and was awarded the designation of Fellow on 1 January 2024.
GRLA extends congratulations to Andy Tran for qualifying as a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute in Australia, earning himself the FIAA designation – a tremendous achievement. Andy has been a member of the valuation team in Australia for more than three years and has grown as a young professional over this time. We also congratulate him on recently getting married.
Yamkela Mampofu has been part of the Valuations team in Sydney for six years and has recently qualified as an Actuary.
We congratulate Lize-Mari Wiggill in her new role as Segment Pricing Actuary in Sydney.
Bharat Agarwal, Grace Cairns, Poulomi Das, Algar De Doncker, Alice Fung, Zandile Gobe, Ilaria Lippolis, Mary Rong Qun Lu, Monish Mathpal, Aritra Sengupta, Sperry Scott, Jamie Su, Lori Watson
We bid farewell to Jon Parker who retired in March from where, after working for us as a Senior Underwriter for 11 years.
Inmaculada Giles from the Madrid office will retire after 38 years of dedicated great work within the Life & Health TA department. We thank her for the commitment, the professionalism she has shown, and the team spirit she has brought to the office over the years. We will miss her a lot, from both a personal and a working perspective. And of course we wish her the best for her well-deserved retirement!
In May 2024 Inmaculada visited us here in Cologne; she is pictured with her colleagues from Life & Health TA LAIC (back row, from left: Adriana Sanchez, Paula Derkach and Isabel Garcia; front row, from left: Jessica Freire, Inmaculada Giles and Elena Gutierrez).
Our identities have extraordinary value. They bring purpose to our lives and perspective to each other. When individuals have the opportunity to reveal their identities, they can grow as individuals, and our organization can also grow. As part of our ongoing commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace at Gen Re, we are excited to announce the (re)launch of our self-identification campaign and are inviting all Gen Re locations to participate, and for our associates in Germany, we are currently introducing the optional Self-Id campaign at the executive level only, as a pilot for the jurisdiction.
Visit the Self-Identification Module by clicking on the ‘Employee Self Service’ tile in PeopleSoft (must be logged into VPN) to self-identify. For more information on how to self-identify, please review the Self-Identification FAQs, How Do I Self-Identify? and Privacy Notice in Connections.
How We All Can Support the Campaign:
Our ERGs continue to provide the opportunity for cultural awareness, professional development, and community outreach, in creative ways:
On March 21, the Women and Allies ERG had the privilege and honor of interviewing President and CEO, Kara Raiguel, where she shared her personal stories, thoughts on leadership and inspiring an inclusive culture.
Please click here to view the one-hour Fireside Chat recording.
On April 23, registered dietician, Kristen Smaldone presented to North America associates on “Picky Eating Solutions for your Toddler/School-aged Child”.
Please click here to view the recording.
On June 4, offices across the globe hosted an in-person and virtual Pride Month celebration. Associates gathered for a presentation by the global non-profit organization, Pride Wide, followed by social gatherings.
On September 24 – 26, Gen Re will once again be participating in The Dive in Festival, the festival for Diversity and Inclusion in Insurance. This year’s theme, "A Sustainable Future: The Next 10 Years”, encouraging businesses to view inclusive and diverse cultures not just as a business requirement but as a pivotal factor for long-term success. Registration for events will open on Thursday, August 15.
Please look forward to more information and details from your local offices on in-person viewing events and socials.
Visit all of Gen Re’s ERG communities: NA Professionals of Color and Allies, NA Women and Allies, NA Working Parents, Caregivers and Allies, Global LGBTQ+ Professionals and Allies, Global Alliance of Multicultural Professionals and Allies, International Professional Women and Allies, and International Working Parents, Caregivers and Allies
Learn more about the ERGs by visiting the Gen Re DEI webpage.
DEI for Improving Business Outcomes Learning Experience – a U.S. pilot training for General Star and Genesis (G2) managers was completed in May 2024. With a focus on strategically building a more diverse and inclusive culture at Gen Re/G2, this learning experience provided managers not only with information about what DEI is and why it is relevant in our workplace and our life, but also with the tools necessary to take meaningful action. Managers attended four live online sessions covering:
More information to follow on future learning experiences.
Reminder that the following self-guided courses have been added to our existing DEI catalogue and are available in Talent. Please click the link in the course title to access each course via Talent:
