Insurance Agency Leader of the Year

Mr Gabriel Tan Yong Kai, AIA Singapore

For having demonstrated a consistently high level of group production and recruitment, for leading his agency to repeated accolades and for displaying a commitment to professionalism and service to the industry, Mr Gabriel Tan is a worthy winner of the Insurance Agency Leader of the Year.

A 26-year veteran of the industry, Mr Gabriel Tan has been AIA Singapore’s Top Group Financial Services Director (FSD) for three consecutive years. Last year, he led his district to achieving the top number of recruits totalling more than 170 Financial Services Consultants (FSCs). Under his leadership, Mr Tan has groomed 18 Personal Wealth Managers (specialising in the High Net Worth market) and his agency won the Top District with the highest number of Personal Wealth Managers.

Mr Tan’s strong leadership qualities can be observed over the years. He has guided seven of his FSCs to becoming some of AIA Singapore’s most successful FSDs and has also developed many successful Financial Services Managers, creating one of the most dynamic agencies at AIA Singapore.

He has attained his Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU/S) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in his journey of continuous learning and elevating his skills and professionalism. A committed leader, he is also a Fellow of the Insurance and Financial Practitioners Association of Singapore (IFPAS), a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals and was an EXCO member of the Public Awareness Committee in the Financial Planning Association of Singapore (FPAS).

His strong industry and product knowledge enabled him to train and develop competent FSCs, able to provide customers with comprehensive financial health checks and suitable financial solutions to help meet their needs. Always generous in sharing his knowledge and expertise, he is regularly involved in various company and leaders’ work groups to provide constructive inputs.

To reach out to more people to share the importance of financial planning, Mr Tan also lectures at the Singapore College of Insurance and Temasek Polytechnic, and has delivered talks to the Singapore Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Police Force. He is also a regular speaker at various seminars and contributes articles to the media to share his great wealth of knowledge and experience to the greater public.

His outstanding track record and leadership skills, not just in leading his own district but also in grooming more leaders and elevating others to success, makes Mr Tan deserving of recognition as the Insurance Agency Leader of the Year.

Winners List

Rookie Agency Leader of the Year

Dato’ Irene Gan Ai Ling, Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Bhd

With just a year of managerial experience under her belt, having demonstrated a high level of personal and group production and recruitment, a leadership that commands respect and admiration, and commitment to professionalism, Ms Irene Gan Ai Ling is the Rookie Agency Leader of the Year.

Ms Irene Gan Ai Ling has had a good year. Alongside her promotion to Agency Manager at Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Bhd, she has also received several accolades celebrating her success in the field.

Her achievements in 2015 include MDRT Court of the Table, Top Rookie Agency Manager, Top Agency Manager and Top Personal Producer. Not only has she been showered with awards and trophies, she was also instrumental in developing two agents who themselves achieved their own rookie awards – Champion and second runner-up for an award which recognises the achievement of new agents within two years of their service in Great Eastern.

In her first year in a managerial position, Ms Gan managed to recruit and contract 13 agents, and achieved a Direct Unit Group sales of over MYR3.2 million (US$796,000).

Ms Gan has also been recognised for her excellence by the National Association of Malaysia Life Insurance Fieldforce and Advisers (NAMLIFA), breaking its record in 2013.

She has spoken at several NAMLIFA events, giving her the platform and opportunity to share her experience and impart some of her knowledge and skills to motivate others.

Ms Gan was conferred the title of Dato’ by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, in 2016.

Her impressive results and the grooming of high-performing new agents in her first year, and her resolve to provide exceptional service to her clients professionally and ethically, makes her a deserving Rookie Agency Leader of the Year Award winner.

Winners List

Insurance Agent of the Year

Ms Agassi Wang, Manulife (International) Limited

For her years of excellence, for an outstanding performance track record, her proven expert knowledge, for placing the interests of clients first and her service to the industry, Ms Agassi Wang is winner of the Insurance Agent of the Year Award.

Over Ms Agassi Wang’s 22-year career in the insurance industry, she has come to be viewed as a leader and an icon in the Hong Kong insurance industry. An outstanding agency leader, she leads by example in the field and is always aiming high and fully committed to delivering record-breaking results.

She has been the Top Advisor of the Year in her company every year since 2010. In 2015, she produced double the Top of the Table requirement. Her impressive productivity has continued into this year as she has achieved her MDRT in just one month. All in all, she has qualified for Court of the Table four times, Top of the Table seven times and is an Honor Roll Member.

As a Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) and Chartered Insurance Agency Manager (CIAM), Ms Wang regularly participates in intra-industry and cross-industry exchange conferences to build her knowledge base. With a strong belief in helping others to build their success, she willingly shares her knowledge and experience selflessly.

She is strongly committed to helping her clients find the perfect financial planning solutions to address their needs. She takes great pride in her professionalism and her commitment to clients, demonstrated by her consistently strong results and a high policy persistency rate, reaching as high as 99% in 2015.

Her most rewarding accomplishment is becoming the first female promoted to Senior Regional Director at Manulife Hong Kong, which is at the very top of the agency management ladder. She leads a team of close to 200 highachieving advisers. Ms Wang is also devoted to different charity and community services, notably as Co-Chairlady of the SV Foundation.

Her outstanding achievements together demonstrate the extraordinary commitment to the provision of the highest levels of service and professional solutions that customers can expect from Ms Wang, which is why she is truly deserving of the Insurance Agent of the Year Award.

Winners List

Rookie Insurance Agent of the Year

Ms Jessica Mok Nga Ching, AIA Hong Kong

For proving her tremendous potential, her rapid climb to success and her unwavering drive to improve, to serve and better the lives of others in just a few short years, Ms Jessica Mok has been awarded the Rookie Insurance Agent of the Year.

Ms Jessica Mok began her career as a financial news anchorwoman in Hong Kong, viewed by over 7 million people in Hong Kong alone and countless more on a global scale. Her exposure and research into the financial market, her interviews with industry experts as well as connections with the public gave her an insight into the needs, motives and dreams of people.

Through the success and failure stories she encountered over the course of her work as an anchor, it became apparent to her that “failing to plan is planning to fail”. With the aim of helping people plan for a successful and secure financial future with early intervention, Ms Mok mustered the courage to make a career switch to the insurance industry in December 2014.

In 2015, she achieved first year premium of close to US$840,000, qualifying for MDRT Court of the Table. Despite being a rookie, she closed a deal on group medical insurance of a well-known MNC and earned the title of Senior Employee Benefit Consultant.

Other than acquiring Insurance Intermediaries Qualifying Examination (IIQE) professional certifications, Ms Mok has also undertaken Chinese proficiency test and joined Toastmasters International as more decision makers are communicating in English and Chinese. She continues to improve on her knowledge-base and her skills, currently embarking on attaining professional certifications in general insurance and Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

She is also cognizant of the modern technology that drives the daily lives of her clients. She has taken advantage of Cloud and mobility-based computing and utilises a Customer Relationship Management System (CRMS), which allows her to track details on her clients, receive feedback and respond to queries in a timely fashion.

A member of the Life Underwriters Association of Hong Kong, Ms Mok is also an active supporter of charities such as UNICEF, Po Leung Kuk and Nourish the Children. Her charity work lets her give back to society, while also benefiting the industry by promoting the image of a truly selfless and caring agent, earning her the title of Rookie Insurance Agent of the Year.

Winners List

Inspirational Agent/Leader of the Year

Dr Mary Chen Ming Li, AIA Singapore

For working tirelessly, inspiring and guiding fellow agents to success and continuously touching the lives of her customers and helping the underprivileged, Dr Mary Chen Ming Li is the Inspirational Agent/Leader of the Year.

Dr Mary Chen Ming Li was at the pinnacle of her acting career when she married her Singaporean husband in 1980. However, leading a celebrity lifestyle on the income of her husband also led them into eventually falling into a debt of US$1.65 million in 1985.

Embarking on a career as a life insurance agent, she found that as a celebrity, while many people wanted to meet her, few were sincere about purchasing insurance policies from her.

Through sheer willpower and perseverance, she adapted to being in the insurance business and overcame all obstacles and proved her detractors wrong. Her hard work and commitment paid off, and she became the first person in Southeast Asia to qualify for the MDRT Top of the Table in 1988. By 1990, Dr Chen and her husband had cleared all their financial obligations. Setbacks had created opportunities.

This year marks Dr Chen’s 30th year as a Life and Qualifying MDRT member with 28 consecutive years as a Life and Qualifying TOT member. She was also the first Chinese speaker on the Main Platform of MDRT. She was appointed as the first and only AIA Agency Ambassador from 2010 to 2014, and had motivated more than 300,000 FSCs to emulate her success. She has also served in the Agency Leader Management Association’s (ALMA) ExCo for over seven years, contributing to the tremendous success of one of the largest agency forces in Singapore.

As a personal producer, she was AIA’s Top Regional Financial Services Consultant for 18 years and Top Companywide FSC for 12 years. Since moving into agency management in 2005, she has achieved Top Financial Services Associate Director six times.

Dr Chen started the Motion Heart Project together with her Agency Leader, Rayner Lee, to give back to society. They have built four schools in rural China to provide education for underprivileged children. They have also been instrumental in setting up the Motion Academy of Gym Sports for orphans in Cambodia to train them as gymnasts and trainers, which will enable them to break out of the cycle of poverty.

Dr Chen continuously strives for excellence in her career and her life. Her passion for helping fellow FSCs succeed in the industry and touching the lives of her many customers across generations and the community will ensure that she continues to be a shining light in the financial services industry, which is why she has been recognised as the Inspirational Agent/Leader of the Year.

Winners List

Affinity/Bank Partner of the Year

Axis Bank, India

For creating a close partnership that had impressive results, always ensuring financial inclusion in its operations and for utilising technology to create new products and streamline processes for its partners and clients, Axis Bank is the Affinity/Bank Partner of the Year.

Axis Bank is the third largest private sector bank in India with a strong distribution franchise consisting of 2,904 b ranches and 12,743 ATMs. The Bank also has strong international presence with branches in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai (at DIFC), Colombo and Shanghai with representative offices at Dhaka, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and an overseas subsidiary at London, UK. As of 2016, it services about 17.2 million customers who have trusted the bank with total deposits worth US$53 billion.

It distributes the products of Max Life Insurance Company. The partnership has shared values of customer centricity, transparency and an ethical approach to providing best insurance solutions to their customers. Since the partnership commenced in 2010, it has grown to be the largest non-bank promoted bancassurance relationship in India. It has successfully helped insure about 736,000 lives, with over 200,000 during the financial year 2015-16.

About 25% of Axis Bank’s insurance customers are from India’s large population of rural and unbanked segment, owing to a product suite and training of staff to provide insurance solutions across all segments of India’s society.

The bank has adopted a customer-centric approach through an end-to-end digital sales process comprehensively covering all the stages, including prospecting, need analysis, life stage and occupation analysis. It also uses an electronic fulfilment process that has been co-created by both organisations for policy issuance, enabling them to issue policies within four hours of application submission.

With the technological advances, Axis Bank constantly strives to offer solutions that enhance customer convenience. Using the bank’s existing detailed transaction history of its customers, the underwriting engine of Max Life Company can produce a pre-underwritten client base. These analytics helps the bank offer insurance policies to these pre-underwritten clients with no additional documents and no medical test requirement. This industry first initiative further cuts down on policy issuance time and makes the whole process of buying insurance simple and hassle free.

For all of these innovations and initiatives, Axis Bank has earned the title of Affinity/Bank Partner of the Year.

Winners List

Technology Provider of the Year for Agents

EAB Systems Limited

For creating a point-of-sale automation suite that operates on multiple platforms, both online and offline, catering to the increasingly mobile and tech-savvy consumer, while maintaining optimal user experience and performance, EAB Systems Limited is the winner of Technology Provider of the Year Award.

EAB Systems is a leading enterprise software company in the Asia Pacific, offering robust, flexible and scalable solutions to insurers, both regionally and internationally. Leveraging their IT expertise and experience in the life insurance industry, they help customers enhance their distribution capabilities at the point of sale, accelerate the introduction of new products to the market and automate administration processes.

Their most popular product is the 121 System, an award-winning point of sale and sales force automation suite catered to agents. The clientcentric 121 System revolves around the insurance sales cycle. It automates and streamlines the entire sales process with an electronic straight through process, pre-sales tools and post-sales activity management. It also helps agents manage day-to-day activities, improve client relationship management, cross-sell and upsell and monitor targets and progress.

The 121 System is a seamless, integrated solution that combines a shared business engine among different platforms with native user interfaces that guarantee optimal user experience and performance. This avoids the inherent risks and pitfalls and high costs of integrating and maintaining multiple disparate systems. The system provides an end-to-end solution that is cost-effective without compromising user experience and performance, which are key to the success of their customers’ businesses.

Furthermore, the 121 System helps insurers achieve their objective to equip their agents with enriched functionality, improve the overall efficacy and maximise value by reducing the cost of running their business. This enables agents to stay ahead of the competition by streamlining the sales process. Ultimately, this has a positive impact on the insurer, their agents, their revenue potential and the industry and is the reason why EAB Systems Limited richly deserves the Technology Provider of the Year Award.

Winners List

Insurance Company of the Year for Agents

Fubon Life Insurance Co., Ltd

For embracing this changing multi-channel environment and implementing digital and technological advances to improve the effectiveness of its agency force, for setting professional standards that other insurers must measure against and for steady investment into enhancing the skills of its agency force, Fubon Life Insurance Co Ltd is the Insurance Company of the Year for agents.

Fubon Life is one of the leading life insurers and frequent multi-award winners in Taiwan, with nearly 19,000 agents serving over four million clients. The company has a diverse and complete product line and one-stop integrated financial services, providing help to clients with risk management via its agents in the frontline.

Fubon Life encourages entrepreneurship, supporting agents to develop professional capacities and characters via its “Fubon Life Holistic Career Training Plan”. To aid young agents in achieving their goals, Fubon Life has implemented the largest-scale cloud digital training platform available. It features the “Four- Ring Training Framework”, one of the most systematic training programmes consisting of well-designed standard standardised training, connection training, unit training and development training.

Fubon Life’s digital and technology integration continues with an “Online + Offline” integration solution at the business end – a “Mobile Office” built for their agents that enhances the quality and efficacy of service, allowing agents to present themselves as a well-rounded mobile counter for their clients. This platform enables automatic processing of all stages involved in a sale, allowing an agent to efficiently establish, complete and service a sale in a wholly digital space.

In 2015, Fubon Life accomplished its Cloud project; the implementation of Office 365 marks it as the largest life insurer that deploys Cloud systems. The main functions of the Cloud include providing a single entrance to all systems and functions; a mobile app exclusive to their agents that provides multiple services and functions to help them with their work; work flow automation which transfers contents of an e-proposal to an application and e-insurance policy, cutting down the procedure by five to seven working days.

Fubon Life has invested a lot into its agents and made great strides in upgrading its existing systems to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their sales force, which is why it has been recognised as the Insurance Company of the Year for agents.

Winners List