The future of the insurance industry lies in the hands of the current generation of young achievers and a high calibre of young professionals were nominated this year for the Young Leader of the Year award.
The winner, Mr Rotha Chan, is a young Cambodian who represents some of the most inspiring aspects of the future generation of the insurance industry leaders.
Mr Chan joined Manulife Cambodia as the first agency manager in 2012 and was the first person in that country to sell life insurance, to speak about the career opportunity as life insurance agents and to recruit its first agents.
From there, Mr Chan’s rise was swift and decisive: Chief agency officer by 2016 and assistant vice president by 2017. In the same year, he was also recognised by Asia Insurance Review with a Special Jury Award at the 2nd Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards.
The reason for this enviable rise is not hard to discover when we look at how Mr Chan views both himself and his chosen career: “In the country that had been torn apart by long dragging civil wars until 1997, it has been more than working and selling life insurance to me. It has been my life mission to help restore the country through life insurance, which is seen as one of the critical tools to build a stronger safety net for the country.”
He is also canny enough to know that the future will be different from the past – and this acknowledgement is crucial to the future of the sector as a whole.
“I have been helping my advisors to embrace the digital age. From a paper application form on all new businesses, by March 2018, more than 80% of advisors are using electronic means to submit their new businesses,” Mr Chan said.
Read also: What's your "why"? - Rotha Chan, the 1st person in Cambodia to sell life insurance
But what use is a leader of any kind without a keen social conscience? Mr Chan has been actively engaged in community causes and has instigated community initiatives, raising money through public speaking for the People Improvement Organization, an NGO.
Mr Chan also helps to raise fund to support the Jeremiah’s Hope Clinic - Cambodia that assists people with cancer, assisted in buying bicycles for poor children through Pur un Sourire d’Enfant, supported the establishment of a new public library in a remote area of Cambodia, speaks to students at the Royal University of Phnom Pen, Journeys within Community and other hundreds of students about building a successful career life and the importance of education.
Fifteen insurance champions took centre stage at the glittering 22nd Asia Insurance Industry Awards 2018 gala dinner. This year’s awards saw over 800 entries that were rated by a bench of 33 judges. A total of 47 finalists were selected before a judging process audited by KPMG whittled them down to the 15 winners.
For more information, please visit the Awards page.
(Main picture: Mr Rotha Chan, (L), receiving the award.)