Prior to joining the insurance industry, Ling Po pursued an academic career in psychology. He graduated from the University of California with a PhD in Cognitive Psychology, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan, before he joined the Chinese University of Hong Kong as an assistant professor in 1996 and worked up the ranks to become associate dean of the Faculty of Education, and the director of two postgraduate diploma/degree programmes.
Since leaving the world of academia to become an insurance agent in July 2017, he achieved Million Dollar Round Table in just five months of joining the industry, was promoted to assistant unit manager at the beginning of 2018, and then to new unit manager in July. By the end of 2018, he achieved Top of the Table (TOT).
While working diligently on personal production, he also embarked on agency building. Besides his own core team, he has also helped one of his agency to build her team. The two teams together produced more than US$400,000 FYC in the second half of 2018, one TOT, and three MDRTs.
While a lot of people consider joining the insurance industry a drastic move from academia, he views it as a continuity in his career development because he feels there are many similarities between an insurance agency leader and a professor. To develop newly recruited agents into successful agents and competent agency managers is like mentoring students but perhaps even more difficult, he said.
Appearing as a guest speaker at recruitment talks, he is seen as a role model for people who, while successful in their current positions, are looking for breakthroughs. He has also been asked to be a mentor for students of his former university, and as a speaker at career talks for post-secondary school students who are eager to learn about insurance and financial planning.
He frequently taps into his university network to bring in different professionals, including medical doctors, lawyers, certified accountants, and private bankers to be guest speakers at in-house seminars. There is no better way to enhance the professional image of financial planners than to equip them with solid knowledge in various fields of finance and business.
Check out what judges have to say about the Awards in this video: http://bit.ly/AANjudges2019
The 4th Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards was made possible by organisers Asia Insurance Review and Asia Advisers Network, co-organiser LIMRA, and strategic partner AIA. Winners were selected in an independently-audited judging process. More information on the Awards and winners can be found here.
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Check out the other winners here:
Insurance Agency Leader of The Year 2019 - Wave Chow
Executive Champion of the Year 2019 – Sara Lamsam
Young Executive of the Year 2019 - Sabrina Ong