News
Etana Insurance will always be broker-loyal
Etana is the only South African insurer with a focus on business, and the only insurer that uses brokers as an exclusive channel into the market ... and now we have more proof that this is the right strategy!
Etana was voted number one corporate insurer by the Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa (FIA) brokers, and no bigger accolade exists for us. We hold our heads high and look forward to many more years of raising the bar, ensuring that Etana remains the choice insurer for our brokers across all lines of business.
Broker expertise is our only way, and Etana has numerous “local is lekker” branches to support this handshake, eyeball-to-eyeball, personal and individualised business model.
So, what makes our services so desirable according to our brokers and their clients?
For one, we are leaders in risk management. Marcel Wood, head of Etana’s Risk Management, recently received an award in the short-term insurance category at the Cover Excellence in the Insurance Industry awards. The reasons for this recognition were explained at the ceremony: “Marcel has creatively and generously shared his expertise with the insurance industry, including a host of intermediaries, to make a significant impact on how intermediaries manage their clients’ risks.”
Etana is also dedicated to assisting its brokers with skills development, education and achieving their regulation levels. Fatima Maharaj, head of the Etana Academy, was recognised at the same Cover awards for creating the only Inseta-approved e-learning qualification in the insurance industry – as well as for delivering 25 regulatory workshops to the broader intermediary fraternity. Her dedication to excellence will continue having an impact in the future.
During the recent Insurance Conference 2012 at Sun City (10 to 13 June), a clear, strong message about how vital and irreplaceable intermediaries are in the industry was put forward by speakers like Joe Plumeri (CEO of Willis Holding International), Barry Scott (CEO of the Insurance Institute of South Africa), Justus van Pletzen (CEO of the FIA) and our very own Paolo Cavalieri (chairman of Etana).
Paolo spoke about the necessity of brokers in an industry made up of relationships – strong relationships between insurers and their brokers, as well as between brokers and their clients.
His speech compared parts of a car to the insurance industry. The most vital part of the car, he said, the wheels, are like brokers, who hold together the relationship between the insurer and the policyholder – much like wheels do between car and road.
He then introduced John Mitchell, Currie Cup-winning coach of the Lions rugby team, who spoke about being the best, and what it takes to lead a team to victory against the odds.
Mitchell’s talk was nicely teed up by Guy Scott, CEO of Aon South Africa, when he corrected an earlier comment by Professor Jonathan Jansen of the University of the Free State, who attacked the credibility of the Lions. Scott very quickly reminded Jansen of the incREDible victory in the Currie Cup a few months earlier! He also reminded the audience that RED is, in fact, best, like the Lions, Aon ... and Etana!
It is important to note the integral role that organisations like the FIA, the Insurance Institute of South Africa (IISA) and the South African Insurance Association (SAIA) play in our industry, through supporting and binding brokers and other role players together in order to tackle the issues we face.
Rest assured that Etana will remain broker-loyal – we support brokers for the value they add to clients and the professionalism they bring to our industry.
