Quality, customised products and services earn Ageas Hong Kong High-Flyers Award

Ageas Hong Kong has once again won the Hong Kong Business High-Flyers Award in the Life Insurance category. This is the sixth year that the company has been honoured with this prestigious award which has been recognizing the excellence of leading businesses since 2004.

“We are delighted to receive this Award,” comments Stuart Fraser, CEO of Ageas Insurance Company (Asia) Limited (Ageas Hong Kong). “As a company that believes in meeting the constantly evolving challenges in the marketplace, we aim to satisfy our customers’ needs by providing them with comprehensive products and outstanding services.”

One of Hong Kong’s largest life insurance companies, Ageas Hong Kong is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ageas, an international insurance company with a heritage spanning more than 180 years. Ageas ranks among Europe’s top 20 insurance companies, with 13,000 employees working throughout Europe and Asia. By combining its global strength with local flexibility, it offers the Hong Kong market a diversity of financial protection products and wealth management services.

“The High-Flyers Award is one of a number of accolades we have received recently.” Fraser adds. “We were also named Best-in-Class in Training and Development (Insurance) and Outstanding Achiever in Social Media Engagement (Insurance) in the Benchmark 2012 Wealth Management Awards.”

Innovative and comprehensive one-stop financial planning solutions

Ageas Hong Kong nurtures long-term customer relationships with a holistic approach to financial planning that is based on the three pillars of “Protection”, “Savings” and “Investment”. This allows customers to take good financial care of themselves at different stages of their lives. It also offers them a complete spectrum of innovative, diversified and competitive products.

“In 2011, we were among the first companies authorised to provide Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) products for those wishing to apply for the right of abode in Hong Kong as investors. It successfully captures the business opportunities generated from the growing trend of investment immigration,” says Fraser.

“The appreciation of the Renminbi (RMB) has created huge demand for RMB-denominated products. In response, we have launched the ‘Dynasty’ RMB Endowment Plan series, which secures a guaranteed return at policy maturity, and customers will also benefit from the RMB’s potential appreciation.”

Launched in September, the revolutionary Ageas Elite Choice Insurance Plan aims to enable customers to accumulate and protect their wealth in today’s prolonged low-interest-rate environment by allowing investors to choose their own currency mix and benefit from both annual crediting interest and currency appreciation opportunities.

Ageas Hong Kong also cares for its customers’ well-being. “Our Advanced Care Protector was the first in the market to cover people against less severe critical illnesses and diabetes,” Fraser points out.

Leader in IT development

Meanwhile, Ageas Hong Kong leverages on IT advances to extend the reach of its marketing and promotion activities and build its business. For instance, it was the first insurance company to start using Google Apps, and its free, easy-to-use smartphone apps help users to get an instant and precise picture of the funds they will need at various stages in their lives.

It has also scored several “firsts” in the Hong Kong insurance sector, in terms of integrating social media platforms with advertising campaigns. These include:

• Using cutting-edge QR technology to allow customers to call stand-up comedian and Ageas spokesperson Dayo Wong and renowned movie and TV artiste DoDo Cheng and hear their smart financial tips.

• Employing “U-tie” technology to enable people to scan its advertising on MTR billboards and receive details of the latest promotions.

• Developing an iPad Financial Needs Analysis tool.

Serving society

Ageas Hong Kong actively gives back to the community too. “We are committed to our corporate responsibilities,” says Fraser. “To this end, we have been a presenting sponsor of Kitchee Escola, a school that has been providing free football training to aspiring young footballers, since 2008.”

The company was also the major sponsor of a fundraising exhibition match between visiting English Premier League Team Arsenal and Hong Kong League winners Kitchee. This raised funds for the Kitchee Foundation’s project to build a youth football development centre in Hong Kong.

Ageas Hong Kong has been out in full force at the Oxfam Trailwalker for the past eight years. Three of its teams trekked the arduous 100-km MacLehose Trail in 2012, and the company was the champion in the insurance category for the third year running.

FAST FACTS
• Its financial status is confirmed by global ratings agencies (A- (Excellent) by A. M. Best, A- by Fitch Ratings, and Baa1 by Moody’s).

• It has more than 2,700 professionally trained and highly skilled consultants. Seven percent of them are members of the elite Million Dollar Round Table for financial professionals.

• The company has been awarded the ”Caring Company” logo every year since the programme began in 2002.