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TABLE OF CONTENTS OUR CLAIMS MANAGER - PAGE 10 In October 2002, Jamila Taylor began her journey at ICWI as a temporary employee in the Legal Department. Soon afterwards, she was made permanent and put on the Management Trainee Programme.
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icwi’s 2013 annual general staff meeting
icwi supports road safety
ICWI Cayman
On Saturday February 2, the staff of ICWI once again made their way Downtown to the Jamaica Conference Centre for the Company’s Annual General Staff Meeting.
At a handing over ceremony held at ICWI, Min. of Transport, Works & Housing, Dr. Omar Davies encouraged all stakeholders in road safety to share their knowlede and information with others.
Over twenty years ago a decision was taken for ICWI to set up a branch in the Cayman Islands. In 2006, the branch was changed to a locally registered company that wrote all classes of business with annual gross premiums of over KYD$7M.
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ICWI’s
2013 Annual General Staff Meeting
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n Saturday February 2, the staff of ICWI once again made their way Downtown to the Jamaica Conference Centre for the Company’s Annual General Staff Meeting. Representatives from offices all across Jamaica, as well as from Cayman, St. Maarten, Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos islands, turned out in their numbers to hear the President’s vision for the Company in 2013. Miss Sandra Johnson, VP – Finance, started the morning’s proceedings
by taking a look back at 2012 and pointed out significant strides made by the Company in addressing concerns raised by staff, which related to communication within the organisation, staff recognition, morale and staffing. ICWI answered these calls with the introduction of the Company’s intranet news portal, the Blue Lounge, along with the Star Awards Programme and First Fridays Movie Nights. In addition, over twenty new members of staff were welcomed into the ICWI Family. In closing, Miss
Johnson used the words of civil rights activist Mahatma Gandhi to remind everyone why they were all there, and why they do what they do - “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work, he is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business, he is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.”
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Following Miss Johnson’s presentation, Mr. Paul Lalor, President of ICWI, took the stage to give his own recap of 2012. Mr. Lalor started by thanking everyone for playing their part in what was a very successful year for ICWI. Despite the challenges of implementing a new system, the UnderWriter, and a sliding Jamaican dollar, the ICWI Group still managed to realise growth in four territories, earned revenue of US$52 million and made a profit that was 11% above budget. Despite these milestones however, service standards suffered throughout the UnderWriter transition process and he expressed hope that in 2013, ICWI would see a complete return to “Serving you is all we do”. After Mr. Lalor’s 2012 recap, he officially launched ICWI’s mission for 2013 – Mission PRO! In 2013, all ICWI employees will aim for the highest standards of PROfessionalism by being PROactive, PROductive and PROficient at what they do, while always focusing on being PRO-client, PRO-team, PRO-agent and PRO-technology, in order to make the Company PROfitable. With a new motivation for 2013 in mind, the ICWI staff turned their attention to Mrs. Samantha Samuda, VP – Marketing, Distribution and Human Resources, who provided them with an update on the Star Awards, a programme that was launched in 2012 with the aim of encouraging a strong sales and service culture within ICWI. The Star Awards recognise non-managerial members of staff who consistently perform at a high level, are passionate about what they do and who go above and beyond to serve both internal and external customers. In 2012, 125 Star Cheques were awarded and were redeemed for prizes such as iPods, digital cameras, weekends at all-inclusive resorts, movie tickets, dinners, and gas and supermarket vouchers. The big winner, however, was Joy-Marie Hussey from Head Office who claimed the Golden Ticket valued at 10 Star Points. The Guest Speaker for the afternoon was once again, Mr. Kirk Nugent. Mr. Nugent was the Guest Speaker at the Company’s 2012 Annual General Staff meeting at which he encouraged everyone to “change the way they look at things and the things they look at will change”. Mr. Nugent was born and raised in Jamaica before emigrating to the United States of America as a teenager. He uses his story of survival and success to inspire others to “live your dreams, not your excuses” and to realise that “state of mind determines state of being” and “when you take things for granted, the things you are granted will be taken”. For video highlights from the 2013 Annual General Staff Meeting, please visit the Blue Lounge.
“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work, he is the purpose of it.”
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ICWI supports road safety
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t a handing over ceremony held at the Head Office of The Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI), the Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr Omar Davies encouraged all stakeholders in road safety to share their knowledge and information with others because there are no benefits to withholding. Six road safety infomercials were handed over to the Ministry of Transport for dissemination.
A comprehensive analysis of fatalities in 2012 is to be conducted by the Road Safety Unit. This is being done in an effort to learn from past mistakes and to move forward using the analysis as a basis for improvement.The infomercials from ICWI cover several crucial issues that affect road safety in Jamaica. In 2012, Jamaica had a total of 258 road fatalities, a fall from the previous year and for the first time in more than ten years, achieved its ‘below 300’ target. Minister Davies welcomed the achievement, but at the same time noted that the total is still too high and that Jamaica cannot afford to get complacent. ICWI is committed to helping the Government reach its goal of ‘below 200’ by 2017. The ICWI infomercials provide Jamaican road users with contemporary information to enable them to make appropriate choices in the traffic environment. The infomercials target the following areas, motorcycle safety, overtaking, pedestrian safety, safe driving on a whole, speeding and tailgating. ICWI President, Paul Lalor feels that too many lives are lost to reckless driving and ICWI is doing its part to curb this.
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“I had two choices: I could ignore the caterer and face the wrath of my co-workers later when they realised we had no food, or I could forgo my first ever Sagicor Sigma run.”
Sigma Corporate Run 2013: A First Timer’s Perspective
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n February 17, Emancipation Park was filled with over 20,000 participants who turned out from all across corporate Jamaica for the Sagicor Sigma 2013 Corporate Run to raise funds for the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Jamaica National Children’s Home and Best Care Lodge Children’s Home. As a first time participant, I had registered with ICWI to join in the excitement of running a staggering 5.5 kilometre race. At 6:25a.m. I was en route to Emancipation Park, however, my taxi driver informed me that I would have to walk from Oxford Road as all cars were blocked from driving any closer. I quickly made my way with a number of brightly colored runners of all sizes and ages, to Emancipation Park where I was treated to a sight of tents, equipment, food booths and a large mass of people walking in every direction, in my eyes it was organised chaos. I found ICWI’s tent in the park surrounded by Foska Oats, Pepsi, NCB and Bank of Jamaica. However, upon reaching our tent, it came to my attention that someone (or some company) had stolen our chairs, garbage bags and table. I quickly informed security of the predicament and they gave
me quick, logical and expert advice on what to do- simply go to someone else’s tent and steal back everything that was missing from my tent. Needless to say, I did not do that. Another security guard, however, was more than happy to locate these missing items for me and have them replaced. By this time, I saw runners from all over heading to the start line. As I walked with the other runners, my cell phone rang, I answered the call only to receive news from the caterer that she was now at the gate and needed help to bring in food for our runners. I had two choices: I could ignore the caterer and face the wrath of my co-workers later when they realised we had no food, or I could forgo my first ever Sagicor Sigma run. I chose the latter. Even though I did not run this year, the excitement felt was unbelievable. Persons from all over attended this event in order to contribute to a greater cause and I got to see the fitness of many of my co-workers. Next year, I will surely make it my duty to be a part of the actual race at Sagicor’s Sigma Corporate Run.”
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ICWI Cayman
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ver twenty years ago, a decision was taken for ICWI to set up a branch in the Cayman Islands. In 2006, the branch was changed to a locally registered company that wrote all classes of business with annual gross premiums of over KYD$7M. The Cayman office is also responsible for business written through agents in St. Kitts and Nevis and The British Virgin Islands (BVI). Alphonso Warner Insurance Agency has been writing business for ICWI in BVI since the end of 2011, while Caribbean Financial Associates and newcomer Fidelity Management Limited have been signed on to write business in St. Kitts and Nevis and to continue the potential growth in that territory.
A photograph from our Cultural Day - (front from left) Adena Miller, Angella Watler, Jetta Jefferson, Trecate Yong (back from left) Samuel Smith, Janice McKoy, Charles Turner, Heather Lanigan. (Missing: Donna McField)
In February, the staff of ICWI Cayman participated in a Cultural Day to benefit the Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF) by organising a dress down day and providing CNCF with a monetary donation from the staff. They are now in preparations for their 2nd Annual Road Safety Event. The nine members of staff, all of whom are of Caymanian or Jamaican nationality, have given a total of 90 years of service to the Company. Heather Lanigan, the General Manager has been with ICWI for 10 years, while the Assistant Manager, Adena Miller, is the longest serving staff member with 21 years! Angella Watler - Underwriting Supervisor and Jetta Jefferson Customer Services Representative, have each given 17 and 15 years respectively. Claims and Accounting Clerk, Donna McField, has been with the company for 12 years. Charles Turner, affectionately known as “Jimmy” is the Motor Inspector/ Adjuster and the “ jack of all trades” as he also serves as the chef for their Christmas Party. He has been with ICWI for 9 years. Janice McKoy - Underwriter, Samuel Smith - Customer Service Representative and Trecate Yong - Business Development Officer are the other members of team ICWI Cayman.
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Meet the Customer Care Centre
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ith the growth of ICWI’s customer base over the years, it became necessary to make changes within the organisation in order to improve the level of customer care. Therefore in February 2013, the plan to broaden the size and responsibilities of the Telemarketing Department was implemented. This new team would now form the official call centre for the Company and was renamed the Customer Care Centre. The Customer Care Centre is now located on the third floor of the Head Office and is comprised of six customer service representatives who are dedicated to fulfilling their Department’s new goals. In addition to handling the usual over the phone queries, quotations and renewals, the Customer Care Centre will now be responsible for all renewal and cover note expiry reminders, birthday calls and claim update calls for all of ICWI’s Jamaican branches. The intention is that in the future, it will also become the official Call Centre for all of the regional offices.
The Customer Care Centre is dedicated to building long term relationships by creating a positive customer experience with every interaction and delivering the best in service and information to clients. The team strives to provide an outstanding customer experience in keeping with the Company’s motto, “Serving you is all we do.”
A message from the Manager, Mrs. Alrea Washington-Hoilett: “Each and every person in the Customer Care Centre has an impact on achieving objectives to create quality, efficiency, accessibility and ultimately, customer satisfaction. We will do this within the context of effective processes and technology. We believe that each service interaction forms the basis of the client’s perceptions of the overall Company and if we can manage and maintain a high quality of service delivery, we can positively impact the retention of existing clients and have a significant impact on new business acquisition.”
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Mrs. Jamila Taylor – BSc. International Relations, MBA. International Business, ACII
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n October 2002, Jamila Taylor began her journey at ICWI as a temporary employee in the Legal Department. Soon afterwards, she was made permanent and put on the Management Trainee Programme. While on this programme, she was rotated through the Broker and Customer Service Departments, after which, she was permanently placed in Insurance Operations (formerly Risk Management) as an Insurance Operations Executive. During that time, she began pursuing her ACII which she completed in 2006. In 2010, Mrs.Taylor completed her MBA at the Mona School of Business where she graduated with Honours. After eight years in Insurance Operations, the Claims Department welcomed her in January 2012, as their new Claims Manager. The thing she likes most about her job is that she is constantly learning and coming up against new
and interesting situations. For her, the learning never stops. Mrs. Taylor believes in working hard and always doing the right thing – even at the most difficult times. She also believes that if everyone treated each other the way that they themselves wish to be treated, we would have less conflicts and lead happier lives overall. Outside of work, Mrs. Taylor enjoys reading, writing, going to the beach, taking trips to the country and spending time playing with her one and a half year old daughter, Sienna. She is a lover of happy endings and also likes to eat (sometimes a little too much, which leads to overindulgence and some good natured complaining).
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BLAST FROM THE PAST PHOTO COMPETITION Two people in this photograph still work at ICWI and two others still work in the insurance industry as brokers. The first person to identify all four people will win 50 points for their team. Answers should be sent to Lora D’Oyen at ldoyen@icwi.com. (Note:The two people in the photograph who still work at ICWI are excluded from participating in this competition and from helping anyone else on their team to identify them.)
Underwriter Tips Underwriting Remember, when raising the first term of the Third Party Payment Plan, the policy period must be set to three months and not one year.
Finance Remember to close all lodgements at the end of the day and not to reopen any lodgements that were closed in a previous month.
MIS Claims Did you know that you can now click on the policy Did you know that scanning and linking in black and white is a lot quicker than scanning and linking in number in a claim and go directly into the policy? colour?
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FINANCE ON A MISSION
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embers of the Head Office’s Finance Department have, over the years, demonstrated that they are not just about ‘crunching the numbers’, but are people who care. In December 2012, they hosted a cake sale to raise funds in aid of the mentally and physically challenged children at the National Children’s Home – Tegwin Unit. Dubbed ‘A Sale with a Mission’, the venture garnered overwhelming support from members of staff and brokers. Liaising with representatives from the home, an assessment was made as to some of the needs and challenges faced by the institution. The decision was taken to replace some of the old mattresses being used by the children. On Friday, February 22, ten twin sized mattresses were presented to the home. On hand to receive these gifts on behalf of the children were Rev. Cox, Deputy Director of the Home, and Mrs. Nolda Tavares, Supervisor. Representatives of the Finance Department, who were present for the handing over, took the opportunity to interact with the children, who were very excited about their gifts. It is evident that the children’s needs are many and it is the desire of the Department to continue working with the Home to meet more of those needs. The Finance Department would like to thank all those who contributed in any way to making this donation possible and look forward to the continued support.
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staff movements Welcome: A warm welcome is extended to the following employees who joined the ICWI family during the period January - March:
Lasonja Craig - Claims
Resean Richards - Claims
Chantellee Britton - Legal
Shamara Hutchinson - Claims
Vanessa Gibbs - Customer Service
Nadesha Roach - Lucea
Nicole Myers - Claims
Ellice Prout - Insurance Operations
Charmaine Reid - Ocho Rios
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Appointments: We are pleased to announce the appointment of two of our Senior Managers: Sandra Johnson as Vice President of Finance/Financial Controller and Samantha Samuda, Vice President of Marketing, Distribution and Human Resource. We would like to wish them both every success in their new roles.
Samantha Samuda -Vice President of Marketing, Distribution and Human Resource
Sandra Johnson - Vice President of Finance/Financial Controller
Transfers:
Promotions:
The following persons were transferred from the Spanish Town Branch to Head Office, Claims Department:
Congratulations to the following staff members who were prompted in January:
Patrice Hamilton Jacqueline Jackson
Tameka Thompson - Manager, Montego Bay Branch Natika Smikle - Supervisor, Ocho Rios Branch Fabian Whyte - Customer Service Representative, Ocho Rios Branch Veronica Loathian - Customer Service Representative, Claims Department Latoya Mitchell - Management Trainee Janine Fisher - Management Trainee Sasha Kelson - Customer Service Representative, Sav Branch
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Hatches: Congratulations to the following members of staff who welcomed babies to their family: Kennedy - daughter of Samantha Samuda - Marketing & HR Dept. Joel - son of Simone Grant-Clarke - Customer Service Dept. Joshua - son of Suzette Radlein - Legal Dept. Naomi - daughter of Renee Gordon-Sherwood - Customer Service Dept.
Joshua
Joel
Kennedy
Naomi
Happy Birthday:
Departures:
to all members of staff who celebrated birthdays during the first quarter.
It is with regret that we bid goodbye to the following persons in the first quarter of 2013, and wish them prosperity in their future undertakings: Steven Buckeridge - Marketing Agent – Montego Bay Tanesha Campbell - Customer Service Rep. – Claims Department Kerry-Ann Nugent - Customer Service Rep. – Claims Department Chantelle Young - Para-Legal – Legal Department Roger Young - Network Administrator – MIS Department Jacqueline Smith - Customer Service Rep. – Customer Service Department Oniel Williams - Credit Control Representative – Finance Kareen Muir - Para-Legal – Legal Department
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HIV/AIDS policy HIV/AIDS became an issue in Jamaica in 1982 when its first case was reported. Currently, the prevalence rate is approximately 1.7 % of every 1,000 Jamaicans. An estimated 44,000 Jamaicans are living with HIV/AIDS. The numbers continue to increase islandwide, with the parishes of St. James, Kingston and St. Andrew being the most seriously affected. The Insurance Company of the West Indies Limited (ICWI) recognises that HIV/AIDS is a major threat to the world of work, affecting the most productive sector – persons between the ages of 15 and 49 years old. If not controlled, the spread of HIV/AIDS can impose huge costs on companies through declining productivity and loss of skills and experience. To this end, the Company has approved a Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS. The Policy addresses issues such as nondiscrimination, confidentiality, continuation of employment and creating a healthy work environment. A copy of the Policy is available for all staff to read on the Blue Lounge. NOTE: The HIV Workplace Policy will be a requirement of Law for all workplaces through a regulation to be attached to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill.
Are you at risk for HIV? Take the HIV/STI Risk Assessment Quiz Do you use a condom correctly every time you have sex? Y/N Are you absolutely sure that you did not get a sexually transmitted infection during your last sexual act? Y/N Do you know your HIV status? Y/N Do you know your partner’s HIV status? Y/N Do you know for sure whether your partner is having or has had sex with only you? Y/N Can you always convince your partner to use either the male or female condom every time you have sex? Y/N Did you take an HIV test recently? Y/N If you answered NO to any one of these questions, you could be at risk for HIV or another Sexually Transmitted Infection.
“Don’t Guess . . . Get your Test!” For further information, please contact Rosemarie Wilks at rwilks@icwi.com or ext. 2154., or Samantha Samuda at ssamuda@icwi.com or ext. 2162.
2 St. Lucia Avenue Kingston 5 Jamaica W.I. Tel: (876) 926-9040-7 Fax: (876) 960-6918 direct@icwi.net www.icwi.com
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