Delta Generali plans for the next year are to increase training. The Delta Generali Academy is planning to provide 80,000 hours of education to our employees, and that is an undisputed record,” said Andrea Simoncelli, President and CEO Delta Generali Osiguranje insurance company as an explanation for the company’s future plans, as well as a base for current successes in Serbia. In the first quarter, your growth was 13% higher compared to the same period last year. How did you accomplish such success considering that there is no industry at the moment that hasn’t been severely affected by the crisis?
– The latest available figures show that the insurance market has grown 6.2 % in the first half of 2012, of which 17.4% in life insurance and 4.2% in non-life. Our growth was 14.7% in total, which is double the market both life and non-life. These figures come as the result of a complete reshuffle of our product offers and the increasing commitment of our sales network. The present economic situation is quite difficult, but we are optimistic and the insurance market is growing beyond expectations.
You are the leader in the life insurance segment. How aware are Serbian citizens of the importance of this kind of insurance and is there enough room for this industry segment to grow even more?
– With more than a quarter of the total life insurance market, Delta Generali is by far the leader in the segment offering products denominated in euro, dinar or other currencies in order to satisfy all of our customers’ requests. The present situation notwithstanding, the life insurance market is growing in the double-digits, showing that even during difficult economic times people are taking care of their savings and wish to protect their lives. Unfortunately, these wise people still represent less than 4% of total Serbian population. This is the reason why there is an enormous potential of market growth.
Delta Generali’s insurance portfolio is very extensive. What areas are going to be your priority in the future?
– Delta Generali is covering all lines of the insurance business from motor to property, accident, health and of course life. Our priority is to develop non-motor, non-life policies and particularly accident, health and agriculture.
In your opinion, how will the insurance industry, and your company for that matter, develop next year?
– The insurance industry, particularly non-life, grew at very low rate. The inflow of foreign direct investment is bringing a new perception of the importance of insurance coverage to protect the investors’ own businesses. Our target is to become number one and distance to reach this goal is not so far.
You have mentioned on several occasions that insurance should not be viewed as an expense but an investment. Could you elaborate?
– Once again, I would stress the importance to spread an insurance culture. Only protecting what is the most important pillar in the life of any human being, that is one’s life and assets, we can achieve peace of mind. I keep on saying that for the cost of one “espresso per day” (this is part of my Italian culture) you can cover the cost of insuring an average Serbian house for one year from natural catastrophe, earthquake, fire, and other areas. Is this a cost or a wise in vestment? It is the same story for health and life insurances. Buying an insurance policy is the best investment that a Serbian family can do for itself and the family.
This year, farmers have suffered a lot of damage due to the drought. Every year, hail and other natural disasters cause problems. How much are farmers in Serbia interested in getting an insurance policy compared to their European counterparts?
– Only 10% of the arable land in Serbia is insured, and the drought of this year shows once again the importance of being insured. Delta Generali was the only insurance company providing drought insurance together with other natural catastrophes. Farmers in Serbia are getting more and more interested in buying insurance policies to protect their crops and livestock thanks also to the support given by Ministry of Agriculture. I am very optimistic because this Government is very sensible to the farmers needs and we are working very closely with experts at the Ministry of Agriculture to provide the most efficient insurance coverage to local farmers.
What are your company’s plans for next year?
– The company plans for the next year are to increase training. The Delta Generali Akademija is planning to provide 80,000 hours of education to our employees, and that is an undisputed record. We also plan to increase investment in IT, continuing in the building of Delta Generali Osiguranje as a paperless company with the extensive use of computers with high speed. The recent ISO 27:001 award given for the first time to an insurance company in Serbia shows our commitment to spread IT culture in order to place Delta Generali Osiguranje on the leading edge in the market. So, trainings, IT, the relentless search of internal efficiency to improve product offering and claims handling to provide every day the best service to our customers who are the only reason why we work. The customer is our king.
Source Cord magazine
