It’s hard to deny that Cambodia’s life insurance sector is more vital than ever. A report released by the Insurance Association of Cambodia earlier this year showed that the Kingdom’s insurance industry had grown by almost 30% in total gross premium between 2017 and 2018, with a staggering 50.6% of that driven by life insurance – not bad for an industry that only started here in 2012.
Manulife Cambodia Chief Executive Officer Robert Elliott said that those seven years had been crucial in building trust with the Cambodian community.
“We are here to build a healthier and better financial future for Cambodian families,” he said. “Our products help people protect their long-term income and plan for big events that are coming up: buying a house, retiring or saving for their children’s education.”
But buying a life insurance policy is a long-term business. With customers planning years, even decades into the future, Elliott said, it was important to find more immediate ways to fulfil Manulife’s promise of helping Cambodian families.
To that end, Manulife has launched a range of initiatives to promote healthy living amongst the Cambodian public, as well as continuing to embrace the culture of “Customer First” among its staff.
“Through our public and client seminars, we started to get feedback that people were interested in health advice and healthy living,” Elliott said. “In all those sessions, we invited a number of doctors who would specialise in certain illnesses like cancer, particularly female health issues and children’s health issues.”
As part of a health and wellness initiative, the company is also the principle sponsor of the annual Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, which sees thousands of Cambodians training with their families to test their stamina at the most famous citadel of the Khmer Empire.
Now one of the leading life insurance companies operating in the Kingdom, Manulife is taking nothing for granted – and a large part of that, Elliott said, lies in the passion to ensure that every member of the Manulife team is going above and beyond to deliver on their promise to the Cambodian families and community.
“I am amazed at the fantastic job our staff have done, and how much they’ve taken pride in helping people,” he said. “For example, when we get a legitimate claim, they rush to pay it as speedily as possible. We’re acutely aware that when we do get a claim, we have to ensure the security of their family’s financial future.”
