Award categories

The ALUCA Life Insurance Excellence Awards are awarded across a range of award categories

2023 ALUCA Life Insurance Excellence Awards

Thursday 8 June 2023 at Darling Harbour in Sydney. Tickets available now.

01. Leadership Award  

This award acknowledges an individual life insurance leader who has demonstrated excellence by driving successful life insurance strategies with strong customer outcomes. 

Judged as going above and beyond their role requirements as a Leader with examples that demonstrate all or some of the following: 

  • Leadership development initiatives that helped to engage/mentor staff and how this was achieved 
  • Demonstrated thought leadership and ongoing professional development/education – is the leader proactive in their own professional development and in challenging and informing the industry? 
  • Performance/productivity – What initiatives have you implemented that have positively impacted more than just the bottom line? 
  • Innovation and innovative thinking – How have you transformed your area to better service your industry? 

Please note Judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above i.e. strong customer satisfaction scores, strong employee engagement levels, strong stakeholder engagement, professional accreditation, speaking at external seminars or achieving something for the industry outside of their organisation during 2021, strategy sessions minutes/surveys/research etc


02. Professional Award

This award category, combining the former Claims and Underwriting category into one and expanding to include services professionals too. It recognises an individual life insurance professional who has demonstrated excellence via their achievement of key business and customer outcomes. This could be in claims, underwriting, or life insurance professional services such as forensic accounting, legal services.    

Judged as going above and beyond their role requirements as a life insurance professional, through their commitment to the profession and the achievement of customer outcomes that are aligned to business and community needs, with examples that demonstrate all or some of the following: 

  • Key development impact and achievements such as participating on project teams, steering groups, focus groups, committee that went beyond business-as-usual, making a tangible contribution to their organisation or the wider community – have they been recognised in reward and recognition programs  
  • Demonstrated thought leadership and ongoing professional development/education – is the life insurance professional proactive in their ongoing education and professional development and in challenging and informing the industry?   
  • Performance/Productivity – What initiative/s have you implemented that positively impacted more than just the bottom line and aligned to the organisational strategy     
  • Use of innovative thinking and collaboration – How have you transformed your area via ideas and out of the box thinking and collaborating to better service your industry? This could be via leading a project, researching new practices/theories or undertaking training in a new area i.e. design thinking etc.

Please note judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above i.e. strong customer satisfaction scores, strong stakeholder engagement scores, professional accreditation for them and their team or peers, positive outcomes/surveys/research etc.


03. Rehabilitation Award 

This award acknowledges an individual life insurance rehabilitation professional who has demonstrated excellence via their achievement of innovative rehabilitation business and customer outcomes.

Judged as going above and beyond their role requirements as a rehabilitation professional with examples that demonstrate all or some of the following: 

  • Rehabilitation development initiatives such as examples of exceptional rehabilitation service that went beyond business-as-usual and how this was achieved 
  • Demonstrated thought leadership and ongoing professional development/education – is the rehabilitation leader proactive in their ongoing education and professional development and in challenging and informing the industry? 
  • Performance/Productivity – What initiatives have you implemented that have positively impacted more than just the bottom line? 
  • Innovation and innovative thinking – How have you transformed your area via out of the box thinking and collaborating to better service your industry? 

Please note judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above i.e. strong customer satisfaction scores, life insurance rehabilitation customer outcomes direct or indirect, stakeholder engagement, professional accreditation, speaking at life insurance seminars, strategy sessions minutes/surveys/research etc.


04. Rising Star Award 

Recognises a life insurance individual with less than three years in their role who has demonstrated excellence in a life insurance claims, underwriting or rehabilitation role, over and above business as usual. 

An ALUCA member with less than three years in their life insurance claims, underwriting or rehabilitation role. The judges will be looking for a person who: 

  • Development initiatives – they can clearly demonstrate their contribution to the team/department in which they work over and above what is expected with examples of excellent underwriting/claims or rehabilitation service that went beyond business-as-usual for their level and how this was achieved
  • Has made significant strides in their professional development in the past 12 months, along with evidence of commitment to pursuing relevant professional qualifications
  • Performance/productivity – What initiatives have you implemented that have positively impacted more than just the bottom line? 
  • Innovation and innovative thinking – How have you helped to transform your area via out of the box thinking and collaborating to better service your industry? 

Please note judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above i.e. industry accreditation, commitment to their ongoing education, involvement in the life insurance industry than just their own organisation attending seminars, webinars, claim/underwriting/rehabilitations outcomes, strong customer satisfaction scores surveys/research etc.


05. David Mico Education Award 

This special award will be presented to an ALUCA member who has excelled in their ongoing professional development in life insurance via education over and above business as usual and can demonstrate this for the last 12 months. Open to all life industry professionals – including product and CMO’s. 

The winner can clearly provide proof of their excellence in life insurance education or professional development in the past 12 months: 

  • Evidence of self-directed learning and advancing a deep knowledge of the required life insurance skills and competencies over and above on the job training. 
  • Application of knowledge and increased capabilities to benefit the industry. This could be via their engagement with stakeholders to help affect a notable change that benefits the industry’s standing in the eyes of the public, such as via workshops, seminars etc. 
  • Innovation and innovative thinking – how have you transformed your area via out of the box thinking to better service your industry with your increased knowledge?  

Please note judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above i.e. examples of new developments across the industry, increased learning and recognition with others not just in your own organisation, industry education and examples of ongoing education you have attended in the last 12 months – seminars, online activities etc. 


TEAM AWARDS 

Team awards recognise the achievements of groups of ALUCA members working together to reach great outcomes.

06. Underwriting Team Award 

Open to any life insurance or reinsurance underwriting team. The judges will be looking for an underwriting team that can demonstrate a combination of some or all of the following over and above business as usual. 

Judged as going above and beyond their role requirements as an underwriting team with examples that demonstrate all or some of the following: 

  • Underwriting development initiative/s that the team have either developed, improved or implemented to provide exceptional underwriting outcomes that went beyond business-as-usual and how this was achieved in the last 12 months? 
  • Demonstrated stakeholder engagement or collaborative use of partnerships to deliver outstanding and memorable customer service/stakeholder outcomes 
  • Innovation and innovative thinking – How has the team transformed your area to better service your industry? i.e. Use of innovative thinking and or technology in underwriting to streamline internal systems or processes to the mutual benefit of the team, their business, customers and the wider insurance industry 
  • Team professional development – how have you increased the professionalism of the team to help transform your area and provide strong underwriting outcomes to better service your industry?  

Please note judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above i.e. strong satisfaction scores, life insurance underwriting outcomes, testimonials, professional accreditation and ongoing education of team, strong stakeholder engagement, use of data/surveys/research etc.  

07. Claims Team Award 

Open to any life insurance or reinsurance, super funds claim team. The judges will be looking for a life insurance claims team that can demonstrate some or all of the following over and above business as usual. 

The winning team can clearly provide proof of their excellence in life insurance claims performance in the past 12 months:  

  • Claims team development initiative/s -What claims initiative/s has the team implemented in the last 12 months that have positively impacted more than just the bottom line and aligned to the organisational strategy? 
  • Demonstrated stakeholder engagement – with claimants/business partners to keep them informed and up to date 
  • Use of innovative thinking/technology/collaboration – How has the team transformed your area to better service your industry? i.e. Use of innovative thinking and or technology in claims to streamline internal systems or processes to the mutual benefit of the team, their business, customers and the wider insurance industry 
  • Team professional development – how have you increased the professionalism of the team to help transform your area and provide strong claims outcomes to better service your industry? 

Please note judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above i.e. strong customer satisfaction scores, strong stakeholder satisfaction scores, team’s commitment to ongoing professional development/number who are accredited/claims outcomes/surveys/research etc.  


08. Customer Service Team Award 

Open to any life insurer, reinsurer or service provider team who are setting new standards in customer service and engagement over and above business as usual.   

  • Customer service development initiative/s that the team have either developed, improved or implemented to provide exceptional customer service and customer outcomes that went beyond business-as-usual and how this was achieved in the last 12 months. Must be able to demonstrate continued customer engagement rather than isolated instances. 
  • Demonstrated stakeholder engagement or collaborative use of partnerships to deliver outstanding and memorable customer service/stakeholder outcomes   
  • Use ofinnovative thinking or technology– Innovation and outside the box thinking in addressing customer needs or issues i.e. responding with innovation to the benefit of the customer and market.    
  • Team professional development– how have you increased the professionalism of the team to help transform your area to make the customer journey smoother and/or increased customer engagement to better service your industry?   

Please note judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above whether those customers are in business-to-business or business-to-consumer relationships i.e. strong customer satisfaction scores, evidence of consistent levels of service, claims/rehabilitation/underwriting etc. outcomes/surveys/research, ongoing team professional development specific to customer service capabilities/knowledge, examples of going the extra mile for the customer etc.  


09. Innovation Team Award 

Open to any life insurer, reinsurer or service provider team setting new standards in life insurance innovation over and above business as usual which could be in process, product, service, technology, data, media etc. Covering both business-to-consumer and business-to-business relationships.  

  • Use of innovative thinking or technology – demonstrated examples of innovation and outside the box thinking in addressing customer/stakeholder needs or issues  
  • What innovation initiative/s has the team developed/implemented in the last 12 months that has positively impacted more than just the bottom line and aligned to the organisational strategy?  
  • Industry innovative contribution – how the innovation has contributed towards the transformation of their area/sector i.e. the impact to the organisation and/or life insurance industry.
  • Team professional development – how have you increased the professional development of the team and fostered innovative/out of the box thinking to address challenges or customer needs via their ongoing professional development?   

Please note judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above with evidence that the innovation is original, with evidence of success with the innovation. This may include data to show improved strong customer satisfaction scores, claims and or underwriting and or rehabilitation outcomes/surveys/research/efficiency gains, quality or accuracy of data improvements, improved customer engagement and personalisation via service improvements, technology use, social media, mobile technology, process improvements, product improvements, new service delivery, customer service etc.


10. Sustainability Team Award

A award category, open to any life insurer, reinsurer or service provider team setting new standards in life insurance sustainability. This can be based around ESG — also known as sustainability — which is made up of environmental, social and governance factors, or around the ongoing sustainability of the industry. 

  • Sustainability development/initiative– demonstrated examples of sustainability that the team have either developed, improved, or implemented to provide sustainability outcomes that went beyond business as usual and how this was achieved in the last 12 months. Must be able to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to initiative, not just a one off. 
  • Demonstrated stakeholder engagement or collaborative use of partnerships to deliver outstanding sustainability outcomes   
  • What sustainability initiative/s has the team developed/implemented in the last 12 months that has positively impacted more than just the bottom line and aligned to the organisational strategy?
  • Industry innovative contribution – how the initiative has contributed towards industry sustainability from either an environmental, governance or social perspective, and how this has transformed their area/sector i.e. the impact to the organisation and/or life insurance industry.   
  • Team professional development – how have you increased the professional development of the team and fostered thinking around industry sustainability, including the importance of environmental, social and governance issues via their ongoing professional development?    

Please note judges are looking for tangible outcomes with examples and proof points that support the above, with evidence that the initiative is original, with evidence of success and may include data to show and support this with any ESG indicators etc.

AWARD PRIZES

All finalists and winners will be able to use the ALUCA designated Life Insurance Excellence Award logo for their category and the year the award was won. 

David Mico Award winner to receive a cash prize of AUD $1,000. 

All winners to receive an ALUCA Life Insurance Excellence Award trophy for their category and the year the award was won. 

JUDGING PANEL

The judging panel will comprise of key cross industry leaders and senior industry professionals.

AWARD NOMINATION RULES 

1. The submission must relate from 01.01.2022 to 31.12.2022.

2. The awards are open to all members of ALUCA regardless of country of residence. Each entrant must be a CURRENT financial member of ALUCA one month prior to their application. Entrants must work in the life insurance industry. Individual entry is not open to members of the ALUCA National Board.

3. As a condition of entry, an entrant accepts these terms and conditions and any rules, policies or procedures that may be adopted by ALUCA from time to time. ALUCA may change, amend or vary these terms and conditions and may extend the period of, or cancel, the Life Insurance Excellence Awards without notice. All details are strictly confidential.

4. Members of ALUCA who wish to participate in the Awards must submit all documents via the link in the Members Centre by Thursday 30th March 2023 at 5.00pm AEDT. Entries will only be accepted by submitting via the Members Centre/Awards link.

5. Entrants in the Awards must submit a written paper (not exceeding 1,250 words in length) addressing each of the key award criteria. Each entrant must include the word count on the application form and at the bottom of their paper. The judges may at their discretion, direct that over-length papers be returned to entrants prior to judging and subsequently accept those papers for judging if they are modified to the word limit.

6. The entrant must certify that they meet the conditions and that their employer has no objection to the paper being entered.

7. ALUCA accepts no liability for late, lost or misdirected entries.

8. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable and no prize can be taken solely in cash except for the David Mico Education Award.

9. The Judges’ decision is final and is strictly confidential.

10. Liability for any tax on any benefits provided to entrants pursuant to the Award is the sole responsibility of the entrant.

11. The winners for each award category will be published on the ALUCA website and other potential media sources. The entrant accepts these conditions and gives permission for publishing of their name and/or photos.

12. The judging panel may decide that there are insufficient entries which meet the minimum expectations/criteria within a category. A category may be withdrawn under such circumstances.