Manie Booysen, CEO of the FIA
Since launching in 1998, the annual Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa (FIA) Awards ceremony has grown in stature and is now recognized as one of the most prestigious and much-anticipated events on the insurance industry’s calendar.
The awards provide intermediaries with the opportunity to recognise the leading product suppliers in the financial services industry at an annual gala banquet that regularly attracts more than 1 000 guests from around the country.
According to Manie Booysen, CEO of the FIA, this year promises to be no exception. “The awards are an important tool with which the intermediary industry is able to both pay recognition to and honour those providers in the industry who provide excellent service to clients.
The 2011 FIA Awards will be held on Thursday, 9 June at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
The FIA’s Awards Committee presents awards in the following nine categories:
1. Short-Term Insurer of the Year – Personal Lines
2. Short-Term Insurer of the Year – Commercial Lines
3. Short-Term Insurer of the Year – Corporate
4. Long-Term Insurer of the Year – Risk Product
5. Long-Term Insurer of the Year – Recurring Savings Products
6. Investment Product Supplier of the Year – Retail Investments
7. Health Care Product Supplier of the Year
8. Employee Benefits Product Supplier of the Year
9. Underwriting Manager of the Year
Ahead of the awards ceremony, the FIA appoints an independent research company to conduct a customer satisfaction survey among the association’s member intermediaries. The three main criteria which form the basis of this satisfaction survey include assessments of product quality, service quality and relationship quality.
This survey is conducted solely among members of the FIA and their employees and because the research constitutes a customer satisfaction survey, it is based on their perception of the criteria mentioned above.
The comprehensive and detailed results will only be made available to those who participated in the survey. Participants will be able to review:
§ The respective participating company’s score in each category and sub-category
§ The industry average within each category and sub-category
§ The highest score in each category and sub-category
Booysen says access to this information will enable product providers to determine how they scored against the winner as well as provide an industry average in each category. “We hope that product providers use this information to assist them in recognizing those areas in which they need to improve and those in which they are performing well.”
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