Q & A with Stéphane Baj, Head of Accident, Health & Travel

Stéphane Baj, Head of Accident, Health and Travel discusses his past experience in the market, collaboration, and priorities for the next 12 months. 

 

Stéphane, we've recently announced that all new Retail and Commercial  A&H travel opportunities will be reviewed through your A&H unit, creating one point of contact to streamline our service. What excites you most about this? 

In the Commercial Insurance space, Accident & Health is an area where Zurich has grown a lot in recent years, but we still have room to grow in the UK compared to long-established key American competitors.

With the huge development of the Retail travel portfolio, in particular thanks to our successful partnership with the market leading leisure travel MGA our combined Accident and Travel book positions Zurich at the forefront of the UK company markets.

This is a unique opportunity to demonstrate our own capabilities and expertise which not only matches but has the potential to surpass our competitors. Here are just some exciting prospects that help keep us top of our game:

• Excellence of our pricing teams
• Breadth of our product and benefits, focused on creating product differentiation through positive customer outcomes, unique benefits and a digital service experience

• Strong partnerships with stakeholders, including Emergency Assistance Service providers and Claims TPAs to deliver standout customer and partner experience

Collaboration is key to success. How do you see teams working together more closely now, and what opportunities does this create?

Collaboration has always been part of our culture - just look at how our Commercial Accident & Health team initially underwrote a giant travel MGA and introduced them to Zurich Retail, now one of Zurich’s largest distribution partners, and how our personal lines team referred a large and successful online bank cardholders travel insurance programme to Commercial Accident and Health, now a top customer.

The big shift is that by offering one voice to the market, and proactively engaging with our business partners, we aim to amplify opportunities in both quantity and quality. We want to fly the Zurich Accident & Travel flag higher than ever before as we leverage our collective expertise - across our claims teams and emergency assistance providers, pricing, Cover-More’s acquisition of AIG Travel and TravelGuard, distribution, and governance - more seamlessly than ever.

Can you share a bit about your own background and experience in the insurance industry?

I spent 18 years in business development roles for large international travel emergency medical assistance providers such as Allianz Assistance and International SOS. For the last 18 years, I've focused on the Accident, Health and Travel underwriting side - 13 of which were with a competitor where I led the European Accident and Health business from Paris. I moved to Zurich Insurance in London in 2020 - and it's been the most exciting years of my career!

What would you be doing if you weren't working in the insurance industry?

I guess I would either still be working in the industry of travel medical and security emergency services or would have joined the tourism and hospitality industry. But who knows, you're not always guided by reason, are you!

What are some of the most significant trends you’re seeing in the Accident, Health and Travel insurance markets right now?

We're seeing increased commoditisation in the commercial Accident insurance market, driven by large brokers. At the same time, there's a stronger focus on customer care and customer experience in all business and consumer areas. Digitalisation is transforming both distribution and customer engagement. Importantly, the strong attention to customer outcomes and customer experience in Retail will set the direction for commercial insurance trends going forward.

How is Zurich adapting its products and services to respond to changing customer needs in these areas?

Zurich's culture is deep rooted in customer value and customer centricity which is something that sets us apart. We invest significant effort into refining policy wordings, testing claims scenarios, and ensuring fair value. This translates into innovation in benefits and services, including the digitalisation of our customer journey. Ultimately, it allows us to deliver greater value and efficiency to our clients.

What in your opinion makes Zurich stand out in the market?

In addition to my previous answer, I would say that amongst other core values of Zurich, our people take pride in what they do and that makes a real difference. What makes Zurich stand out? It's our people.

Looking ahead, what are your main priorities in the next 12 months?

I am focused on balancing the ambitions of our 3-year growth plan with strong financial performance. I'm excited to drive our One Accident and Travel market engagement initiative forward while ensuring our team has the best opportunities to develop and succeed.

• Share this article by email