press releases
Top SGI official thanks agencies for hard work
June 14, 2023
Sagicor General Insurance Trinidad & Tobago Limited (SGI) recently held its agency awards ceremony at the Trinidad Hilton in Port of Spain. The 2022 achievements of its top corporate and individual agents, as well as the company’s long service awardees, were acknowledged by SGI’s president and CEO, Keston Howell in his welcome address.
He said, “I am pleased this evening to be able to join in toasting and celebrating excellence and I extend congratulations to all our evening’s nominees and awardees. Thank you for your invaluable contributions in 2022. I am exceedingly grateful for all the hard work you have put in and Sagicor General is better for it.”
The insurance executive said these achievements occurred against a backdrop of a hardening reinsurance market and an intensely competitive environment. “Reinsurance rates have been increasing over the last few years and this hard market environment is expected to continue into 2024. This perfect storm has been created by the combination of global catastrophe losses, inflationary concerns, climate change fears and increasing interest rates. These factors are driving capital out of the reinsurance market and is impacting available capacity for our region.”
It is against this environment that Howell urged awardees to focus on customer service. “We must make a special effort at wowing the customer. We at SGI must be known for our superior customer service, and you are our partners on this journey. The saying goes that quality is remembered long after price is forgotten. By consistently wowing the customer we will emphasise value as opposed to price and by doing so, create brand advocates through our customers.”
He ended the address by reminding the top professionals that “Great brands are built via establishing emotional connections with clients. Sagicor is a great brand.”
One of the event’s big repeat winners was TLS Financial Services Ltd, headed by Timothy Sooklal, who not only captured six awards (top agency of the year, new business all classes, silver; agency of the year, total gross written premium (GWP), new and renewals, silver; highest volume of new applications; highest GWP for one policy; and highest retention) but also the night’s highest accolade—top agency of the year (new business).
He said, “I am pleased this evening to be able to join in toasting and celebrating excellence and I extend congratulations to all our evening’s nominees and awardees. Thank you for your invaluable contributions in 2022. I am exceedingly grateful for all the hard work you have put in and Sagicor General is better for it.”
The insurance executive said these achievements occurred against a backdrop of a hardening reinsurance market and an intensely competitive environment. “Reinsurance rates have been increasing over the last few years and this hard market environment is expected to continue into 2024. This perfect storm has been created by the combination of global catastrophe losses, inflationary concerns, climate change fears and increasing interest rates. These factors are driving capital out of the reinsurance market and is impacting available capacity for our region.”
It is against this environment that Howell urged awardees to focus on customer service. “We must make a special effort at wowing the customer. We at SGI must be known for our superior customer service, and you are our partners on this journey. The saying goes that quality is remembered long after price is forgotten. By consistently wowing the customer we will emphasise value as opposed to price and by doing so, create brand advocates through our customers.”
He ended the address by reminding the top professionals that “Great brands are built via establishing emotional connections with clients. Sagicor is a great brand.”
One of the event’s big repeat winners was TLS Financial Services Ltd, headed by Timothy Sooklal, who not only captured six awards (top agency of the year, new business all classes, silver; agency of the year, total gross written premium (GWP), new and renewals, silver; highest volume of new applications; highest GWP for one policy; and highest retention) but also the night’s highest accolade—top agency of the year (new business).
