Why They Won. And How to Win Next Year. Protection Review Awards 2021
Protection Review 2021: Why they won… and how to win next year
The judging day was held in September and took five hours, which was on top of reading the entries and checking sources, websites, social media etc.
As usual, the industry votes help to decide the shortlists. And combined with the written entries, the views and opinions of the judges decide the overall winners.
We’d like to thank our guest judges this year: Emma Thomson, Adam Higgs, Monica Garcia, Katie Crook-Davies and Zanele Sibanda.
2021 WINNERS
Best Care & Support Experience in association with Protection Guru
The judges said this award is not just about having the best service – but also about making sure as many people know about it as possible. Having the best service is secondary if advisers and customers don’t know about it. Combined with a very strong entry and positive adviser feedback, our winner is very strong in terms of both the services provided but also shouting about it.
WINNER: AIG:
Best Use & Promotion of Health & Wellbeing Services by an Adviser in association with AIG Life
The judges said this intermediary firm had made a big step forward in creating a new way of promoting services to clients. Advisers often challenge insurers to do more but much potential for advisers to do more to and our winner is a good example of that in creating a new way of promoting services to clients.
WINNER: Assured Futures
Innovation Award in association with Gen Re
Described as a ‘godsend’, market disruptor and praised for thinking differently. The move to introduce Underwrite Later is what innovation is all about, and Protection Review has already awarded the winner the iMark for this initiative. The judges said recognising innovation isn’t always about waiting five years to see if something is successful, it’s about being brave enough to try something different.
WINNER: Royal London
Best New Product or Enhancement in association with CI Expert
The judges said while others have tinkered with simplifying critical illness cover while broadening coverage, this company has gone further than any others so far. The judges felt this year’s winner was forward-thinking in providing solutions to some of the key challenges impacting the CI market. While others have talked and tinkered with simplifying cover while broadening coverage, this company has significantly improved its coverage for neurological conditions amongst others.
WINNER: AIG
Individual Protection Adviser of the Year in association with Scottish Widows
The judges said this was a particularly strong category to judge where most of the shortlist could easily be winners. Our winner though submitted an excellent entry that demonstrated a strong dedication to income protection.
WINNER: Naomi Greatorex, Heath Protection Solutions
Doing it Better Award in association with National Friendly
This was an incredibly strong category, which is evidence by having three highly commended firms. Our winner demonstrated a strong belief in changing behaviours, engraining a culture that improves the working environment for their people while also improving service to customers.
WINNER: LifeSearch
Young Achiever Award in association with Zurich
The judges said this was a strong and personal entry that promoted income protection while paying close attention to the entry criteria.
WINNER: Amy Jenney, Cura Financial Services
Protection Intermediary of the Year in association with Vitality
The judges said this year’s winner combined strong statistics with excellence across a range of areas including training, referrals, and signposting.
WINNER: Future Proof
Health Insurance Adviser of the Year in association with Vitality
The judges said sometimes the best ideas are the simple ones and this year’s winner showed that in a strong entry about implanting a number of ways to ensure clients make the most of their policy benefits.
WINNER: Regency Health
Unsung Hero Award in association with Guardian
Our winner has worked tirelessly for many years to improve our industry and submitted a very strong entry with great endorsements to back up some incredibly good work in recent years behind the scenes.
WINNER: Ruth Gilbert
Underwriting & Claims Award in association with Hannover Re
Which insurer has been the fairest and most flexible for underwriting and paying claims? Our winner submitted a very good entry combined with evidenced support for advisers and received 44% of the adviser only vote.
WINNER: Royal London
Best Adviser Marketing by an Insurer in association with LifeSearch
Our winner has tonnes of great marketing combined with a strong entry and good stats to back it up. As one judge said, when it comes to marketing sometimes you have to focus on the sausage but sell the sizzle.
WINNER: AIG
Protection Journalist of the Year in association with HSBC Life
The judges said that this year’s winner understands the importance of protection and has put protection back on the map at one of the leading publications in the industry.
WINNER: Katey Pigden, Money Marketing
Personality of the Year in association Cloud Insurance
The judges said personality can influence a market in different ways. Sometimes it is behind the scenes, others can be very public. Either way, it’s all about standing out from the crowd and making a difference. This year we wanted to recognise someone who does exactly that on social media to the overall benefit of consumers and the industry.
WINNER: Robyn Allen, Robyn Allen Solutions
Organisation of the year:
The best entries, the most votes, the most awards won on the night and not a bad word to say from advisers, they may not be the biggest insurer but all things considered it was hard to decide against this year’s winner.
WINNER: AIG
Lifetime achievement
Our winner tonight has been driving change and growth in protection distribution for his entire career.
He has led the sales teams for some of the industry’s most successful and innovative brands as is a fierce customer champion.
A straight talker, he has never been afraid to challenge distribution models, actuarial thinking, product development and reinsurance arrangements to achieve the best outcomes for all concerned.
Starting out in Pensions at Guardian Royal Exchange, he quickly moved to into sales at Legal and General as a “Life Inspector” which is what they used to call “Broker Consultants” back then.
It was at Scottish Provident as Head of Field Sales that his specialism in protection distribution began with the mutual’s decision to become a protection specialist. After Scottish Provident demutualised, he was one of the founding directors of Bright Grey which quickly became another force to be reckoned with in the UK protection market. He then returned to a reincarnated Guardian brand to again launch a new and challenging protection proposition.
And just when we thought he’d retired to take up permanent residence on his favourite golf course, he’s recently been appointed as interim Director of Distribution and Sales at Cirencester Friendly.
WINNER: Andy Peters
How to win next year?
- Read and respond to the entry criteria
- Stick to the format and word count
- Back up your claims as best you can with evidence, stats, testimonials & more
And for a bit of fun – check out this video by Kevin Carr.
https://carrcandc.co.uk/news-and-media/top-ten-tips-on-writing-better-award-entries
Liked this article? You’ll probably love our other posts.
Subscribe here to get impartial expert protection insights delivered right to your inbox.