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Frank Fletcher
Mob: 07855 946538 Email: frank@onbeam.com
Why do new products and services fail when they are brought to market? Why do business partnerships and distribution alliances simply not deliver the results hoped for? Usually these initiatives have been well researched before implementation, but clearly something was missing from the project plan when the marketing mix or the business strategy was devised. Frank is a specialist in strategy development, with wide-ranging experience in distribution issues, particularly those relating to financial services providers and distributors. He works from the premise that, in order to reach the end consumer cost-effectively, provider and distributor/advisory businesses must work extremely hard to understand how best to work together and develop approaches to each other in order to 'make it happen'. For example, this may involve both qualitative and quantitative research among sophisticated audiences such as Employee Benefit Consultants and actuaries, where Frank's skills have in the past enabled clients, not only to gather useful data, but also be able to interpret it correctly.
Research of this nature requires not only the careful formulation of questions but also access to the most senior decision makers in the target sample of respondents. Frank has worked with a wide range of clients, both in his current venture, Widewater Consulting, and in his role as a Senior Consultant with the Actuarial & Benefits Consultants Watson Wyatt. These have included research and market-entry strategies for blue chip European, US, Australian and Asian financial services providers, mutual insurers, friendly societies, a pension trustee service provider and a disability insurer. Frank holds a BA (Honours) degree in Industrial Economics and is a recent past Chairman of the Investment and Life Assurance Group, the leading practitioner-based financial services association in the UK. |
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Karin Lloyd
Tel: 07804 306126 Email: karin@onbeam.com
Since becoming a Strategic and Technical Claims Consultant in 2006, Karin has developed a personal philosophy as to how organisations should manage claims processes more strategically.
Purchasers of insurance products which provide ‘protection’ (whether they are individuals or employers) are entering a relationship that is based on trust – the primary evidence that this trust was justified being the accurate, speedy and empathetic payment of all valid claims.
Is the customer’s relationship with their insurer really a linear one, with a ‘front end’ (product development, sales and underwriting) and a ‘back end’ (claims settlement)? In her view all of these elements must constantly feed into one another in order to ensure that the customer not only receives a benefit payment but also that:
- They understand fully what they are purchasing
- They are very satisfied with what they receive and the claiming process they went through
- They believe that the price they paid was fair and reasonable
Incidences of claims payment produce a number of very valuable opportunities.
Firstly, they reveal evidence of what has worked and what has not. Frequent disputes may indicate a range of problems, for example poor sales practices, unclear documentation or tardy claims processing. These are issues that go to the heart of brand value and reputation.
Secondly, both positive and negative feedback can provide detailed intelligence to inform product design and sales practices. This capture of customer experiences in an organised fashion can be leveraged for competitive advantage by insurers who are prepared to invest in it.
Thirdly, claimants who have had a positive experience can become the best possible advocates for an insurer’s brand – even more important now with the growth of social networks where positive (and negative) experiences are shared by literally thousands of people on a daily basis.
In other words, Karin’s philosophy is that any strategy for managing a claims team must not only include the need for operational efficiency and cost control, it must also pay attention to the other developmental opportunities that arise because of the unique customer-facing role that claims professionals perform.
Karin has experience, not only in the UK, but in other highly developed markets such as the USA and Australia, providing expertise on specific products, developing auditing frameworks, carrying out operational reviews, assisting with a new company start-up, and helping in strategic planning and Income Protection quality standard development. Have a look at the case studies section for two other examples of projects Karin has worked on, the Law Commission Review and a Global Claims Technology Survey and Strategic Report.
Prior to making the leap into consultancy she spent the majority of her career with the global reinsurer Swiss Re, where she set up and managed the UK team’s first dedicated Claims department and was also a senior member of the Global Underwriting and Claims team, designing and developing a range of web-based tools to support claims decision-making and best practice. This background has included both underwriting and claims work in life, income protection, critical illness, permanent disability insurances, and long term care provision.
She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Income Protection Task Force. This is an industry body consisting of advisers, benefit consultants, insurers, reinsurers and specialist lawyers which seeks to promote the value of income protection insurance to individuals, companies and government. She is also an Associate Member of the UK Health Claims Forum and the Australian Life Underwriting and Claims Association (ALUCA). Away from claims she can mostly be found singing on the terraces of Anfield or attempting to get to grips with playing jazz flute. |
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John Gillman
Mob: 07930 274349 Email: john@onbeam.com
John is an independent consultant specialising in health-related risk in the workplace – but what is ‘health-related’ risk and why is it important?
All employers know that they have duties with regard to the health of the people working for them and how they should deal with an employee who becomes sick or disabled. Sometimes these duties can be enforced by statute (such as Equality law) and others have developed over the years as a result of cases that have come before the courts (such as the duty of care). Alongside these legal requirements, however, are other imperatives relating to health, for example:
- Managing the direct and indirect cost of sickness absence
- The effect on the business of a key person being unable to perform their role
- The challenge of dealing with sensitive issues such as an employee who has developed a mental health problem
- The need to maintain operational effectiveness whilst still treating employees who can no longer work fairly, consistently, compassionately and in a manner that does not result in litigation.
Despite the fact that the legal obligations have been around a long time, and that ‘managing absence’ is hardly a new subject, employers sometimes still find it difficult to get to grips with employee health issues, perhaps even finding themselves in court having to justify their actions.
John believes that at the root of these problems are a number of misunderstandings, among them being:
- That a sickness absence policy can cover every eventuality – in fact, it is a mistake to conflate sickness with disability. A person can be sick but not disabled and, crucially, disabled but not sick
- That impairment is usually visible, obvious and will inevitably result in absence
- That line managers will always do their best to get an absent employee back into work, and that providing training for managers in managing absence will inevitably improve attendance and reduce risk
These misunderstandings can have serious consequences - financial, legal and reputational.
Insurance can have a major role to play in managing health-related risk, as can ensuring that other resources (such as occupational health support and counselling) are deployed in a coordinated fashion. Lack of coordination can result in unnecessary expense and unsatisfactory outcomes (for both employer and employee).
John can help you devise strategies which address the issues surrounding employee health. His previous experience in this area has included the design of employee benefits, the formulation of policies for addressing disability and the management of sickness absence duration. He has also advised insurance companies looking to set up business in the UK, his work in this area covering market analysis, distribution systems, product design and social and economic overviews. As an Expert Witness he is very familiar with the operation of the Group Income Protection market and its development over the last 20 years.
Since 2002, John and other members of the Onbeam team worked with numerous organisations They have included employers (both in the private and public sectors) as well as insurers, reinsurers, brokers and consulting firms who practice (or aspire to practice) in this area.
Prior to 2002 John held senior roles in Cigna, Noble Lowndes, and Watson Wyatt (now Towers Watson) where he managed the Health & Risk Consulting practice.
John currently sits on the board of two companies. Health Claims Bureau Group (which specialises in absence duration management) and Radar Promotions Limited (the commercial arm of the Royal Association for Disability Rights). He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Income Protection Task Force - an industry body consisting of advisers, benefit consultants, insurers, reinsurers and specialist lawyers which seeks to promote the value of income protection insurance to individuals, companies and government.
John holds an Honours Degree in Law and has been designated a Chartered Insurance Practitioner (ACII) by the Chartered Insurance Institute. In 2007 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. |
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Dr Phil Friend OBE
Mob: 07774 944246 Email: phil@onbeam.com
Phil Friend himself a wheelchair user, is acknowledged as the UK's foremost consultant on disability matters. A powerful and highly popular communicator, his company – Phil & Friends - provides both consultancy and training support to many of the country's best-known employers, including:
Accenture, Barclays, BBC, Buckingham Palace, Cabinet Office, Department of Work & Pensions, Ernst & Young, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Hertfordshire University, ITV, KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group, NHS Blood and Transplant and the Royal Mail. In addition to his professional activities, he is also a respected champion for equal opportunities and diversity in general, where his special blend of humour and direct speaking has won admirers from around the world. Phil has made board presentations and speeches and provided consultancy on a wide range of disability and diversity related topics in the UK.
He has also worked on disability and diversity projects in Estonia, Romania, Germany, Canada and the USA. He was awarded an OBE in 2001 for services to equal opportunities and disabled people and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in February 2007. Phil has had a number of articles published and is a regular contributor on national/local television and radio, he has also appeared in several video productions commissioned by Sky, the Employer’s Forum on Disability, Tourist Boards, Manweb and Angel Productions.
His passionate commitment is to create a more equitable life for everyone by illustrating the practical and realistic steps that can be taken by both businesses and individuals to make a real difference. In addition, he is a director of Dining with a Difference and the All Inclusive Dining Club. Phil is also very active with a number of voluntary organisations. He is the Chair of the Royal Association for Disability and Rights (RADAR), a member of the National Employment Panel, chair of the Able to Work Committee, a member of the London Development Agency’s Equality and Diversity Committee and a member of the Association of Disabled Professionals. He is also an associate of the Employer's Forum on Disability, a Churchill Fellow, and a former chair of the Independent Advisory Group for Surrey Police.
Phil writes a weekly blog, just click on this link www.philandfriends.co.uk/news.html
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