admin, Author at Tycoon Success

4 types of business insurance you need as a startup entrepreneur

As a startup entrepreneur, there’s every reason to protect your business against uncertainties. From property damage to car accidents, a disaster can hit anytime, and the only way to prevent heavy financial losses is by buying business insurance.

Many business insurance policies exist. However, as a startup in Edmonton, there are four vital ones you need to have:

General liability insurance

Business income insurance

Vehicle insurance

Home-based business insurance

We discuss them below:

General liability insurance

General liability insurance covers a wide range of claims against your company, including personal injury, bodily injury, property damage, and product defects. It’s a broad coverage for general business risks.

Every business in Edmonton should have some form of general liability insurance as there’s a good chance of running into one of the myriads of liabilities it covers. Since the policy will vary depending on your business features and the tendency for liability, you should ideally get in touch with an Edmonton Insurance Broker. They can help find the most affordable liability policy that at least matches your business needs.

Vehicle insurance

If your company has a fleet, those vehicles need to be insured to protect your business against liability in the event of an auto crash. At the very least, businesses should insure against third-party injuries during a car accident. In that case, your business won’t have to pay for the injured party’s medical bills and losses from your company account. Notwithstanding, comprehensive auto insurance will also cover damages to the company vehicle.

Granted, employees who use their own cars will be covered by their personal insurance during an accident. But the stakes are different if they’re delivering goods or services for your business when the accident occurs.

Business income insurance

Suppose a natural disaster occurs, destroying a commercial property, the company and its employees would be unable to work and make an income.

Business income insurance covers loss of income suffered when there’s damage to the commercial property, leading to suspension of business operations. With the insurance payout, you and your employees may be able to weather the storm. Business income insurance is also known as business interruption insurance.

Home-based business insurance

If you operate a home-based business, note that your homeowners insurance provides very limited coverage, and that’s if it provides at all. Some homeowners insurance policies do not cover business property or equipment stored in the home.

So if you work from home with valuable office equipment, it’s wise to purchase more comprehensive coverage through a homeowners policy endorsement or an in-home business policy. Otherwise, ask your home insurer to cover your equipment and inventory at an added cost to you. An insurance broker can also help you navigate the options and determine what’s best for you.

Final thoughts

Other business insurance policies are available, including Business owner’s policy, Professional liability insurance, and Product liability insurance. But as a startup or SMB, having the four major insurance policies discussed above are enough to get you up and running with peace of mind. Of course, nothing stops you from buying more coverage as your unique business requires. No two businesses are the same. Better still, talk to an experienced insurance broker to know the options best suited for you.

Eric Wong: Making Healthcare Accessible for Everyone

Meet Eric Wong, the Chief Marketing and Partnerships Distribution Officer of Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad (PAMB), a Malaysia-based leading and innovative insurance company, serving the savings, protection, and investment needs of Malaysians by offering a full range of financial solutions through its branches, agency force, and bancassurance distribution partners network across Malaysia.

Prudential’s purpose is to help people to get most out of their lives by making healthcare affordable and accessible, protecting people’s wealth, growing their assets, and empowering them to save for their goals. Founded in 1924, the organization has been around for nearly a century and is looking forward to being around for many more years to provide value for its customers- as a relevant, accessible, and inclusive insurance protection to all Malaysians. Prudential takes pride in itself as the most trusted life partner for health and protection solutions, the two key pillars that help its clients to live confidently.

With Malaysia facing 12% medical inflation, Prudential is actively educating Malaysians on the importance of medical and critical illness protection. In order to help Malaysians navigate through this, Prudential provides the best medical coverage that grows with the customer to ensure they get adequate protection throughout their lives. The organization also rewards its clients who have a claim-free year with a no claim benefit feature.

The Steadfast Leader

Eric completed his graduation from University Malaya with a major in Accounting. He started his career with a global FMCG brand, where he had the opportunity to hold both local and regional senior roles, covering the APAC market. Later in 2011, he moved into banking and started working with one of the world’s premier consumer banks.

Presently, as the Chief Marketing & Partnerships Distribution Officer for Prudential in Malaysia, Eric is responsible for the equity of the Prudential brand, ensuring in-depth understanding of our customers by delivering best in class products and services in various customer segments and driving the bancassurance business in Malaysia, in partnership with UOB and Standard Charted Bank in Malaysia.

A Customer-Centric Organization

“If I had to list my greatest accomplishments in Prudential, it would be how we truly understand our customers and use this insight to design our solutions and services that are centered on their needs,” Eric explained. “This purpose, to help people get the most out of life, also drives our CSR commitment to ensure underserved families and children can achieve financial resilience and peace of mind.”

Understanding Customers and Delivering on their Needs: As a forward-thinking company, Prudential knows that technology is the future and launched its AI-powered health and financial well-being app- Pulse by Prudential, in 2019. This app is crucial to Prudential’s multi-channel strategy to make healthcare more accessible and increase financial inclusion. It provides users access to services like health check, online doctor consultation to help them better manage their health needs, and digital wealth tools to make financial decisions simpler.
Products and Solutions Designed Around Customer Needs and Interests: Financial protection is not a top priority for most in Malaysia. Young Malaysians between 25-34 are least covered for health emergencies or the death of a partner, as they claim insurance is difficult to understand. This prompted Prudential to find compelling ways that resonate with young Malaysians on the need for financial protection. It eventually led to the launch of Prudential’s first standalone critical illness solution, PRUMy Critical Care, through which the organization wanted to raise the fact that critical illness protection is becoming more prevalent, and starting your journey on CI protection when young is essential. It deep-dived into specific challenges that young Malaysians were facing, their needs and wants from critical illness protection, and ways to articulate the content, which sparked their curiosity to find out more. It eventually prompted Prudential to take a bold step and collaborate with local influencers, who are also cancer survivors, to share their stories light-heartedly. This message instantly captured the young generation’s attention, as they could relate to the influencers, who they view as everyday people just like them.
Building Financial Resilience for Underserved Families and Children: Prudential also takes pride in its community investment to help Malaysians Building Financial Resilience for Underserved Families and Children: Prudential also takes pride in its community investment to help Malaysians.

Putting Customers at Heart

Prudential’s solutions and offerings are designed to keep customers’ best interests in mind. It is one of the first insurers to offer protection from 14 gestational weeks to medical solutions with auto increasing annual limit and a critical illness plan that covers mental health.

“We are one of the first insurers who launched a Total Pandemic Protection plan, so customers had enhanced protection during the pandemic. Today, customers will automatically enjoy Total Pandemic Protection when they sign up for any medical plans so they can live confidently during turbulent times,”- Eric said. “We recently launched a comprehensive 5-in-1 protection plan – PRUFirst that is tailored to Gen Zs who seek simple and easy-to-understand solutions. This solution provides Medical, Accident, Life/ Total Permanent Disability (TPD), and Payor benefits to protect Gen Zs against the financial impact of unexpected life events.”

Beyond providing the best-in-class protection plan, Prudential also started its digital transformation journey several years ago. When the pandemic first hit the country, it immediately pivoted its services to digital platforms to stay operational with minimal disruption. This includes facilities like e-claims, e-endorsements, and e-submissions. Additionally, the organization has launched the NextGen Underwriting Engine to perform a real-time risk assessment to shorten the policy application processing time. It constantly engages with its dedicated and committed agents, who are at the forefront as they continuously engage with current and potential customers.

Increasing Awareness

Eric believes although the awareness regarding the importance of insurance is rising, the take-up rate has remained the same for the last five years. As a member of the industry, Prudential will play an active role in educating its audience and developing more solutions and offerings in line with the market needs to protect more Malaysians.

It also intends to empower Malaysians with the knowledge to make informed financial decisions. In order to achieve that, Prudential has made concerted efforts to increase financial literacy through its financial education programs that start with children and are extended to youth and adults from underprivileged communities.

Looking at the Future

“By living our purpose of helping people get the most out of life – we remain steadfast in our commitment to making healthcare affordable, protecting our customer’s wealth, and growing their assets.”- Eric said.

In the future, Prudential will continue to provide the best health and protection solutions to meet its customers’ changing needs and to offer seamless customer experience through its new digital capabilities.

Redbot Security: Simulating Real-World Attacks Before they Become Real

Based in Denver, Colorado, Redbot Security is a boutique penetration testing firm with a Sr. Level Team of cybersecurity experts. The entire team of Redbot Security is passionate about delivering cost-effective solutions that consider customers’ goals and priorities first. Redbot’s innovative penetration techniques and strong knowledge of evolving security trends allow the company to effectively identify exploitable vulnerabilities in even the most complex systems. Each member of the engineering team has a wide range of system knowledge and skills, which enables the boutique firm to deliver unparalleled service. Redbot’s immensely expert team of engineers has the ability to test applications, IoT, IT networks, and OT networks, helping their clients secure and protect their critical systems and data. Redbot Security serves a wide range of clients, from Utilities to Manufacturing.

The Inception Story

Redbot was founded by developer Brian Stearns, who also created and launched the hospitality’s first connected VRML virtual tours in 1997. It included exclusive partnerships with some of the largest hotel brands. The pioneer product was the industry’s first 3-party virtual display platform, making it onto Travelocity and Expedia and changing how people booked hotels. Throughout his career, Stearns was instrumental in marketing and deploying various structured, aligned campaigns that have increased brand equity for multiple firms. Eventually, in 2016, Stearns recognized that the Penetration Testing Industry had a primarily legacy company-dominated mindset focused on ‘churn-and-burn’- style engagements, while many organizations leveraged inaccessible engineers outside of the U.S. So, in 2018, Stearns launched his own boutique penetration testing firm, Redbot Security.

Solving a Few of the Most Complex Issues

Brian Stearns developed his product and brand from the ground up to solve some of the industry’s most complex issues. Under his leadership, Redbot Security has achieved 200% growth during the last few years. The company has helped several fortune 500 companies and critical infrastructure clients while still servicing and supporting the SMB market.

Stearns is a hands-on entrepreneur who tirelessly works on finetuning the machine and ensuring that customers receive the industry’s best experience. Additionally, he focuses on keeping his team healthy and happy so they can enjoy the dynamic nature of work. A family-first environment is a priority, and the Redbot team continues to exceed expectations.

Now with the promotion of Andrew Bindner as Redbot Security’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), the organization has created industry-leading manual penetration testing. Andrew has developed Redbot Security’s team, helping to define new standards that will drive the next generation of security. He holds over two decades of hands-on security experience leading teams on highly technical engagements for a wide range of commercial and government organizations in IT and OT security, starting from network and web application security to reverse engineering of embedded devices and vehicles.

Andrew is also skilled in developing policies, procedures, and communications plans that have transitioned into new service offerings. He is an active security community leader/member who has developed Redbot Security’s penetration testing methodologies, security policies, attack tools, social engineering tactics, and application and IoT testing guidance.

Keeping Employees at the Forefront

In contrast to the cyber security industry, which struggles to find and retain top cybersecurity experts, Redbot Security has actually grown, creating an internal culture that prioritizes employee health, well being, offering competitive pay, flexible PTO, Full Medical and Auxiliary Benefits on start date, dynamic work, and most importantly, an opportunity to learn from the industry’s top engineers. Considering a very crowded, demanding calendar, Redbot Security’s culture has been designed to mitigate burnout. The organization offers flexible schedules so workers can prioritize their personal lives without worrying about losing their jobs or getting bad reviews when they experience life events, family crises, or health-related concerns.

Arivuvel Ramu: Spearheading Asia’s First Next-Gen Financial Experience Platform

Any conversation about South-East Asia is incomplete without talking about the blue-collar or gig workers. Every year thousands of workers and laborers migrate from countries like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Srilanka, Philippines to other countries in the Middle East and South- East Asia for a better livelihood. Once getting their job in those countries, these blue-collar workers send a part of their earnings in the form of cash or goods to support their families back home. These transfers are mostly known as migrant remittances, which are multiplying over the past few years, and now represent the largest source of foreign income for several developing countries.

However, it’s tough to estimate the amount of remittance flow each year, as most of them occur in unofficial channels. In most cases, unofficial channels don’t provide real-time funds transfers, and the amount gets settled periodically through a commercial bank. In several poor households, remittance may buy essential goods, healthcare, and education. In wealthier families, remittance may provide capital for starting a business. Sadly, most of these Blue Collar workers are either unserved or underserved by most of the legacy banks, which makes it impossible to improve their standard of living.

So, Arivuvel Ramu, a serial entrepreneur, founded Inypay, a Singapore-based fintech startup, to shake the digital transformation for the financial service industry by providing the best-in-class, API-driven, cost-effective, cloud-native, next-generation financial experience platform, and digital banking as a service platform over a Managed SaaS model.

Micro-lending, domestic payments, e-wallets, remittances, micro insurance, and customized group savings are the primary areas of concentration for Inypay. Presently the fintech startup employs over 30 employees in Singapore, Vietnam, and India and has plans to expand across five countries in South-East Asia.

The Steadfast Leader

Inypay’s CEO and Founder, Arivuvel Ramu, is a veteran industry leader with over two decades of tech industry expertise. He has led digital transformation programs for banks across South-East Asia, the Middle East, and North America. Arivuvel has spearheaded projects with DBS, UOB, Maybank, OCBC, Axis Bank, Citi India, Union Bank, China Bank, Bank Danamon, MAB, and NDB. He is also the mastermind behind Tonik Digital Bank, Philippines’ first neobank. During his time at Tonik, Arivuvel was responsible for concept and implementation, managing both the group and local banking entities and enabling Tonik’s growth to more than a billion USD.

Establishing the Company

Being a serial entrepreneur, Arivuvel recognized that none of the current solutions in the market cater to the needs of blue-collar workers, foreign domestic workers, and micro-SMEs in Southeast Asia.

“Inypay is Asia’s first next-gen financial experience platform (Neobank) which improves the underserved and unserved people in SEA and empowers women and micro SMEs.”

So, he decided to create a financial institution that could help improve the lives of the underserved and unbanked in South East Asia with a next-generation digital platform providing them with hyper-personalized financial experiences and digital-only products & services, which led to the inception of Inypay in December 2021.

Path Breaking Services

Under Arivuvel’s leadership, Inypay is entirely focused on three segments (Retail Mass affluent and emerging affluent, Blue-collars, and MicroSMEs). For Retail customers, the fintech company provides Digital Onboarding and eKYC automation, Micro Lending, Payments, Micro Insurance, Personalized savings and communal Savings, Cards, Wallets, and Realtime Remittance. For tourists, it provides Wallets and Cards, Seamless remittance/payments services. And for SMEs, Inypay provides Working Capital and Invoice financing services.Inypay’s lending process is driven through its state-of-the-art in-house intent-driven alternate credit scoring to tab the underserved/unserved markets with its unique decision engine algorithms.

Asian Business Environment

Arivuvel believes the Asian market desperately needs a reliable place to save and access their money, quickly send money to a loved one in their home country, get emergency cash in real-time, access reliable insurance and working capital, and invoice financing for Micro SMEs.

Looking at the Future

Inypay is now all set for the Inypay Singapore pilot launch in Q2 2023, Inypay Philippines pilot launch (Rural bank) in Q4 2023, and SME (invoice financing / digital onboarding) in Q2 2024.

“We are targeting to launch a neobank in Dec 2023. It will generate USD 200m revenue by 2026 with an 8m customer base and a USD 2b valuation,”– stated Arivuvel.

Signs You Must Invest In TikTok Marketing Strategy

TikTok is fast emerging as a popular social media marketing platform for young brands and established players alike. With millions of active global users, it is definitely a great venue to promote your products and business. But you may have some qualms about joining the bandwagon as it may increase your marketing spending. However, the move can serve immense benefits to your business in the long run, provided you time it well. Here are a few signs you must invest in a video marketing strategy sooner than later.

Sign #1- Your ideal customer is actually there

Ideally, a brand marketing plan should focus on the target audience to invest effort at the right places. So you must include TikTok into your social media strategy if your ideal customer is actually there on the platform. Start by researching your audience to identify your buyer persona and the platforms they frequent. It is surely a worthwhile investment if you find an audience match with TikTok.

Sign #2- Your competitors are there

Besides the presence of your ideal customers on TikTok, your competitors being there is another sign to consider it an ideal promotional platform. Check their strategies and understand how they are benefitting from their efforts. If your competitors are getting excellent results from TikTok marketing, you are surely missing out. Waiting any longer means they will already have a stronghold by the time you join the platform.

Sign #3- Your product is the right match

Another surefire sign to embrace TikTok marketing sooner than later is that the platform is an apt match for your product. Check whether your niche and products have a good selling potential on the platform. You can collaborate with a tiktok advertising agency to design a campaign and unlock the best results from the strategy. A creative campaign can help you reach your buyers, sell your products, and generate brand awareness.

Sign #4- You feel an authentic connection

You must absolutely integrate TikTok into your marketing plan if you feel an authentic connection with it. An authentic connection implies suitability for your message and brand. For example, your campaigns should resonate with the target audience to create an emotional rapport. You can even experiment with a small campaign initially to decide if there is a real connection, good enough to go full throttle.

Sign #5- You can commit for the long haul

Gauge your commitment level to the new platform before integrating it into your marketing plan. TikTok campaigns require consistent effort, from creating good content to posting regularly and tracking results. You cannot expect to grow your following and build a community unless you are willing to invest the effort for the long haul. Alternatively, you can outsource expertise to run your campaigns and unlock the opportunity for your business.

TikTok marketing is an excellent addition to brand promotions. However, you may feel apprehensive about diving in as a first-timer. Follow these signs, and join the bandwagon sooner than later if you see one or more of them.

How to train your team to be better at sales?

Building a sales team can be a challenging process, especially if you’re working with freshers or contracting professionals. This can be due to their varied backgrounds or processes. However, it is a sales manager’s responsibility of bringing them together into a cohesive unit to bring the organization more leads and conversions. This may take a while to get around, but building a training process for your sales team can be more fruitful as a continual process rather than a one-time initiation. Investing in the right methodologies to streamline their sales pitch, lead generation, and conversion tactics can make all the difference in becoming the best business in town. If you want to know the five elements of good sales team training, read below to know all about it.

Make their training customized and simplified: One of the biggest contributors to sales professional attrition rates is the organization’s complex training. The line of sales is extremely competitive and full of aggressive poachers who would be happy to take away your talent if you don’t offer them good training. As a salesperson, honing their professional skills is one of the primary drivers of their work apart from commissions. Create a streamlined and simplified training process for all your teams. This should focus on building their individual strengths while building unity among the members to close deals as quickly as possible.
Hold regular mock sales pitches: Having professionally drafted pitches for multiple situations that the sales executives can use to walk a lead through the sales funnel can help heaps! Imagine having the right words for every kind of customer and being prepared for multiple questions and curveballs. This puts the sales executives in a position of control to handle stressful and easy conversions alike.
Help them with modern tools: There are several technological advancements in the world of sales, such as a sales enablement tool. But what is sales enablement? This refers to a process that uses certain tools to improve the efficiency of your sales team. It also reduces the burden of redundant processes, report-making, and KPI tracking, as all these processes are automated. Try a sales enablement agency to help your team perform better.
Research customer pain points: If your team understands the gap between the customer’s needs and the market products, they will be able to make the perfect sales. Help them research and understand customer pain points to augment their pitch and strategy to develop a plan that captivates the ideal client in the least amount of time.
Make them work the field: No matter how advanced we become, nothing can beat the good-old method of getting your hands dirty in the field. Assigning your team some groundwork will help them see the reality of the situation than just across the screen. Hold regular field visits for them to see what the product does so they know what they’re selling and to who.

Wrapping Up:

The formation and refinement of a sales team can look like a beautiful transformation of individuals bonding together as a unit. Both individually and as a team, your members can be formidable professionals capable of bringing great business to you- when trained right. We hope this blog encourages you to tighten your buckles and get to work!

Dr. Aspi N. Patel: A Steadfast Leader Pioneering Innovation

Dr. Aspi N. Patel is an accomplished leader with over three decades of international experience leading various technical, manufacturing, and tech marketing functions in the global textile, chemical, and flooring markets, building products, filtration, and aerospace industries. He has held leadership positions in organizations like GE, DuPont, and Invista and is the present CTO of Aditya Birla Group Mumbai. During his three-decade-long career, Dr. Patel has demonstrated his ability to lead and mentor cross-functional teams with the responsibility of research, development, and commercialization of new products, processes, operations, quality, and customer technical services.

He has developed a reputation for excellence while dealing with various stakeholders thanks to his ability to lead and mentor international cross-functional teams with responsibility for technological development and commercialization of new products, processes, engineering, and manufacturing. Dr. Patel is proficient in developing technology, vision, and strategy, recognizing emerging industry trends, and identifying competitive threats and acquisition opportunities.

Dr. Patel has received several awards and accolades during his long and illustrious career. In 2015, he received the Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Leader; most recently, in 2019, he received the prestigious Aditya Birla Group’s Leader of Leaders Award for his immense contributions to shaping the organization’s technology strategies and for the lasting impact of his leadership.

The Leading Textile Manufacturer

Grasim Industries Limited, a flagship company of the global conglomerate Aditya Birla Group, ranks amongst the top publicly listed companies in India. Established in 1947, Grasim started its journey as a textile manufacturer in India. Now, it has evolved into a leading diversified player with a presence across several sectors. It is a leading global producer of Viscose Stape Fibre and Viscose Filament Yarn, the largest Chlor-Alkali, Epoxy, Linen Yarn, and Fabrics in India.

Recently a team of fiber experts at Birla Cellulose, a unit of Grasim Industries Limited and Australia-based leading research and development company, Nanollose, has filed a joint patent application for a high-tenacity lyocell fiber made from bacterial cellulose.

The patent application, titled ‘High Tenacity Lyocell Fibres From Bacterial Cellulose and Method of Preparation,’ represents a significant advancement over Nanollose’s previous viscose versions of nullarbor™ and nufolium™.

“It is potentially a path-breaking innovation that can replace some of the current MMCF feedstock with microbial biomass developed from food and agricultural waste. Birla Cellulose filed a joint patent with Nanollose, where we successfully converted microbial biomass to a high-tenacity lyocell fiber. We are now exploring pathways to scale up this technology from food and agriwaste streams,“- said Dr. Patel.

Pioneering Environmental Control Technologies

Birla Cellulose’s approach involves the development of innovative solutions to increase circularity, resource efficiency and minimize environmental footprint. For example, Birla Cellulose’s work on chemical recovery from waste streams has led to the development of a new membrane distillation process that can use up to 50% less energy than the existing process, which has a significant impact on lowering GHG emissions. There is also a new process in development for recovering low-concentration zinc from waste streams and recycling it back into the process. Over the past few years, the organization’s intense focus on recycling has reduced chemical consumption by an annualized rate of 5% to 7%.

Birla Cellulose is the first manmade cellulosic fiber (MMCF) producer to have achieved Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) in the viscose and lyocell process. Although MMCF manufacturing is water-intensive, Birla Cellulose has become a global leader regarding the lowest water consumption per ton of cellulosic fiber. At one of its plants, Birla Cellulose recently completed a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) project that essentially eliminated all liquid discharge. This is an entirely new development, as no existing ZLD technology was available to treat viscose and lyocell effluent along with high organic and inorganic content, dissolved solids, and hardness. Birla Cellulose has also developed and commercialized the process in a way that the salts extracted from ZLD are of sufficient purity for reuse in industrial applications.

Building a Sustainable World

Grasim and Birla Cellulose’s business strategy and organizational culture are both fundamentally based on sustainability. They have a long-term commitment to building a sustainable business that is in line with their sustainability model, which is based on identifying risks and opportunities, mitigating risks, inclusive growth of all their stakeholders, building transparency in the process, and public disclosure of commitments.

Future Aspirations

As a global conglomerate, Aditya Birla Group is governed by a robust set of unifying values with a vision of creating value for all stakeholders. The organization seeks to be a leader in the industries it serves, with a focus on the following;

Excellence in Quality
Sustainability across the value chain – Implementing measures to continuously improve consumption ratios, reduce water usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
Customer centricity- Understanding customer expectations and obligations to convert them into meaningful long-term partnerships for shared benefits and goals.
Responsible governance- Creating sustainable employment, stimulating economic growth, and creating positive value for all our stakeholders, including investors, customers, employees, surrounding communities, and society at large.

“In today’s globally connected world, new ideas and innovations come from all corners of the world at a continually accelerating pace. Scientists and engineers need to be open and flexible in absorbing new knowledge and learning to apply it in different ways to develop new products and more efficient processes. I believe in Edison’s motto of not inventing or developing things that won’t sell since “sale is proof of utility and utility is a success,”– said Dr. Patel.

Review of Canada Protection Plan Life Insurance

Canada Protection Plan first got its start in Toronto in 1992. Even though this seems young compared to other insurance companies, they do have your interest in mind. CPP has the backing of Forrester’s Financial. They are found throughout North America and are one of the largest companies in the insurance industry.

As time passed, they began to expand their business. This included adding new products. In 2006, they introduced a suite of No Medical products. They also offered some options for No Medical term life.

2006 was also the year they started using a call centre and working directly with the consumer for sales. Sales could now be completed over the phone rather than face-to-face.

CPP continues to grow. Based on numerous CPP life insurance reviews online, the customers now have options they didn’t have before. This includes easy access to Simplified Issue Life and no medical. You can even access critical illness insurance easily.

The company’s mission has always been to protect those who may not be able to get life insurance through other means. This could be due to health problems, or it could even be for those who struggle and are in good health.

What is the value of CPP?

Compassionate:

They are known for their compassionate attitude. It isn’t just the policyholders that have that benefit. CPP also shows compassion to employees, distributors, and even the communities where they work.

CPP wants to ensure that everyone involved gets treated fairly.

Security:

Canadian life insurance companies underwrite and financially back the policies offered by Canadian Protection Plan. This includes having the protection of an organization that protects the policyholders in Canada if a life insurance company should fail. That company is Assuris.

They Focus on Community:

Canada Protection Plan helps in the communities where they work. They want to give back whenever possible and contribute generously to the community. They also support charity.

They Offer Competitive Products:

If you need a competitive product, then CPP has your back. They offer rates, features, and various options that align with what anybody else would offer.

Affordability:

When you compare the plans offered by CPP, you find that they align with what the others provide or are even lower.

Is a life insurance plan with Canadian Protection Plan the right choice for everyone?

One of the primary benefits of using the Canada Protection Plan is that you don’t need to undergo a medical exam before you choose a product. Anyone who suffers from health problems, genetic issues, drug or alcohol abuse, or is at risk because of their hobbies will not have to undergo a medical exam to get insurance.

Some people need to get insurance quickly, and a medical exam will likely slow down the process.

At the same time, you can expect to pay a premium for insurance if you rush through the process in this way.

How do you apply for the Canada Protection Plan?

You will have to undergo a screening and answer some medical questions before approval. It’s a relatively simple concept. You get a lower price if you answer more questions with an honest yes.

One thing you want to avoid is giving any wrong answers or not admitting to any health issues you may be facing. If you are caught giving false answers, you may not receive insurance, or if you have a claim, you may not be able to take advantage of it.

Canada Protection Plan must review the questionnaire, and then they can choose whether to approve you for insurance. In most cases, you will get approval within 48 hours. Even if it is longer, they still offer some of the lowest times in the industry.

Life insurance products offered through Canada Protection Plan:

It’s time to look at some of the different products offered through CPP and find out what may be right for you.

CPP Guaranteed Acceptance Life:

If you’re looking for a guaranteed acceptance life insurance policy, this is the one to choose. It is used by many who need help getting insurance through other means. You don’t have any requirements. They just insure you.

You may use this insurance because of a health condition that would keep you from being insured through other means.

Only some people are going to consider this a suitable policy. After all, you can only get insured for a maximum of $25,000. Most people looking for life insurance want to be insured for a much larger amount.

In addition, there is a two-year length of time in which the only thing the beneficiaries will receive is the amount you have paid into the product. They will only get the $25,000 if you die after two years of obtaining the insurance.

CPP Deterred Life:

The maximum amount covered under this plan is $75,000. It’s similar to the Guaranteed Acceptance Life insurance, but it is a little better. It often covers people with health problems that could not get insurance through other companies.

Similar to Guaranteed Acceptance Life insurance, there is a two-year waiting period before they would pay the entire premium. If you die within two years, your beneficiaries would only get a refund of what you have paid in the premium.

CPP Deferred Elite Life:

You can use the Deferred Elite Life insurance to get as much as $350,000 of coverage. Some people with minimal health issues use this product.

They still offer the refund of premiums paid in the first two years after you sign on the dotted line. The big difference is if you die in the second year, they will pay half of the coverage to your beneficiaries.

CPP Simplified Elite:

The Simplified Elite insurance plan is very similar to other types of life insurance. It is for healthy customers that want to be covered.

It is typically going to cost less for this policy, even though you don’t have to undergo any medical exams to get approved. You can get coverage for up to $500,000.

If you die in the first two years, your beneficiaries receive the complete benefit.

Joanne de Guzman Rico: A Marketing Trailblazer to look out for in 2023 Despite many challenges, this marketer built and turned-around brands from zero to hero

Meet Joanne de Guzman Rico, the Head of Marketing at Salma Rehabilitation Hospital, which is part of SEHA – the largest network of government medical facilities in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

A Story of an Empowered Woman

Joanne de Guzman Rico is a story of an empowered woman who is rising above adversity. From humble beginnings in Manila, she has gone a long way from her first job to now a truly inspiring global professional.

A consistent A-student, Joanne believes that having a strong academic foundation will serve as a springboard to success. Armed with resilience, grit, and ambition, she did not let poverty define her future so she studied very hard to earn scholarships. Her mother’s and family’s sacrifices became her inspiration and her drive to achieve more. She dedicated all her time and effort to complete each school year with academic and special awards so she could maintain her scholarship and help finance her education. In 1999, she graduated Valedictorian with 7 other academic, extracurricular, and special awards. She then took Bachelor of Arts, Major in Philosophy at the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy in the University of the Philippines – Diliman, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Right after graduation, she joined Globe Telecom where she started her career as a Sales Administrative Associate, then later as a Customer Service Associate. While working at Globe, she received awards and special recognition from the company. In 2005, she joined Ministop Philippines as a Franchise Marketing Officer – her first break in Marketing. Despite not having a formal education in the field of Marketing, she won the Rookie of the Year Award on her 6th month in Ministop. On her 7th month, and only at age 23 then, she was handpicked by top management and was promoted to Advertising and Promotions Manager, where she headed a 7-person team and managed the main brand with a chain of over 250 stores. Joanne was mentored by one of the Philippine’s business tycoons, and was trained at Ministop’s Head Quarters in Tokyo, Japan so she could learn, replicate, and implement the core brand strategy in the local business arena.

In 2009, Al-Ahli Hospital – the largest private premium hospital in Doha, Qatar, took Joanne and later appointed her as the organization’s Marketing Executive. She was the first Filipino woman to officially breakthrough the space of healthcare marketing in Qatar.

In 2012, Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, UAE took Joanne as part of its pioneer team, where her main task was to introduce the brand in the emirate and grow its market share in the capital, within the country, and within the region. In the inception and growth stages of Burjeel, Joanne single-handedly managed all marketing campaigns of the brand across all platforms. She was awarded Burjeel Star Employee in 2013 and was recognized as Burjeel Star during Burjeel’s 2nd Annual Day in 2014. In 2015, Joanne was promoted to Senior Marketing Executive and a year later, she became the Assistant Marketing Manager of the brand, where she managed the PR communications and corporate events verticals of the brand.

In April 2018, Joanne joined NMC Healthcare – the largest private healthcare company in the UAE. NMC acquired Bareen International Hospital, which has been on negative profitability for 3 years since it started its operations. In less than a year after Joanne joined the company as the Marketing and Sales Manager, Bareen started growing patient volume and began gaining profits. As a result, the hospital expanded by adding more clinics, doctors, and beds to capture the continuous rise of patient footfall in its outpatient and inpatient departments. Joanne became the first Filipino woman in the leadership team of Bareen and played a significant role in the milestone that became a feather on the hat of both Bareen and NMC. Due to this breakthrough, NMC stepped up business expansion plans, acquired more medical centers in Abu Dhabi and winged each of them under Bareen Management team – which is now grouped as a cluster. In less than two years, Bareen Cluster has grown from managing one to eight medical facilities. In the same speed, Joanne was promoted to Head of Marketing and Sales of the cluster. She spearheaded functions related to Marketing and Business Development – from brand positioning to increasing brand awareness and growing brand loyalty to the facility, from increasing footfall to generating revenue and raising profitability for each medical facility.

In August 2022, Salma Rehabilitation Hospital under SEHA, took Joanne and posted her as Head of Marketing.

An Advocate of Children’s Right to Education

Joanne’s greatest dream is to serve, give back, and be an instrument of change in the community. Having experienced it herself, she has a strong personal advocacy on the right of children to access education, especially the underprivileged segment. She has been a resilient sponsor of World Vision Philippines for 17 years and has been supporting many children together with their families and their communities in depressed areas of her home country. While working at Ministop Philippines, she launched the World Vision Coin Bank campaign across all Ministop stores. She opened doors to introduce World Vision’s Child Sponsorship Program to JG Summit employees and Ministop franchisees. Her commitment towards the cause prompted her to be one of the pro bono organizers of the event and to host the program. Currently, Joanne is one of the ambassadors and spokespersons of World Vision Philippines overseas.

In order to inspire other Filipino women to rise to the challenge no matter the circumstance and break glass ceilings, Joanne wrote a book chapter about her journey which was published in Disrupt 4.0 Filipina Women: BEING – The Fourth Book on Leadership by the Foundation for Filipina Women’s Network. The book was launched at the Gremio Literario in Lisbon, Portugal in November 2022.

Awards and Accolades

During her 18-year career, Joanne has received numerous awards and recognitions for her accomplishments. In 2017, she was recognized and awarded as the Marketing and Advertising Professional of the Year by The Filipino Times, a glitterati red-carpet event held in honor of exemplary Filipinos overseas. In 2018, Joanne was one of the nominees for the Search for Huwarang OFW, organized by 700 Club Asia through one of the biggest TV networks in the Philippines: GMA 7. In 2020, she was named as one of the Thought Leaders in Illustrado’s 300 Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf, Legacy Edition. In 2021, Joanne was recognized as one of the Most Influential Filipina Women in the WorldTM by a US-based non-profit organization, Foundation for Filipina Women’s Network. She was the only awardee from the Middle East during that year. In 2022, she received an award for Outstanding Leadership during the Health 2.0 Conference in Dubai, UAE.

Joanne’s journey in large, multicultural organizations was and is not a walk in the park. The struggles are real and are most of the time, daunting. Breaking stereotypes of nationality and gender roles in the workplace is still an existing unspoken issue. Bringing with her core values such as faith, hard work, dedication, passion, and resilience, Joanne rose to the challenge, and trail-blazed with pride and confidence in the international arena.

ICL South America: Creating a Sustainable Future

Meet Gustavo Vasques, the CEO of ICL South America, a pioneer in specialty minerals with a focus on cutting-edge and long-lasting approaches to plant nutrition, animal nutrition, and the provision of raw materials for the fertilizer industry. ICL’s distinctive combination of natural resources, personnel, and technological innovation applied to the particular requirements in countries where it conducts business impacts the growth of production and food quality, permits sustainability in agriculture and industry, and aids in environmental protection.

Born in São Paulo City, Gustavo has a degree in Business Administration, with an MBA in Business Administration from the Business School São Paulo and extension courses at the University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management and Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management. From November 2017 to 2021, Gustavo presided over the South American operations of Compass Minerals, where he was responsible for aligning and developing the company’s businesses – agriculture, plant nutrition and physiology, animal nutrition, water treatment, and chemicals for industrial processes – in Brazil and other places. With the acquisition by ICL in the same year, Gustavo eventually became the company’s CEO in South America.

A True Global Leader

Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, ICL(Israel Chemicals Companhia) is a global leader leveraging its unique resources and technological capabilities to develop impactful and sustainable plant nutrition and physiology solutions. With more than 12,500 employees worldwide, 38 production sites in 13 countries, and 24 Research and Development Centers including 3 in Brazil. In 2021, ICL reached revenues of approximately US$ 6.95 billion globally.

Currently, the company controls ICL, Aminoagro, Dimicron, and Maximus in South America. Its agricultural business portfolio now includes enhanced efficiency and gradual release fertilizers, soil and foliar micronutrients, secondary macronutrients, seed regulation, treatment and supplementation, soil and spray conditioners, adjuvants, and products for animal nutrition and industry.

Tackling Society’s Primary Challenges

“ICL understands that, in order to advance effectively, quickly, and towards society’s main challenges, it needs to work beyond the company’s walls, that is, in partnership with universities, academia, entrepreneurs, and startups. This world of agtechs is full of brilliant minds who are developing a series of projects that, associated with our efforts, can collaborate a lot so that we can achieve our challenges,”– said Gustavo

ICL’s obsession with innovation led to the introduction of the “ICL Planet Hub,” which is a platform that links these bright minds to think about the future. ICL has been leveraging this partnership to interact with entrepreneurs in Brazil and throughout the world through the Brazilian Agtech Garage, situated in Piracicaba, a city in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo. Still, from a Global point of view, ICL has two exceptional companies: Agmatix and Growers, which provide solutions in the digital field.

“When we combine startups with established companies, we have a positive combination of structure, capital, proximity to the market, and capillarity with entrepreneurs and good projects and scientists. So, the main way to connect to the objectives and challenges companies have been trying to solve is to present projects and purposes for this target audience. In our case, we have a platform to receive this information and contacts from the agri-techs with which we will relate to connecting our objectives and the projects of these entrepreneurs,”– Gustavo stated.

Tools Transforming the Agritech Industry

There are several tools aimed at digital agriculture to capture and process data in a much better way. Since agriculture is a very technological segment, rural producers make countless daily decisions regarding technologies and their positioning. On the other hand are the researchers and the academia, who generate information daily. Data to connect these two environments in an increasingly less empirical way is extremely essential. So, satellites, artificial intelligence, machine learning, drones, and rapid diagnostic tools are necessary for this direction.

Tackling the Pandemic

COVID caused impacts of different natures, including digital acceleration on farms. Not as a replacement for human presence in the field but as a process and communication facilitator. So, in that period, ICL witnessed an acceleration in the digitization of agriculture. Another important point is that in a pandemic period, perceptions regarding the quality of life and health gained other proportions, which are entirely linked to what we eat, that is, also opening new paths and opportunities for agtechs.

Awards and Accolades

ICL has been intensively dedicated to corporate governance, innovation, and sustainability. In addition to increasing the productivity of the field, ICL has received the More Integrity Seal (an award from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply to agribusiness companies for good integrity practices) from the Ministry of Agriculture for four consecutive years. It was also recognized as one of the most innovative companies in agribusiness by the Valor Inovação prize for two successive years and as one of the 5 Best Agro Companies in Brazil by EXAME Business Review.

“When we talk about increased productivity, we are very proud to see our customers standing out in national contests with soy and corn crops and quality in coffee.”– said Gustavo

Looking at the Future

ICL invests 52 million USD yearly, with innovation at the forefront. With three research centers in Brazil and 24 research centers worldwide, ICL aspires to bring satisfaction to its customers while being linked to a sustainability agenda. Annually, ICL brings new technologies and services and reinforces its commitment to continue in this direction.

“We see ICL growing with our customers and the communities we are in, following our commitment to innovation, pioneering responsibility, and sustainability. We will be active members of this agriculture and society of the future,”– stated Gustavo.