24 CEO MONTHLY / GLOBAL CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021 CEO MONTHLY / GLOBAL CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021 25 , , May21272 Most Influential Insurance CEO (Southeast Asia): Sally O’Hara Krungthai-AXA Life Insurance PCL has gained an impressive reputation as a leader in life insurance protection. In Thailand, there are fewfiner. This is due, in no small part, to the tireless work of its CEO, Sally O’Hara. Her drive and tenacity has ensured she has achieved incredible success in CEOMonthly’s Global CEO Excellence Awards. We dig a little deeper in the firm, and into her personal history, to find out more. Established in 1997, Krungthai-AXA Life (KTAXA) is a joint venture between Krungthai Bank PCL., the largest state-owned bank in Thailand and the AXA Group, global financial protection and asset-management specialists. For the people of Thailand, the organization has gained an impressive reputation for excellence in its products and services, its payer to partner strategy and joint venture with Krungthai Bank. Over the last few years, the company has transitioned from a payer of claims to a long-term, trusted partner. It’s a change that has been guided and overseen by CEO Sally O’Hara. Sally hails from Australia, but has lived and worked in Thailand for the last twenty years. For the last three, she has led the team from KTAXA. Throughout her career, she has held multiple senior executive roles across various functions, including Chief Agency Officer, Chief Officer - Operations and Chief Marketing Officer allowing her a unique insight into the operation of a large business, and an understanding that has put her in good stead for the work to come. Over the years, Sally has come to understand the Thailand insurance industry well. It’s an incredibly dynamic market, in a still growing economy. The penetration rate is relatively low, but awareness of insurance needs is increasing amongst the Thai population, as medical costs rise. Since the COVID-19 pandemic first started, customers have seen the value in good quality health insurance. Many people are also recognizing that there are strong tax benefits from getting a life or health insurance policy, so that will also help grow the market. The achievements she has been able to accomplish in her position are due to the strong values of the company, namely putting the customer first, having integrity, courage and making the case for One AXA. The team that Sally manages is incredibly diverse, reflecting the world that many of us live in. Many employees are from the LGBT community, with the inclusive environment fostering a culture of innovation and creativity. Sally’s leadership style is equally inclusive and collaborative, so that every voice can be heard. The approach she champions is one which embraces the collective and this has allowed her to see some fantastic results. One of the biggest changes that Sally has made to the business is in her exploration of how technology can play a role in what the business does. iHealthy, for example, is KTAXA’s most comprehensive and best- selling health product, and the company recently launched iLink, a hybrid product offering both protection and investment as well. The team’s sound digital transformation strategy has allowed for the introduction of many initiatives such as EMMA, Big Data, Telehealth and Telemedicine. These ultimately provide a smoother and more efficient customer experience. Over the last few years, the company has also invested significantly in technology for 16,000 agents, through the provision of platforms such as Advisor Zone, Perfect Advice and Digital Remote Selling which promote professionalism and enhance the customer’s experience. For Sally, the work she has done at KTAXA is incredibly satisfying, but far from over. She wants KTAXA to be a name synonymous with customer experience excellence and sustainability and to be the number one employer of choice in Thailand. With so many talented and passionate people behind her vision, it’s hard to see what could stand in her way! Company: Krungthai-AXA Life Insurance PCL Name: Sukanya Isaranuwatchai Email: Sukanya.isa @krungthai-axa.co.th May21256 Aquaculture & Fishery CEO of the Year: Mohammad Tabish – Middle East Aqua Bridge is an aquaculture consulting and operations company started in 2018 by CEO, Mohammad Tabish under the patronage and visionary leadership of H.H. Sheikh Ahmad bin Manna bin Khalifa al Maktoum, and in just three years, the business expanded around GCC. It is a local company with a primary goal of not just making profits, but rather ensuring the sustenance of the sector and the local economy, benefiting not only the business, but also the community long-term. Aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production right now. Currently, more than 50% of seafood consumed by people are cultured in farms and not fished from the sea. Why is this important? Because overfishing has led to the depletion of fish stocks in different regions worldwide and aquaculture is at times the only way to ensure the supply of proteins and lean omega 3 fatty acids. Moreover, contrary to popular opinion, farmed seafood has a better quality compared to wild-caught seafood as the culture process and feeding is controlled, ensuring animal welfare. Thus, the ongoing strategy of Aqua Bridge is to engage small and medium farmers, providing them with consultancy work and conducting workshops, many times free of charge, and to develop and support SMEs. This is because it is in the company’s best interests that the industry grows with multiple stakeholders, and that it does not get monopolised by few big players. Aqua Bridge also constantly engages with research institutes, companies, and governments, both within the region and worldwide to ensure growth of the sector. Company CEO, Mohammad Tabish began his career with Asmak International Fish Farming Company (first public joint stock aquaculture company in the UAE with an IPO of 300 million issued in 1999) as a marine biologist, and he then moved into the private sector. His position in what was then the Ministry of Water & Environment (MEWA) laid the framework for his entry into the industry in a management role. Mohammad was working closely with the industry during his time at the ministry and he was made known of all the challenges faced by the industry at large. Therefore, when he accepted his position as general manager in ANAF (now a subsidiary of Aqua Bridge), he had the zeal, well-armed with the knowledge of industry challenges for which he made use of his problem-solving experience from his previous role at what was then MEWA. He also drew upon an excellent team of managerial and industry veterans, biologists and engineers who are still an integral part of ANAF. Under Mohammad’s leadership, ANAF grew rapidly with major multi-million-dirham projects under its belt. This managerial expertise gave him the confidence to establish a new firm – Aqua Bridge, which, in less than six months of operations, eventually took over erstwhile company, ANAF and its projects. All the positions that Mohammad held grew organically from his previous experiences, drawing on them while accepting new ideas, since being dynamic is indeed as important as drawing on past experiences. Mohammad is now earnestly encouraging investors to consider the aquaculture sector for investment, anywhere in the world. It is a resilient industry full of potential while science has made fish farming cleaner, greener, more sustainable, and more commercially viable over the years. It is however an industry which tends to be starved for private investment as compared to other sectors and it could be a potential gold mine for those who choose to take an informed risk anywhere globally. Ultimately, Aqua Bridge’s main aspiration is to ensure that the aquaculture industry reaches food security in the seafood sector within the region. Each new project is essentially a stepping stone to that ultimate goal which the company is hopeful of achieving soon. Aqua Bridge is in the process of constructing various farms and hatcheries through the region while its hatchery in Saudi Arabia, which is the largest producer of marine finfish juveniles in the Kingdom, is expected to grow its production further. The company also looks forward to the construction and operation of a big fish farm project at two different locations by the end of 2021 Q2 in the UAE from a very eager investor, and has signed new contracts for farming in Kuwait, expected to break grounds in Q3 of 2021. Company: Aqua Bridge Group Contact: Mohammad Tabish Email:
[email protected] Website: www.aquabridge.ae