Hope you stay safe and healthy. In the past month, we saw too many extreme weather events amid climate change, including the severe flooding in Henan province, and typhoon In-Fa as double blow in coastal regions. COVID-19 is also recurring in lots of cities at the same time. As an insurer with social responsibilities, it is more urgent than ever for us all to unite and react quickly to these challenges, to safeguard our employees, customers, and broader communities.
There have been many heartbreaking and sleepless nights for all of us. And first, please keep alert on the notices from our Communications, HR and Security teams, official broadcasts on weather changes and COVID-19 updates. Please rest assured that we have your back anytime you need help from headquarter.
We stay true to our commitment of “Acting for human progress by protecting what matters” and we treasure the health and safety of every staff and take social responsibility seriously. Immediate rescue and relief measures have been rolled out since the crisis breakout. You will find how we act systematically as One AXA to rise to the situation. Among other things, we’ve gained progress in business transformation and brand building with industry recognitions in health and innovation.
Hope you stay safe and healthy. In the past month, we saw too many extreme weather events amid climate change, including the severe flooding in Henan province, and typhoon In-Fa as double blow in coastal regions. COVID-19 is also recurring in lots of cities at the same time. As an insurer with social responsibilities, it is more urgent than ever for us all to unite and react quickly to these challenges, to safeguard our employees, customers, and broader communities.
There have been many heartbreaking and sleepless nights for all of us. And first, please keep alert on the notices from our Communications, HR and Security teams, official broadcasts on weather changes and COVID-19 updates. Please rest assured that we have your back anytime you need help from headquarter.
We stay true to our commitment of “Acting for human progress by protecting what matters” and we treasure the health and safety of every staff and take social responsibility seriously. Immediate rescue and relief measures have been rolled out since the crisis breakout. You will find how we act systematically as One AXA to rise to the situation. Among other things, we’ve gained progress in business transformation and brand building with industry recognitions in health and innovation.
I was invited to have dinner at one friend’s recently, who has put a lot of time into making this very delicious fish soup. Her daughter of third grade in primary school, however, was not a big fan of it, and turned her mother down repeatedly, in spite of her mother several trials her to persuade her by telling her that it was of good nutrition and that she has spent a good amount of time making it. I therefore asked her daughter if she disliked soup in general. She replied and said that she preferred soup of tomato and eggs because the fish soup had a peculiar taste. I told her that I myself like the soup of tomato and eggs too, but the fish soup made by her mother is really one of a kind that normally people would not get the chance to taste its special flavor. I then encouraged her to be the special person that gets to grab a spoon, and the result is, she did.
My lesson learned out of this experience is that, when it comes to educating children, or convincing others, putting facts and reasoning on the table may not be the best solution to achieve the goal. We human beings are living creatures with emotions, and thus the underlying logic should be emotions rather than rationality. It is therefore important to think from the other people’s perspective and walk in their shoes. Only when we understand their true needs and provide what is truly needed, can we attain the objective with half the effort.
The Confident AXA Family commercials have been rolled out in major cities since June 28, and have been displayed on Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport’s screen, building elevators, subway stations, bus shelters, Movie Theater and other media terminals, aiming to raise people’s awareness in AXA’s brand proposition of confidence and support frontline business development so as to help drive the Soar to Success program.
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work or give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea”, said Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the author of Little Prince. The Confident AXA Family commercials are expected to encourage Chinese families to address the importance of the need for health protection to cope with any unexpected challenges with confidence.
I therefore encourage all of you to share your feelings and stories after viewing our commercials. I’ve seen so many of you responded actively to “Walk & Talk”, the global campaign that was jointly kick started by Asia CEO Gordon Watson and Group Chief Human Resources Officer Karima Silvent, and I wish to see more of you joining in, in the hope that you are empowered with endless energy with whoever that accompany you in your journey.
I was invited by lifestyle magazine ELLE for an interview with free-style ski world champion Nina Li at the China Family Health Protection Forum on June 22. We discussed individual and family confidence with the editorial team, sharing our experiences in being a confident woman as well. Please find more details in below print version.
I am very proud that our company got recognized by the industry with two high profile awards: “Most Innovative Company Award” via the 10th China Finance Summit and “Outstanding Health Enterprise” through the 3rd Asian-Pacific Insurtech International Summit.
This has perfectly showed that our hard work and efforts throughout this transformation journey to pivot our company from a mono-liner to a multi-liner with a focus on health have paid off. Now I am more than confident that together, we are sure to be soaring to success!
On July the 16th, invited by Chairman of the Chinese Academy of Financial Inclusion (CAFI), Duoguang BEI, I attended the gala dinner of International Forum for China Impact Investing (IFCII), which was a new landmark summit on the topic. Our Group Board Chairman, Denis DUVERNE, shared his insights on Impact Measurement and Management via a virtual panel in the afternoon.
I strongly believe, as our brand purpose “Act for Human Progress by protecting what Matters” illustrated, that insurers should take up societal responsibilities and spare no effort to help the communities by making financial products and services more affordable and accessible. Here in China, we aim to continue our trials and efforts in unleashing the capital for good, to provide a mechanism that helps mitigate personal and enterprise-related risks so as to contribute to improve livelihoods and sustained development.
I was very honored to attend the Shanghai International Financial Advisory Council (SIFAC) meeting on July the 15th.Our board chairman, Denis Duverne, was also invited to give a virtual speech as a member of SIFAC. The meeting was also joined by Xiaochuan Zhou, the former Governor of the People’s Bank of China and Zheng Gong, the Mayor of Shanghai.
I was very proud that AXA is the only insurance company invited among the ten world-class institutions. I believe, as Mr. Duverne said, AXA will help contribute in Shanghai’s becoming a leading center for climate finance, with many of our great initiatives, including green investments, and health insurance schemes built as public-private partnerships.
I was very delighted to have celebrated the French National Holiday on July 14 thanks to Mr. Benoit Guidee, French consulate general in Shanghai’s invitation.
It was a wonderful night for lovers’ of French and Chinese culture, for a spectacular evening of celebration at the consulate general’s residence, with amazing exchange on the Sino-French friendship and the prosperous future we will have.
At this occasion, AXA was also invited to attend the festival at French Embassy, joined by 20 colleagues and distributors in Beijing to further maintain and strengthen the relationship. I believe that by working together with our friends in France, we can complement each other with our own advantages, so as to seek a win-win situation in face of challenges.