COVER Excellence Awards 2021

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Leading with distinction

After being exiled to a virtual platform last year, we were delighted to be able to return to an in-person event for this 2021’s COVER Excellence Awards. Returning to The Brewery in London, the ceremony drew over 300 protection and health professionals to honour the best the industry has to offer across insurance providers, intermediaries and advisers, service providers and technology firms. Once again, the standards on show were excellent. We received a total of nearly 250 entries across the 27 provider and intermediary categories for this year’s program, and our judges had their work cut out identifying the leading firms and individuals worthy of taking home a coveted prize. There were three new award categories included in this year's ceremony - Mental Health & Wellbeing Champion of the Year for an individual intermediary, Outstanding Mental Health & Wellbeing Support for providers, and the Insurtech of the Year - reflecting the direction of travel with the industry. This online special details all the winners and highly commended entriesfor the COVER Excellence Awards 2021, as well as the opportunity to meet all of this year’s judges and read insights from some of this year’s winners – Aviva, Vitality and LV=. We hope you enjoy the ebook and are already looking forward to next year’s Excellence Awards. John Brazier, COVER editor

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alan Lakey

Director, CIExpert

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alan knowles

Managing director, Cura Financial Services

Andrew wibberley

Director, Alea Risk

Brian Walters

Managing director, Regency Health

Claire ginnelly

Managing director, Premier Choice Group

anna glod

Managing director, Umbrella Protect

jiten Varsani

Mortgage & Protection Adviser, London Money

David Middleton

Executive chairman, AMII

johnny timpson

Johnny Timpson Consulting

Ron wheatcroft

Technical manager, Swiss Re

Naomi Greatorex

Managing director, Heath Protection Solutions

Monica garcia

Director, MGC

Melissa Collett

Professional standards director, Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)

Richard Kateley

Freelance protection enthusiast

Louise colley

Head of Retail Protection, Zurich

Steve Casey

Marketing director, Square Health

Roy McLoughlin

Associate director, Cavendish Ware

rose st louis

Protection director, Lloyds Banking Group

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the 2021 awards

And the winners are…

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provider awards

Outstanding Added Value (Provider)

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provider awards

Outstanding Added Value (Third Party)

Mental Health & Wellbeing Champion Winner: Kathryn Knowles, Cura Financial Services The judges recognised “service and dedication to the industry that is difficult to match,” backed up by an “excellent, well-rounded case study” that covered “advisory excellence, industry contributions and generally going above and beyond.”

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provider awards

Outstanding New Technology Offering

Employee Benefits Intermediary of the Year Winner: ADVO Our judges were impressed by this entry from a “very professional organisation” which had “managed its clients well and adapted to the changed circumstances” in the employee benefits space, which balanced the needs of clients and employees throughout the pandemic. Highly Commended: Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing

Insurtech of the Year Winner: YuLife The judges praised this “genuine disruption” of the group life market, that offers “great interactiveness with employees” and “creates a good team spirit.”

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Intermediary awards

Excellence in Customer Service

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Outstanding Cash Plan

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Outstanding Business Protection

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Outstanding Group Health Insurance

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Outstanding Group Critical Illness

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Outstanding Group Income Protection

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Outstanding Individual Health Insurance

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Outstanding Individual Critical Illness

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Outstanding Individual Income Protection

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Outstanding Individual Life Insurance

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Outstanding Protection Production Innovation

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Outstanding Protection Platform

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Intermediary awards

Outstanding Specialist Intermediary

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Intermediary awards

Small Intermediary of the Year

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Intermediary awards

Protection Intermediary of the Year - Sponsored by Scottish Widows

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Individual awards

Intermediary of the Year

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provider awards

Rising Star

Intermediary awards

Outstanding Intermediary Promotion of Protection/Health

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Outstanding Mental Health & Wellbeing Support *New for 2021

Best Outstanding Added Value (Provider) Winner: Aviva The judges classed this provider as offering the best added service benefits available and were particularly impressed with its “great combination of benefits” and “unique” annual health checks. Highly Commended: Legal & General

Outstanding Intermediary Promotion of Protection/Health Winner: LifeSearch Described by our judges as a “powerhouse in the promotion of protection” across all mediums, using “both business growth and market development using social media and marketing to great effect." Highly Commended: The Practical Protection Podcast

Outstanding Added Value (Third Party) Winner: RedArc The winning provider was considered to be “miles ahead” of the competition by the judges, who praised its “great commitment” and “measure data figures that speak for themselves.” Highly Commended: HealthHero

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Intermediary awards

Mental Health & Wellbeing Champion *New for 2021

Outstanding New Technology Offering Winner: Munich RE MIRApply Described by our judges as having the potential to “revolutionise how protection is written in the UK,” this entry was deemed “extremely innovative” and of “huge value to clients and advisers alike” that addresses one of the “most painful parts of protection writing.” Highly Commended: CIExpert

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Intermediary awards

Employee Benefits Intermediary of the Year

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provider awards

Insurtech of the Year *New for 2021

Outstanding Cash Plan Winner: WPA In a tightly contested category, this cash plan provider was ranked as an “excellent entry” by judges, who praised its Covid-influenced product, quick claims processing and rebate offer to customers

Outstanding Specialist Intermediary Winner: Cura Financial Services Our judges praised this intermediary’s “very strong credentials” and “keen support of the signposting service,” backed up by “a number of excellent case studies across a very diverse” range of customers and conditions. One judge summed it up: “I don't really know what more you could want!”. Highly Commended: Future Proof

Outstanding Business Protection Winner: Royal London One judge highlighted this “innovative approach” that has garnered positive impacts for clients, while another recognised the proposition as “an important and interesting initiative.” Highly Commended: LV=

Small Intermediary of the Year Winner: LifePoint Healthcare Praising this intermediary’s “enthusiasm and press presence,” our judges were also impressed with the growth trajectory and dedication of this entry that promises “great things ahead.” Highly Commended: Vita

Outstanding Group Health Insurance Winner: Bupa UK Insurance Our judges praised this “very strong” entry that placed a strong emphasis on remote diagnostics addressing the escalation of nationwide health issues, particularly cancer and cardiac problems.

Protection Intermediary of the Year Winner: LifeSearch This year’s Protection Intermediary of the Year was praised for its “strong leadership,” ability to adapt its business model to industry developments, and its ongoing investment in its staff and processes. This intermediary “doesn’t rest on its laurels and continues to push hard,” said one judge. Highly Commended: Caspian Insurance

Outstanding Group Critical Illness Winner: AIG Life One judge opined that this entry “set out a new template” for group critical illness cover that mirrored its “excellent” individual proposition. Judges also highlighted its “flexibility, innovation and cost-effectiveness” for the group market. Highly Commended: Aviva

Intermediary of the Year Winner: Alan Knowles, Cura Financial Services Described by judges as a “huge industry name” that has “worked tirelessly” to support improving professionalism and best practice for advisers, who showed “exceptional commitment” and “great tenacity” throughout “every aspect of their work.” Our judges highlighted that the professional organisations they are involved with have “gone from strength to strength” thanks to their efforts.

Outstanding Group Income Protection Winner: Legal & General Group Protection In a category filled with a very high standard of entries, the judges were particularly impressed by this “great proposition” that provides “flexible application, quick turnaround for terms and amendments.” Highly Commended: Canada Life

Outstanding Individual Health Insurance Winner: Vitality Described by our judges as an “excellent” and “innovative” proposition, this entry was praised for its continued development and focus on preventative healthcare underpinned by a “business model of rewarding healthy behaviour.” Highly Commended: Aviva

Outstanding Individual Critical Illness Winner: AIG Life The judges were unanimous in their commendation for this entry, lauding its “great innovative thinking” that broke the mould of critical illness by taking a grouped condition approach, which was “very welcomed by the market." Highly Commended: Guardian

Outstanding Individual Income Protection Winner: Legal & General In a hotly contested category, this entry was praised by our judges for its interaction with intermediaries, education and training toolkits, and its approach to increasing income protection for the rental market.

Outstanding Individual Life Insurance Winner: Scottish Widows The judges praised this entry for its straightforward approach to life insurance, bolstered by the introduction of healthcare-dedicated support services and its initiative with Halifax’s mortgage customers, backed up by “great supporting evidence.” Highly Commended: Guardian

Outstanding Protection Production Innovation Winner: LV= Praised by our judges for “innovating the rental market,” offering “something new” with no financial underwriting and “stripping away the complexities” that will increase traction of income protection among the growing number of UK renters. Highly Commended: Legal & General Group Protection

Outstanding Protection Platform Winner: UnderwriteMe Praised as “a fantastic concept” that offers “real support to advisers” and will “undoubtedly mean consumers getting better term,” our judges were also excited for the potential for this platform to grow even further.

Outstanding Mental Health & Wellbeing Support Winner: Unum UK The judges were particularly impressed by this provider’s use of integrated technology blended with human interaction as the core of its support services, as well as its ongoing work discussing mental health issues with Government representatives.

Rising Star Winner: Rachael Welsh, Guardian One judge praised this “very strong submission” which evidenced “self-development” and a “real drive to improve” their own skills, as well as those of their employer and the market as a whole. The judges were also impressed with the slightly unusual submission style.

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Provider awards

Outstanding Promotion of Protection

Outstanding Promotion of Protection Winner: Vitality Described by our judges as “doing more than anyone” in the market to grow awareness of protection among the public, this provider’s sponsorship and advertising activities, specifically in professional women’s football, were highly impressive. Highly Commended: Legal & General

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Excellence in Customer Service Winner: Wingate Benefits Solutions The judges were impressed with this intermediary’s dedication to their clients, utilising specific teams to manage individual cases and their “seamless adaptation” to the difficult circumstances of the pandemic lockdowns. Highly Commended: Future Proof

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Insurance Leader of the Year

Insurance Leader of the Year Winner: Peter Hamilton, Zurich The judges praised this individual for going “above and beyond” with roles with the ABI, Access to Insurance and other groups that often fly under the radar, as well as “fantastic” work on improving diversity and inclusivity within the industry. A “typical humble submission”, our winner was also praised for always having “the best interests of our industry at heart.”

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True protection starts with prevention

On the night it was stated: “The judges classed this provider as offering the best added service benefits available, and were particularly impressed with its ‘great combination of benefits’ and ‘unique’ annual health checks." Financial protection is our business, but true protection starts with prevention. We have a duty to not only give customers financial peace of mind should they fall ill, but to go the extra mile to help ‘prevent’ it from happening. As such, Aviva DigiCare+ was the most important delivery in recent years. The pandemic caused many people to consider the way they thought about their health and together with Square Health, we are able to make accessing health and wellbeing benefits a part of everyday life. Rooted in adviser feedback and created in collaboration with advisers and industry figureheads, we have listened to what advisers need and delivered a solution that is simple, relevant, and useful to customers. "This award is further recognition of this great customer proposition that now has over 50,000 registered users since launching less than a year ago,” said Daren Boys, protection distribution director. We are particularly proud of this award as it reflects how we are giving clients control and choice when it comes to their health. One app with a world of support The Aviva DigiCare+ smartphone app places a range of health and wellbeing benefits right at your clients’ fingertips. The benefits in the app link to each other, simplifying the process of following up advice with action. The app is available to your personal protection clients, excluding Simple Life Insurance. They can use the benefits as soon as they’ve downloaded the app, with the annual health check giving a great starting point by providing an overview of their health. Within the app your client will find: • Health & lifestyle benefits • Treatment support • Bereavement support What are the benefits for you? • Aviva DigiCare+ extends our personal protection cover – going beyond insurance to provide holistic protection for your clients and their families. • This app houses all the added-value benefits in one place and is interconnected. An easy way to help you support your clients in maintaining a healthier lifestyle. • Aviva DigiCare+ includes an annual health check. This provides the ideal opportunity to get in touch with your clients to review their cover and check if it’s still fit for purpose. What are the benefits to your clients? • Aviva DigiCare+ complements your client’s personal protection product by offering support for their physical and mental wellbeing. • It’s ready to use as soon as your client’s policy is active, and the simple-to-use app makes it easily accessible from their smartphone. • The benefits within the app link to each other, and an allowance tracker helps your clients make the most of the benefits. And regular communications also remind your clients of what's available to them. • An annual health check helps clients take control by identifying potential health risks. Why do your clients need it? So many people are affected every day by health and wellbeing issues that impact their health, happiness and future. Read our study The Changing Health Landscape to gain an insight into how people are feeling about their health today and their expectations for the future. The good news is, many of the health and lifestyle conditions we deal with can be managed, or even avoided completely, with some small changes and careful management. And that’s where our app can help have a positive impact. To find out more about our award-winning protection, please speak to your usual Aviva account manager or visit our protection site.

We’re delighted to have been awarded Outstanding Added Value (Provider) at the 2021 Cover Excellence awards. Thank you to all who voted; the judges recognised the quality of the support we have delivered to the intermediary market.

Aviva Protection team

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Starting afresh, keeping it relevant and simple

As an industry we’re good at enhancing our core products and adding multiple features, but there are times when the right thing to do is to step outside the box, start from first principles and design a new product to meet a specific target market.

Working lives and ways of working are changing Income protection traditionally bases the amount of cover on a percentage of the client’s earnings with a further financial assessment if a claim is made. However, as our workforce changes – 24% of the working population are now classed as non-traditional or gig-workers (LV= Opinium Survey, June 2020) – this approach is simply no longer always a viable solution. On average people spend 18% of their income on mortgage payments and 37% if they’re renting (English Housing Survey, 2019-2020). This indicates that paying for the roof over our heads is one of our biggest outgoings. But 26% of homeowners have missed a mortgage payment due to illness or injury (Met Life, 2021), and we can probably safely assume that the figure is similar for those who rent. At LV= we aim to help facilitate more meaningful and targeted protection conversations. We’ve spent time to understand the barriers advisers face when selling traditional IP and identified a gap to deliver a simple-to-explain solution, offering no-nonsense certainty, with a clear focus on helping under-served consumers. Mortgage and Rent Cover, our new outgoings-based solution, protects monthly mortgage or rent payments and helps advisers protect more clients who wouldn’t always be suitable for traditional IP. The cover is affordable and isn’t linked to a customer’s earnings or hours worked, making it ideal for those who may struggle to prove earnings or hours worked. It’s also a great starter option for people just starting out and getting on, or trying to get on the property ladder. A new innovative perspective and new ‘IP’ option LV= Mortgage and Rent Cover adopts an innovative approach, focusses on the importance of protecting people’s ability to keep up their mortgage or rental payments and tackles the challenges we see with traditional IP for underserved audiences. So, what makes it different? 1. No financial underwriting required For clients with variable earnings or hours worked, the minimum working hours’ requirement of most income protection policies could be problematic. With Mortgage and Rent cover no proof of income or hours worked is needed at application. Advisers simply need to validate the amount of cover is not greater than their monthly mortgage or rent payment by obtaining satisfactory evidence of the mortgage or rental payments at application (such as mortgage offer or rental agreement). 2. Certainty at point of claim Our Mortgage and Rent Guarantee means we’ll pay the full chosen amount of cover, from a minimum of £100 a month to a maximum amount of £2,000 a month, throughout the claim when your client is unable to work due to illness or injury. 3. Affordable cover with valuable benefits Mortgage and Rent Cover is an affordable option, and still also includes valuable everyday benefits that provide meaningful and tangible support throughout the life of the policy. Through LV= Doctor Services and our Member Care Line we can provide quick, convenient access to a range of everyday emotional and practical support services – such as 24/7 GP access and expert physio and mental health support. Relevant protection conversations There’s an ideal and relevant opportunity to make proactive protection connections with clients at the point when they’re taking on long term financial commitments, such as a mortgage or rental contracts. There definitely needs to be one, but what makes a protection conversation memorable? We can help. Because Mortgage and Rent Cover is based on your client’s main outgoing, it can be easily weaved into your conversations. Even the name helps - it does what it says on the tin. It’s simple, affordable and provides certainty, making it more relatable for your clients and easier to explain, understand and put into place. To find out more about our award-winning Mortgage and Rent Cover visit LVadviser.com/MRC

Justin Harper, proposition and marketing director

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Justin Harper, proposition & marketing director

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The future of health insurance. Now.

Timely, practical PMI solutions and digital innovation do not need to be mutually exclusive.

The pandemic is helping many clients realise that online health services – such as virtual GPs and digital diagnostics – are here to stay. Particularly when it comes to empowering individuals to take charge of their own healthcare journey, even from the comfort of their own home. Alongside comprehensive core cover for in-patient and day-patient treatment, access to primary care might be what springs to mind first. While these should be at the forefront of any viable health insurance proposition, the customer journey should – and can – start much earlier, believes Dr Keith Klintworth, managing director of VitalityHealth. “Unlike traditional private medical insurance products, our member-driven approach responds to the full spectrum of healthcare needs, by incentivising positive health choices, facilitating access to care using digital tools and by providing comprehensive cover,” he explains. By gaining an understanding of a client’s health earlier and encouraging them be active and to live healthily from the outset of a plan, an insurer can play a key role in helping to prevent the onset of serious illness, Dr Klintworth argues. Global research shows that four types of behaviour – poor diet, physical activity, tobacco use, and excess alcohol intake – cause preventable diseases which lead to 60% of deaths worldwide1. Those who are more engaged with the Vitality Programme – which incentivises members to address those key lifestyle choices – on average benefit from a 1.5-year improvement in life expectancy2. Highly active members reduce their risk of hospitalisation by as much as 50%3. These positive outcomes have also been evident throughout the pandemic, with those who engage with the behavioural changes of the Vitality Programme showing 81% lower risk of dying after contracting Covid-19 than those who don’t4. Prevention and cure Like never before, health and wellbeing – and the dangers of obesity – are undoubtedly in the public eye. For Vitality, this is nothing new. Prevention has been a priority since it launched in 2004. In July 2021, however, it took another step forward by transforming its member-driven approach to private medical insurance (PMI), combining the principles of Shared Value Insurance with enhanced digital care services and expanded remote health management capabilities. Foundational to Vitality’s approach is its Healthy Living Programme, which through rewards and benefits allows members to achieve better health and enjoy tangible financial value as part of an enhanced insurance offering. In 2015, the insurer was the first to introduce private GP consultations and other digital care services which empower members to access the right treatment as quickly as possible. Its Digital Care offering today provides a suite of digital care services including Vitality GP, remote physiotherapy and online cognitive behavioural therapy. When members do require onward treatment, they have comprehensive cover5 across out-patient, in-patient and day-patient process. Vitality was the first UK health insurer to include a Full Cover Promise as standard, meaning that when your clients are admitted to hospital, they have the complete assurance of no shortfalls for consultant fees. “Ultimately, our aim is to ensure that our members experience healthcare that is smart, intuitive, and empowering,” explains Dr Keith Klintworth. “And most importantly that the plan places the individual at the centre of their own healthcare journey.” Smart service Underpinning all of this is Vitality’s Smart Service approach, which incorporates digital authorisation through its newly enhanced online Care Hub. A platform that offers a fully integrated pathway into digital diagnostics services, such as Skin Analytics via Vitality GP and discounted screening services through its partner Check4Cancer. Remote care pathways for common health conditions are available for physio through Ascenti and mental health support through My Online Therapy. Vitality also recently added self-care health tools, offering discounts on digital platforms and devices to help clients manage chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), asthma, diabetes and heart disease. There is also Consultant Finder - a service which helps clients to find, compare and book appointments online – while the claims experience has been taken fully online via the platform, meaning many members are now able to get instant decisions. All powered by the Vitality Operating System technology platform, which also delivers predictive resolutions for members requiring assistance and a Claims Concierge. Sharing value As well rewarding and incentivising better lifestyle choices as part of its Shared Value insurance model, Vitality boosts value within its health insurance products through features such as ABC Renewal Pricing. This means that members can mitigate any renewal increases they encounter at renewal stage by engaging with the Vitality Programme. To build on this, the insurer recently added Premier Consultant Panel and Premier Consultant Cashback to improve consultant care outcomes and share value with members in the form of cashback. With more personalised health journeys also being brought to the Vitality Programme to further drive positive behaviour change, it appears the future of health insurance is closer than we might think. Find out more about how Vitality is transforming health insurance with its member-driven approach in this interactive brochure.

Adam Saville, intermediary editor

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1. Global Health Risks Report, World Health Organisation, 2009 2. Vitality data 3. 2019-2020 client data, Vitality 4. Discovery South Africa Covid-19 Special report, March 2021 5. 5-star Defaqto