Sunday 13 April 2014

Significant Factors in Winning the Competition - Bisnis.com - Interview / Insurance / Management


 



JAKARTA - Since young, A. Junaedy Ganie has a strong and persistent ambition and determination. No wonder if the doctorate in business law who started his careers in the field of insurance starting from door-to-door salesman is now staying at the top position and is entrusted to ensure BNI Life business transformation.

What are the tricks, Bisnis Indonesia interviewed the man with glasses in his office recently. Here's the excerpt:

Well, the naming in BNI Life office rooms uses the names of cloth, traditional musical instrument of Indonesia. What does it means?

The front desk is wrapped with songket motifs. The meeting rooms are named with traditional fabrics such as batik, ikat, and jumputan rooms on the first floor, there are also rooms named angklung, sasando, rebana, flute on the second floor and rooms named with traditional puppets on another floor.

It rests on the idea to improve the pride on personal ability potential and Indonesia's diverse cultural roots.

I read the writings of a French philosophers who said a human is basically a good being, and because the institution they became evil. In reverse, a good environment can make a humen become a good being!.

So good working environment is an important factor in increasing the productivity of the business.

How was your career in the insurance world?

I started my insurance career as a door-to-door salesman. Perhaps my career milestone was started after a few months becoming an insurance agent in 1978. I managed to take over from a rival company for personal accident insurance coverage for about 6,000 taxi drivers from a taxi company in 1978.

I did many environment visits and introduction to learn the weaknesses of their insurance programs and ways to overcome it. At that time, the taxi companies spent a lot of time to update the drivers’ list because the claim will be rejected if an accident occurs while they had not yet reported to the insurer.

What was your role?

The achievement was how we can reduce their administrative burden. We modified the original driver insurance membership which was originally on behalf of each driver to be insured on the basis of vehicle registration numbers that were not changeable.

All drivers are borne along when the accident occurs, they have a valid driver's identification card (KPP). I believe the policy is the first accident insurance policy in Indonesia, which was made with the concept of now known as unnamed PA policy.

We also provided lower premiums by changing the original scope of coverage for all types of accidents to remains equally insure for 24 hours but is limited to occupational accidents, including during a trip from the house to the cab pool, while on duty and while on the way home.

It's exactly like accident insurance from Workers’ Social Security. As I recall, It started long before Astek/Workers Social Security was establised.

What value you did hold to sustain a successful career?

In my career, I uphold the trust and opportunity based on the values of integrity, accountability, governance and entrepreneurship that is based on passion, persistency and leading by example.

What strategic decisions you have ever taken and what was the consequences?

Most of my experiences rest on the courage to make changes for improvement, innovation, capacity building, delegation and building strong working team, compliance, governance, corporate culture transformation, as well as environment character development.

I believe the key to successful problem solving starts from problem identification, review and discussion with the various parties. This is to obtain various viewpoints as a consideration before making a decision. However, it should also be ready to take different decisions.

The next step is to implement it in a disciplined manned and dare to make necessary changes.

What are your tips as a leader in this field?

I build the business with heart. I admire those who can become inspirational leader, motivator and mentor for the environment. I admire a former supervisor in the Asia Pacific region who have high affinities and were able to win the hearts of his subordinates. It's something I still seek on.

Who were the influential persons for your success at the top?

My career in BNI Life started with a request from shareholders to fill the vacancy in the company’s independent director. The 2 years period of introduction and togetherness and compatibility between competences and principles which I profess with the new vision and mission has made shareholders believed, and trusted me to lead BNI Life.

Colleagues who at that time served as chief commissioner participated in providing input to the shareholders. Not to mention the trust and participation of my colleagues whose willing to go in together as a team to work together as the Board of BNI Life.

Who’s an idol figure who inspires you?

Prophet Muhammad is my main idol, for his leadership at the highest level, and his timeless effect. Lee Kuan Yew, who was a Prime Minister of Singapore at the age of 35 and at the age of 42 led Singapore to stand alone, separated from the Federation of Malaysia while most people predicted the inherited Singapore as an island without hintherland and a heart without a body would be bound to fail. Lee is one of the idols who inspired me.

His ability to lead by applying what I call institutionalized policy and the the rule of law application in a disciplined manned generated an order and sustainable stability.

Who are your inspirational figures in the insurance?

In the insurance sector, a character that I admire is Henk Greenberg, former chairman and CEO of AIG. After being delayed for so long I just had time to finish his book with Lawrence Cunningham titled The AIG Story.

Can you describe constrains and opportunities in managing the state-controlled subsidiary?

I and the management team started a new stage in BNI Life roadmap. From a company that was previously not getting the attention from BNI as a parent company which focus on the banking business, then targeted to be a fast growing company and pursue all misses in the past. Surely this must be through not easy processes.

How do you enjoy your life and what family values according to you?

Saturdays and Sundays, and holidays are an oasis of daily activities in BNI Life. Besides social activities that I undertook, togetherness with family is the most important element to apply the values in the family, although sometimes only limited on eating out, watching or getting together at home or enjoying the cuisine made by my daughter, ha - ha - ha.

What’s your hobby on the weekends?

Satria Nusantara (SN) is a routine exercise that I have taken in the last 8 years besides the occasional brisk walking, swimming or golf or accompanying Dexter -our Rottweiler -for a morning walk. I also spend the time to read books.

Is there any unaccomplished deams to date?

Of course, but I am grateful to what I get now.

Is there any desire in spiritual side to, for instance, manage philanthropic foundation, in the future?

Sure it would be complete if one can enter the spiritual stages and I hope to do so in the future.

What is your vision in leading BNI Life in the next 5 years?

The mandate to us who served since September 20, 2011 is to revitalize BNI Life into a company with sustainable growth with a vision to be the pride of the nation's leading insurance company.

We want BNI Life to be managed prudently, in a professional and competitive manner. After reviewing various key aspects, we decided that the achievement of this vision should begin thorough cultural transformation, on all fronts.

Can you explain the internal constraints or opportunities in the insurance business in Indonesia?

In general, I still see the scarcity of reliable human resources. However, the existence of a good operating system role helps the management to determine the company's business strategy, the spirit of entrepreneurship guarded by the application of risk management, compliance and governance can be focused on winning business opportunities as well as constraints in the insurance business in Indonesia.

What about your BNI Life roadmap blueprint? Can you explain the milestone from year to year? Is there a significant change from existing blueprints?

The Roadmap towards Sustainable Growth Phase I of BNI Life blueprint for the period 2012-2015 so far is still on track. In 2012, the subjects were the capacity building and empowering the bancassurance business as the company's business backbone.

For 2013 were accelerating business growth, improving service quality and building strategic alliances, as well as gaiing public acclaim for the improvement in call center services.

In 2104, we will conduct values innovation and expect customer satisfaction and recognition as evidence of the service reliability and financial performance above the industry average.

Subsequently, in 2015, we aspire to become the leading insurance company in terms of financial performance and service quality, achieve awards from external parties and become the people's choice of life insurance companies. 

Interviewers: Yodie Hardiyan & Farodlilah Muqoddam

 








Monday 7 April 2014

Interview - Berbagai indikator memberi kami alasan untuk memelihara optimisme, Integritas December 2013 - Interview / Insurance / Management