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In Conversation with Jison John, CEO and MD, Allianz Services India & Member of the Executive Management Team, Allianz Services
In Conversation with Jison John, CEO and MD, Allianz Services India & Member of the Executive Management Team, Allianz Services

July 30, 2021

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  1. Given the ongoing pandemic, these are crucial times for any  leader today. In this context, what are your priorities  at this moment?

At Allianz Services, our focus always through this pandemic has been to provide as much support to our employees as possible, by taking their health and safety as the highest priority.

This includes

  • Providing necessary information and guidelines on a regular basis, such as the daily Covid Bulletin, health newsletters, sharing Government guidelines, safety measures, etc
  • Launching various wellness initiatives like Counsellor on call, Doctor on Call, meditation sessions, expert talks on yoga & ergonomics, etc.
  • Delivering various assistance programs such as emergency financial assistance, Covid insurance coverage, additional leaves to support recovery and care, home hospitalisation insurance coverage, etc.

I am also extremely happy that we have our employee vaccination programme ongoing, covering our people, their family, their parents, and in-laws.   This is the first step really towards safe days ahead.

 

  1. Can you share the overall pandemic experience?

This was a very unprecedented situation shared by the entire world, not easy at all, for anyone. Though many organizations had ‘pandemic’ on their risk radars, there was hardly any precedence or learnings to lean on. While it looked challenging in the beginning to transition to a remote working scenario, I was amazed by the way our organization managed this change, both from the infrastructure/IT aspects, as well as the people practices, in a very short period to reach a new state of working.

Everything we did, was keeping the most important aspect in mind, safety first! Our people rose to the occasion remarkably, collaborated, supported and cared for each other and ensured that there was no impact for any of our customers.

 

  1. This was a global problem, both customers/partners and employees  experienced this. What are the learnings as a services company?

As it was a new experience, there were many learnings from it.  I would like to mention two key points. One of them was about the amazing ownership and accountability people have shown. They upheld the trust the organization has in them to take care of our customers. They did everything possible to reach the desired outcome without a lot of instructions or directions.

Another point is the togetherness and caring, humankind was showing against the threat of the pandemic. We have seen many examples, like our people supporting each other and their families, our customers being more accommodating and supportive.

 

  1. Tell us more about Allianz Services India and how is it part of the global Allianz group?

Allianz Services India is the largest Center of Competence for Allianz Services globally, providing Insurance Operations, Business Consulting, Business Analytics, Actuarial Services, Financial Business Services, HR Services, and Compliance Services. We operate out of Technopark, Trivandrum, and Eon IT Park, Pune. We are part of Allianz Services’ global network of over 4500 colleagues. Allianz Services is the Business Operations - Shared Services and Consulting Platform for Allianz Group, which is headquartered in Munich, Germany.

Allianz is a global leader and employer in insurance and financial services, operating in more than 70 countries worldwide, and present on all continents. Allianz is the No.1 Insurance Brand as per the Best Global Brands 2020 list.

 

  1. What is your location strategy in India?

We operate from two locations in India - in Technopark, Trivandrum, and Eon IT Park, Pune. Our operations in Trivandrum span well over a decade-and-a-half and enjoy the natural calm and green atmosphere, as well as the state-of-the-art facilities provided by Technopark. The availability of a large pool of graduates every year and the opportunity to attract talent from across India, including many who want to settle down at a career destination, are some key benefits we have observed during these years.

Pune, as the education hub of India and with a sizeable industry presence, offers us access to high end niche skills, especially within the financial services domain.

Our demand for talent includes professionally qualified doctors, vets, mechanical engineers, lawyers, actuarial and data science experts, automation experts, business consultants, risk modelers, underwriters, customer service experts, etc.

 

  1. I am sure you have been talking to your employees and customers over the last months, what are they saying and sharing?

Thank you for that question and being with people is the best part of my work. I love to talk to my colleagues and my customers, as it not only energizes me but also ensures that I get to know their feedback, suggestions, ideas, happiness, or challenges directly. One general feedback that stayed with me while speaking to my colleagues is that they really appreciate the job stability and all the support the organization has offered them in these difficult times.

And while speaking to our customers, I must say their understanding and support was immense and invaluable during these times. Through calls, emails and connects, they showed their confidence in us and encouraged us towards even more success.

 

  1. What does work and workplace of the future look to you in the coming months and years?  

It will be some more time before we can resume work from our offices. But this pandemic has shown us that there can be a new way of working, which would be a combination of working from offices and homes, depending on the needs, situations, or roles. People refer to it in various terms like hybrid or phygital (Physical + Digital) etc. Many organizations, including ours, are defining further details like policies, infrastructure requirements, team engagements, and productivity aspects to name but a few. The next few months and years are going to see the implementation of many of these changes, learning from it, improving it, to reach a New Work Model.

 

  1. What motivates you?

Two things motivate me, people, and nature. I like to be with people- family, friends, colleagues.  I like to interact, collaborate, take, and give support. Nature is the best source of energy – everything about nature is fascinating, including what you learn by closely observing or immersing yourself in nature.

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