AIA Singapore invests more than S$5 million to support employees, local workforce and the wider community amid COVID-19

Free COVID-19 coverage for customers, staff and their dependents as well as AIA Insurance Representatives, will be extended till mid-2021. The life insurer also raised more than S$550,000 to aid underprivileged youth and children’s cancer research, supporting those most impacted during this time

 

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 18 December 2020 – AIA
Singapore today announced that they have invested over S$5 million in several community
initiatives to comprehensively support Singaporeans throughout 2020. These
include holistic efforts to making quality healthcare accessible to all, providing
monetary assistance for their employees, boosting the mental resilience of
working Singaporeans amid a trying time for mental health, and creating employment
opportunities in the financial sector.

 

Committed to nurturing
future generations and doing their part for the community, the life insurer
also continues to do good by practicing corporate social responsibility even in
a fiscally challenging climate. This year, AIA Singapore raised over S$550,000 for
their two adopted charities, Children’s Wishing Well and the VIVA Foundation
for Children with Cancer. The funds raised come on top of AIA Singapore’s
multi-million dollar investment in keeping the community resilient as Singapore
transitions to its eventual Phase 3 reopening.

 

Ms Wong Sze Keed, Chief
Executive Officer of AIA Singapore, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has
highlighted the important role insurers play in society. It is a chance for
life insurers like us to show Singaporeans that we care about their holistic
wellness and safeguarding every aspect of their health and wellbeing when they
need it the most. We have taken it upon ourselves to find new and timely ways
to put our people–our employees, insurance representatives, customers and the
wider Singapore community — first by providing them with peace of mind whilst living
amid this uncertainty. We will continue to honour this commitment in 2021,
delivering on our promise of enabling healthier, longer, better lives.”

 

Protecting what matters
most to all: the health of the nation

In a time when
Singaporeans are more conscious of their health and the need to safeguard their
loved ones and future^[1],
AIA Singapore is doubling down on their commitment to help ensure quality
healthcare is accessible to all. The insurer is extending comprehensive support
to ensure the community’s physical and mental wellness are well-supported
during this exceptional period.

 

Throughout 2020, AIA
Singapore has invested millions into providing necessary coverage, services,
and support to keep Singaporeans protected against infectious diseases and
health risks prevalent in the pandemic. These initiatives include:

 

• Free COVID-19 special coverage for 2.6 million of our customers,
  employees and their dependents, and AIA Insurance Representatives. Of which,
  about 500 customers who suffered from COVID-19 received financial help for the
  medical bills. This special coverage will also be extended till the end of June
  2021.
• Gift of Care campaign, to provide customers with free access
  to tele-consultation services provided by WhiteCoat. 
• Providing 50,000 medical tele-consultations for AIA HealthShield Gold Max
  policyholders.
• Invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the
  “Resilience Mindset” programme for corporate customers, a four-week course that aims
  to improve the mental wellbeing of employees. Since November 2020, this
  quarterly programme is accessible to 1.2 million members of the Singapore
  workforce, helping them cope better with working from home through the practice
  of positive habits daily.
• Insuring over 200,000 individuals against dengue through free AIA Dengue Defence
  Cover product coverage, paying out claims to 447 policyholders.
• Providing over 20,000 individuals with protection
  against infectious diseases through the AIA #ShareTheLove insurance plan.
• Participating in a drive to provide 5,000 care packages to healthcare workers–a thank you to our silent heroes, the brave frontliners.

 

Bringing hope to
Singapore’s workforce amid evolving ways of working 

 

As with their
customers, AIA Singapore places a high priority on their employees and AIA
Insurance Representatives–the people who keep the company going with their
commitment and dedication. The insurer recognises their vital role in equipping
their people for the new future of work, and creating sustainable, long-term
career opportunities for the rest of the workforce.

 

In line with continued
efforts by the government of Singapore to create and protect jobs for locals
across sectors, AIA Singapore allocated significant funds to support their
employees while working from home and generate career opportunities for
aspiring professionals:

 

• Investing S$2 million to create 500 new jobs through
  the AIA Financial Career Scheme, which provides in-depth training and financial
  support to fresh grads and mid-career switchers.  
• Investing S$1.5 million in the work-from-home
  assistance scheme, wherein all of 1,488 AIA Singapore employees
  received $1,000 to get enhance their remote work set-up. 
• Investing in new stress and wellness management
  training for more
  than 350 of people managers in AIA Singapore. These help them identify common
  mental health issues and learn how to appropriately support their staff in good
  times and bad.
• Giving all AIA Singapore employees an additional
  day-off this year to encourage them to focus on their personal wellbeing.

 

Additional fundraising
for those less fortunate

COVID-19 has deeply
affected every member of society, even more so the underprivileged. AIA
Singapore constantly strives to pursue a culture of purpose by rallying their
employees, insurance representatives, partners and customers together to give
back to the less fortunate in the community. In 2020, the insurer raised over
S$550,000 for their two adopted charities through the #ShareTheLove
campaign and other activities, with the intention of making a lasting
difference to the lives of future generations.

 

Part of a regional AIA
#ShareTheLove movement taking place across Asia, the campaign, besides offering
complimentary AIA #ShareTheLove insurance plans, includes fundraisers for
beneficiaries Children’s Wishing Well and the VIVA Foundation for Children with
Cancer. AIA Singapore continues to support  disadvantaged children and youths, raising
funds to progress education, groceries, wellness and enrichment programmes. This
year, they also expanded on their giving commitment, partnering with the VIVA
Foundation for Children with Cancer to support fundraising efforts for
paediatric cancer research.

 

This year’s CSR
initiatives include:

 

• #ShareTheLove Campaign — AIA Charity Golf Virtual
  Challenge

 

Now in its 5th year, AIA raised hundreds of thousands
in the virtual edition of its annual key fundraising event. Made possible by
the generous support of AIA’s business partners, staff, and financial
representatives, AIA raised an exceptional amount in this challenging year
alone. The annual event has garnered more than $1 million since 2016.  

 

• #ShareTheLove Campaign — Donation Matching

AIA
Insurance Representatives pledged their support by donating a portion of their
policy sales from September to October 2020 to continue doing their part for
the community. 

 

• Grocery donation drive during circuit breaker

AIA rallied
staff, insurance representatives, and customers to help ease the financial
burdens of their affected community at the height of the circuit breaker
period. The proceeds helped fund groceries for the Children’s Wishing Well
beneficiaries.

 

• Sale of AIA Buddy Kids Christmas Merchandise (Sale
  period: November-December 2020)

All proceeds
from the purchase of the AIA Buddy Kids packs will go to the VIVA Foundation
for Children with Cancer. Buddy is AIA’s trusty sidekick and learning mate that
is encouraging kids to recognise the value of being active, eating right, and
being financially healthy.

 

AIA Singapore’s ongoing
activities, such as their Singapore Premier League sponsorship, have also
supported other members of the community. This ongoing partnership is part of
our commitment to making great strides in bringing football closer to the
community with the focus of inspiring people to live active lifestyles.

 

Overall, 2020 has been
a year of giving for the insurer. COVID-19 has been a chance for AIA Singapore
to turn this health and economic crisis into an opportunity to go above and
beyond in delivering on their promise of enabling Singaporeans’ healthier,
longer, and better lives.

Appendix: Additional
support extended by AIA Singapore amid COVID-19

• Offering
  customers instalment plans to pay their premiums via our AIA COVID-19 Support
  Programme.
• Expediting
  any claims relating to COVID-19
  through a dedicated customer care team.
• Setting up a
  dedicated webpage on our AIA
  corporate website to provide updates on initiatives regarding COVID-19.
• Providing our distribution
  channels with access to digital platforms like iSmart and iResource, which
  enables them to tap into content on how to serve customers in COVID-19.
• Creating a
  Resilience Booster Challenge and Solidarity Rewards Challenge to provide extra incentives and to reward AIA’s agency
  force who continue to service the financial needs of fellow Singaporeans;
  additional relief supported has also been provided for selected AIA Insurance Representatives
  facing financial challenges. 
• Rolling out paperless
  claim submissions amid heightened safe distancing rules.
• Designed the
  My AIA SG app to provide our customers
  access to their policy details, AIA Vitality Membership as well as allowing
  customers to make their premium payments via PayEZ.
• Co-designed a
  digital mindset cultural programme Digital Ei8ht to continue upskilling our employees, in addition to a LinkedIn
  Learning platform for employees.
• Initiated the #haveyoucheckedin movement — an effort to increase employee engagement
  and participation amid heightened social distancing in AIA Singapore’s Workplace
  by Facebook.
• Extended community support through a hand sanitizer on-ground giveaway.

About AIA

AIA Group Limited and its
subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest
independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence
in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific — wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in
Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR^[1], Thailand, Singapore,
Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Korea,
Taiwan (China), Vietnam, Brunei, Macau SAR^[2], New Zealand, a 99 per
cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, and a 49 per cent joint venture in India.

 

The business that is now
AIA was first established in Shanghai more than a century ago in 1919. It is a
market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance
premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had
total assets of US$291 billion as of 30 June 2020.

 

AIA meets the long-term
savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and
services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings
plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services
to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and
employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of more than 36 million
individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group
insurance schemes.

 

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of
The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code “1299” with
American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market
(ticker symbol: “AAGIY”).