When developing our new strategic plan, we went back to basics.  We thought about why and for whom we do what we do best, and how we do it.  We reflected on our purpose and the commitments we are making to our stakeholders. 

Put simply, we exist for our customers. We are there to support them through the ups and downs of life’s journey. In a world that is sometimes difficult to navigate and predict, we protect what they have today and help them to make their dreams of tomorrow happen. 

As “supporter of your life” we take care of the “what if’s” and the “what’s possible” so that our customers can live to the fullest with peace of mind at every stage of their journey. 

Our pledge towards customers

• We help customers to protect what they have and to make possible what they aspire
• We engage with our customers for the long term
• We provide a great customer experience
• We offer a personalised approach underpinned by clear and open communication

Our pledge towards employees

• We recognise the contribution of each individual
• We promote a collaborative culture based on mutual trust
• We invest in our people by creating an environment of constant learning and well-being in which each employee can grow and succeed

Our pledge towards partners

• We invest in long term partnerships or alliances
• We give our trust to partners who share our values and ambitions
• We constantly seek to evolve and improve partnerships to the benefit of all parties
• We look for opportunities that allow us to succeed together

Our pledge towards investors

• We aim to achieve long term sustainable growth, and to offer competitive returns and a stable growing dividend
• We work to deliver on our financial targets
• We seek and foster strong relationships with investors who support us for the long term, based on confidence, trust and transparency

Our pledge towards society

• Our role as an insurer means actively contributing towards a better  society beyond insurance: preparing for an ageing population, protecting  against adverse events and building a healthier society
• Our business provides us with a platform to make a difference, balancing  societal benefit with economic value in our core activities

Our business at its foundation has a set of core aspirational values. They describe a set of behaviours and principles that represent who we are and how we work. Four simple words that represent the Ageas brand experience: Care, Share, Deliver, and Dare. We hold ourselves accountable to these values, and we expect our stakeholders to as well.    

We CARE by respecting and helping those around us, whilst staying true to who we are. That means listening and embracing different opinions, putting ourselves in other’s shoes, and building trust by doing the right things every time for our stakeholders. 

We SHARE by learning, inspiring and sharing what we know and experience, in a culture that thrives on the concept of continuous learning. We believe in the importance of setting an example through our actions, but also on the benefit of working as a team. 

We DELIVER on our promises and we make things happen by staying focused on our priorities and keeping things simple. In everything we do we strive for excellence, aiming to be the best at what matters most to our stakeholders, and holding ourselves fully accountable.

We DARE by pushing boundaries and by daring to take a chance. We learn from our experiences and remain inquisitive about what we can do differently. We create new ideas, and push ourselves beyond what we know today towards what we should know tomorrow.

The digital revolution has given us all greater choice, immediately and at keener prices. But we are moving into a world where there is too much choice, too much noise and, quite simply, not enough hours in the day.  Understanding these challenges, we will become even more relevant to our customers. We will provide them with more than just the usual products and services that help protect and grow what they have. We will anticipate their broader needs, based on their personal experiences. Achieving this will deepen our connection.

This doesn’t mean giving up anything we’re already doing, in fact it allows us to play to our strengths. It does mean we’re going to have to make sure that everyone who interacts with Ageas always has a great customer experience – no matter how they choose to do it. So, the way we interact with customers needs to be even better across all communications channels. Our claims handling will have to improve. Our services will have to evolve, anticipating customer needs. Our advice will have to be more tailored and personalised. To achieve this, we will develop our people so that continuous improvement is baked into everything we do.

In fact, we’re going to have to work even more closely with all our stakeholders – from regulators to brokers to our many existing partners and alliances across the world, to improve all our customers’ experiences.

So rather than simply protecting what they have today, over the next few years, we’re going to take care of our customers so they can create the tomorrows they want too. It’s an evolution that will affect our whole business.

Connecting beyond insurance

Connect21 demands smart innovation, without giving up any of the things that have made Ageas great. We’re already developing new businesses and new ways of doing business that help us to better connect with even more customers.

Change has already begun. We’re already helping our customers to prepare for the future; we’re protecting them and preventing things from happening, giving them the assistance they need. And we’re going to go even further – because we’re committed to helping to build a better society for everyone.

From working with pharmacies that help prevent diabetes in Portugal, supporting elderly people who want to carry on living in their own homes in Belgium, to enabling Thai people to improve their health by understanding more about their own DNA, Ageas is adding enormously to its range of services and products. Every one of them is building a connection. 

Connecting through technology 

One of the ways we’re making this happen is by leveraging the power of technology to transform the way we do business and the way we interact with each other. That may take the form of a new customer-facing app. It may be a new internal process driven by an algorithm. It may be a quality control programme for bodywork repairs managed by artificial intelligence. In every case, this new tech will deepen insights across the Ageas Group and the connection with our customers.

Doing things on your own is all well and good, but it’s often easier (and usually more fun) to do it with a friend or a partner. Ageas is a business built on a thousand close partnerships and alliances with firms that share both our values and our aspirations for the future. We renew our commitment to strengthening and growing those partnerships or ecosystems that provide mutual benefit, as well as identifying and building new ones that will create value for our stakeholders and respond to new needs and priorities. 

The way Ageas works is unique, certainly in the insurance sector. We combine a strong centre with equally strong local autonomy - the best of both worlds. But there is always room for improvement. 

By connecting our network more efficiently, we will share what we learn with the whole Ageas family more quickly and more effectively – allowing everyone to benefit from the synergies we create.

Ageas has grown over the past decade by working in territories we understand in Europe and Asia. Over the next three years we will maintain that focus as well as our ambition to hold leading positions in every market in which we operate. That means we will concentrate on offering the right products and services, a great customer experience, an exciting and inspiring work environment and deliver on our promises.

Staying true to the fundamentals of our business model and building on our proven strengths, but at the same time acknowledging the challenges and opportunities for the coming years, led us to renew and sharpen our financial objectives. In addition, we are also making other non-financial commitments that matter to those we affect.  It is now all about delivering on these promises for the benefit of all our stakeholders.