Zurich starts a new chapter in Malaysia

Zurich has opened a new chapter of its journey in Malaysia following the renaming of the company from Malaysian Assurance Alliance Berhad (MAA Assurance) to Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad in late April. Building upon the strong local heritage, Zurich will leverage on its global expertise to offer a wide range of life and general insurance products, catering to the needs of Malaysians at different life stages as well as providing risk management solutions to corporate customers.

Chee Cheong, Chief Executive Officer of Zurich in Malaysia explained at a media briefing, “Zurich aspires to be a leading insurer in Malaysia as measured by our customers, distributors, and employees. We strive to deliver when it matters most to our customers; ensuring that they have the right insurance coverage and that our customers understand their individual protection, savings and investment needs. This belief is reflected in our mission to help our customers understand and protect themselves from risks.”

Business expansion focus
“Zurich is committed to growing in the Malaysian insurance market and will focus on enhancing the key areas of its distribution model, product offerings and agency development to drive sustainable and profitable growth of the business,” added Chee.

In terms of distribution model, Zurich will adopt a multi-channel distribution strategy to broaden its customer reach, with bancassurance as one of the key channels to be explored. Organic growth initiatives will drive significant expansion in the Life tied-agency force. Zurich will also continue to reinforce its General Insurance business development efforts by exploring more opportunities and strengthening its relationship with brokers and affinity groups.

Leveraging on Zurich’s global capability and expertise in risk management, the company will broaden its product suite by offering more investment-linked products tailored to the investment needs of Malaysia’s young and dynamic population. To tap into the strong economic growth of the country, Zurich is also keen to expand its General Insurance portfolio by offering insurance solutions to small-to-medium sized enterprises, as well as middle and large corporate customers

Zurich has embarked on a recruitment drive to expand its agency force. It provides tied-agents with best in class training and equips them with product knowledge, technical skills, relevant tools and support to help them grow. The Performance Academy is an example of such a programme, offering development in leadership, personal effectiveness and advisor development which are tailored for the development needs of experienced agents.

Nationwide brand campaign
As part of the rebranding exercise which started in late 2011, Zurich will be launching a nationwide brand campaign starting from 15 June 2012. The campaign will communicate that MAA Assurance is now Zurich Insurance Malaysia, and begin building the company’s new brand throughout the country.

“The brand campaign builds upon MAA Assurance’s deep local heritage while highlighting Zurich’s global strength and insurance expertise. It will help introduce Zurich to Malaysians and support our business growth plans,” said Chee.

The brand campaign will be rolled out across a variety of media platforms, including ground-breaking TV commercials, print, online, as well as billboards. More details of the campaign are available on a soon to be launched micro-site, which also provides information about the history and milestones of MAA Assurance and Zurich. The micro-site can be accessed via the Zurich website in Malaysia at www.zurich.com

Apart from the campaign, Zurich in Malaysia now holds the record of having the “Biggest Company Logo” in the country which has been certified by The Malaysia Book of Records. The logo on the rooftop signage of the headquarter building is 130 feet in length and 40 feet in height.

Members of the media were given a chance to preview two TV commercials during the media briefing before they officially air on 15 June 2012.