SUBMISSIONS PROCESS
How to enter the awards and key milestone dates.
The Efma–Accenture Innovation in Insurance Awards was launched in 2016 to identify and award the most innovative projects in the insurance sector. The awards also aim to highlight and share worldwide best practices that will help accelerate the transformation of insurance as we know it for the better.
In 2018, the awards attracted 320 entries from nearly 237 institutions in 45 countries. The 2019 edition is now open for entries until 24 April 2019. Get a head start and submit your most innovative projects now. You can also start the submission process and finish it later.
For the six above mentioned categories, Efma members and non-members vote online prior to the awards ceremony, as well as an Awards Jury comprising senior insurance executives from across the world.
All voters will be requested to rank the innovations on a podium (Winner, Silver, Bronze), via our dedicated voting web page.
The votes of jury members will count for 50% of the final scores, while the remaining 50% will be decided by online voters/visitors (40% for Efma Members and 10% for non-members)
For the Product & Service Innovation Award, online voters and jury members will shortlist six innovations out of the nine nominated ones, and the six selected innovators will come on stage to pitch their innovations in front of the audience. After the live pitches, there will be an interactive vote and the winner in the category will be announced on stage.
For the Global Innovator Award, the Awards Jury will select the winner from the fifteen nominees identified by the Awards Committee.
The best innovation in each of the six standard categories will be recognized at a dedicated awards ceremony.
The Innovation Award Committee will also further recognize one insurance player as a ‘Global Innovator’.
Winners will have the opportunity to present on their innovation journey, reflect on their experiences and share the key success factors in the design, development and operational phases of their innovation.
Participation is restricted to the winners & is FREE of charge. Other financial institution may attend on invitation-only.
Winners will be unveiled right after the Awards Ceremony, on 24 June 2019.
The Award categories
Find out about the award categories
AWARD CATEGORIES

CONNECTED INSURANCE & ECOSYSTEMS
CONNECTED INSURANCE & ECOSYSTEMS
Innovative practices that give rise to new business models and scalable end-to-end value propositions that capitalize on the power…

CORE INSURANCE TRANSFORMATION
CORE INSURANCE TRANSFORMATION
Significant enhancement of the underwriting, claims or other processes, through improved automation, predictive/behavioral models, artificial intelligence or other advances,…

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Innovations that significantly enhance the way companies engage with customers. These new approaches create value through, for example, seamless…

GLOBAL INNOVATOR
GLOBAL INNOVATOR
The most innovative insurer. The winner is the organization whose corporate vision commits it successfully to continuous innovation and…

INSURTECH
INSURTECH
The creation and/or application of innovative technology that substantially enhances the customer experience and/or develops new sources of value…

PRODUCT & SERVICE INNOVATION
PRODUCT & SERVICE INNOVATION
Innovations that significantly enhance, extend or replace the traditional offer, creating new profit pools by serving new customer segments…

WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION
WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION
Innovations that successfully bring together people, culture, leadership, organization, and technology, enabling the insurer to realize the full potential…

CONNECTED INSURANCE & ECOSYSTEMS
Innovative practices that give rise to new business models and scalable end-to-end value propositions that capitalize on the power of partnerships,platforms and the Internet of Things. Innovations, diversification opportunities and ecosystems may reach beyond the traditional boundaries of insurance, and may be submitted by incumbents, specialized players and other new competitors.
Submit in this category
CORE INSURANCE TRANSFORMATION
Significant enhancement of the underwriting, claims or other processes, through improved automation, predictive/behavioral models, artificial intelligence or other advances, to support price optimization, fraud prevention, efficiency, personalization or enhanced agility.
Submit in this category
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Innovations that significantly enhance the way companies engage with customers. These new approaches create value through, for example, seamless and personalized experiences across physical and/or digital channels, new customer management models, artificial-intelligence-driven advice, and innovative management of customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Submit in this category
GLOBAL INNOVATOR
The most innovative insurer. The winner is the organization whose corporate vision commits it successfully to continuous innovation and transformation, to the development and leadership of a broad ecosystem of partners extending beyond insurance, and to the exploitation of emerging technologies that improve the experience of its customers and the performance of its business.

INSURTECH
The creation and/or application of innovative technology that substantially enhances the customer experience and/or develops new sources of value for insurers. This category is reserved for insurance start-ups and spin-offs, and technology firms targeting the insurance industry. Innovations must be stage-one funded, have a market release proposition, and/or have completed a successful market proof of concept.
Submit in this category
PRODUCT & SERVICE INNOVATION
Innovations that significantly enhance, extend or replace the traditional offer, creating new profit pools by serving new customer segments or existing segments in new ways, and entering or creating new markets typically beyond the reach of insurance players.
Submit in this category
WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION
Innovations that successfully bring together people, culture, leadership, organization, and technology, enabling the insurer to realize the full potential of the human and machine workplace.
Submit in this category765
innovations submitted
since 2016
25
senior industry leaders acted as judges
in 2017
10700
online votes received
since 2016
463
institutions have participated
since 2016
Judging & Voting process
A rigorous and independent process ensures the credibility of the awards.
The Efma–Accenture Innovation in Insurance Awards aims to appraise and recognize the most innovative projects, initiatives and ideas in insurance globally. Winners are awarded by their peers, with a rigorous, independent process ensuring the credibility of the awards.
Nine innovations will be shortlisted by the Awards Committee for each of the award categories. The committee will comprise industry experts. In addition, fifteen applications will be shortlisted for the special Global Innovator category.
For all but the Global Innovator category, Efma members and non-members will vote online between 06 May and 17 May, using our dedicated web page to select the top three entries. This will make up 50% of the final scores (40% from Efma members and 10% from non-members). The remaining 50% will come from the votes of an Awards Jury, which comprises senior insurance executives from across the world.
For the Product & Service Innovation category, online voters and jury members will shortlist six innovations out of the nine nominated ones. The six shortlisted innovators will present their innovations to the audience at the awards ceremony. The audience will then cast their votes and the winner will be announced on-stage.
For the Global Innovator category, the Awards Jury will select the winner from the fifteen nominees identified by the Awards Committee.
Entries are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 10, taking the following three criteria into account:
- Originality: the uniqueness of the idea in the marketplace and its potential as a game-changer.
- Impact: the innovation’s capacity to generate a superior, long-term competitive edge and a significant return on investment.
- Universality: the innovation’s adaptability across different markets and countries.

Anshul Srivastav
CIO and Chief Digital Union Insurance - UAE

Sivakumar Seshadri
Chief Operating Officer Alrajhi Takaful - UAE

Stefano Bison
Head of Group Business Development Generali - Italy

Lorenz Hänggi
Innovation Engineer, Senior Manager / VP Axa Winterthur - Switzerland

Sílvia Cunill Calvet
Innovation, Marketing and New Channels Division Director Crèdit Andorrà Financial Group - Andorra

Sandra León
Head of Innovation and Digital Pacífico Seguros - Peru

Daryl Png
Product Innovation Lead AIG - Singapore

Hashmat Rohian
Managing Director - Enterprise Architecture, IT Strategy & Applied Innovation The Cooperators Group Ltd. - Canada

Frank Cooler
Founder & Navigator Intrasurance - Netherlands

Boonson Jenchaimahakoon
First Senior Executive Vice President, Information Technology, Head of Innovations Government Savings Bank - Thailand

Paul Bennett
Global Brand Director Axa Group Axa - South France

Nils Reich
Global Head of P&C Retail AXA - France

Gareth Friedlander
Head of Research and Development for Discovery Life Discovery - South Africa

Jean-Louis Laurent Josi
CEO Oman Insurance Company (PSC) - UAE

Geert De Kegel
Executive Director and member of MB, COO DZI - State Insurance - Bulgaria

Jane Tutoki
Vice Chair Sedgwick

Bruce Adrain
Head of Innovation Capability Liberty Group - South Africa

Michele Andrade
Product Managerr Bradesco Seguros - Brazil

Murat Atalay
Deputy CEO - Chief Sales Officer Anadolu Hayat Emeklilik - Turkey

Koorosh Beigian
Group Chief Information Officer AXIS Capital - US

Nathalie Bois-Monier
Head of International Marketing & Distribution CA Assurances - France

Charles Brooks
SVP & Chief Information Officer Kemper Corporation - US

Ursuline Foley
Managing Director & Corporate Platform Officer XL Catlin - US

Alain Hade
VPP Customer relations Desjardins - Canada

Nuno Horta
Innovation Manager Ocidental Seguros - Portugal

Hassan Karim
Director and Chief Underwriting Officer Zurich - Hong Kong

Alex Koslowski
CEO Royal London Ireland - Ireland

Marcin Kurczab
Innovation Director PZU - Poland

Franck Le Vallois
Head of Distribution & Business Leader MidCorp Alianz FR - France

Demetrio Migliorati
Innovation Banca Mediolanum - Italy

Marcos Rodriguez
Director: Organizational Development and Innovation Generali - Spain

Cenk Tabakoglu
CEO Unico Sigorta - Turkey

Enrico Tardocchi
Innovation & Product Marketing Manager Europ Assistance Group - Italy

Irene van den Brink
Director of BD InShared NL - Netherlands

Stephan Weiss
Senior Digital Expert (Digital Enthusiast) Generali Munich - Germany
Award ceremony
The best innovation in each category will be rewarded during a dedicated event in Amsterdam on 24 June.
It was a record-setting year for the Efma-Accenture Innovation in Insurance Awards, with 320 submissions received from 237 carriers in 45 countries across the globe. Watch the highlights from the awards ceremony in Paris and learn more about the industry-leading innovations.
765
Innovations submitted
since 2016
320
Innovations submitted
in 2018
25
Senior insurance leaders
acted as judges in 2018
7400
online votes received
in 2018