‘Life Insurance Advisor – Beyond 2020’ – the theme of the 9th National Forum for Life Insurance Advisors, also known as NAFLIA 2018, rang out loud and clear in every item of the event’s agenda. The theme dwelt upon the changes in the character of the Life Insurance Advisor and the elements that will bring about evolution of the role.
Held at the Shangri La hotel in Colombo on the 3rd of September, NAFLIA is the premier event for Life Insurance Advisors in Sri Lanka. The event is annually organized by the Marketing & Sales Forum (MSF) of the Insurance Association of Sri Lanka (IASL) in a bid to support the development of the Life Insurance sector in the country.
Gracing NAFLIA 2018 as Chief Guest was the Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory Commission (IRCSL) of Sri Lanka, Mr. Mano Tittawella while the Guest of Honor and Motivational Speaker was Professor Sampath Amaratunga, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura. Ms. Damayanthi Fernando, the Director General of the IRCSL was also present as a special guest along with Mr. Deepthi Lokuarachchi, the President of the IASL and the Managing Director/CEO of HNB Assurance.
Other dignitaries present included Mr. Jude Fernando, the Treasurer of the IASL and CEO of Janashakthi Life PLC, Mr. Upali Samarasinghe, the Secretary General of the IASL, Mr. Samitha Hemachandra, the past Chairman of the MSF and the Senior Deputy Manager of Marketing at Ceylinco Life PLC, Mr. Hashra Weerawardena, the Chairman of the MSF and General Manager of Life Operations at Janashakthi Life PLC, and Mr. Madhawa Gunaratne, the Project Chairman of NAFLIA and the Deputy General Manager of Marketing Sales and Distribution at Life Insurance Corporation Lanka Ltd. Chief Executive Officers, Managing Directors, General Managers, Managers, Executives and most importantly, Life Insurance Advisors of all leading Insurance companies in Sri Lanka were present at the forum.
Mr. Tittawella and Mr. Lokuarachchi placed special emphasis on the importance of keeping up with the changes in technology and the trends of society in their addresses. The duo made it clear that adaptation to the changing environment was the primary means of ensuring the development of the Insurance industry. Professor Amaratunga regaled the audience with inspiring tales of his life in Japan. According to the Vice Chancellor the patriotism, adaptability, perseverance and humility of the Japanese are admirable characteristics to adopt and maintain in the aim to develop not merely the Insurance industry but the nation itself.
This year’s panel discussion at NAFLIA was a most unique and inspiring one, titled ‘MDRT Experience Zone’ featuring members of the industry who have qualified to participate at the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) global conferences. The panel was moderated by Mr. Sumendra Jayaram, the Head of Training & Development at AIA Insurance PLC. Some of the participants of the panel were members of the MDRT, which is the premier association of financial professionals. MDRT is a global, independent association of more than 66,000 of the world’s leading life insurance and financial services professionals from more than 500 companies in 72 nations and territories. Members of the panel discussed a number of topics such as the value of MDRT, the experience and knowledge gained from MDRT meetings, one of the most important lessons of MDRT – finding balance in one’s professional life, how to gain the most number of policies and advice to those aspiring to qualify for MDRT.
The final event on the agenda was the award ceremony of Insurance Month 2017. Mr. S. K. A. S. Perera of Ceylinco Life Insurance was the overall award winner, having sold the highest number of policies and achieved the most premium.
NAFLIA and the entire plethora of events organized by the IASL are some of the means by which the Sri Lankan Life Insurance industry strives to raise awareness about their trade, because when it comes to Life Insurance it’s better to be 10 years too early than 1 minute too late.