Three Tower stars making waves in the early stages of their careers, have made Insurance Business New Zealand’s coveted, annual ‘Rising Stars’ list for 2022.
Tower Customer Experience Owner Krutika Chikara, Head of Portfolio Performance Oli Bale and Head of Underwriting Nick Meister, were part of just 28 young insurance professionals who made the list across New Zealand’s entire insurance industry.
To enter, candidates had to be aged 35-years-old and under, entries were based off performance throughout 2020-2021.
Last year, Chikara was responsible for the launch of Quick Quote. Quick Quote aims to provide the fastest quote-to-buy process for customers in-market, dramatically reducing the number of questions asked, without compromising accuracy. Known publicly as the 'Got a minute? Get a quote' campaign, Quick Quote has greatly enhanced the customer experience and improved business outcomes.
"As a woman of colour who moved to New Zealand six years ago, with one suitcase and a lot of hopes and dreams for life ahead, this is definitely a milestone. It's surreal and an honour to be acknowledged among other talented people. Delivering beautifully rewarding experiences to Kiwi and Pacific communities, so they get what they need from insurance, has been the driving force behind my work at Tower," says Chikara.
In 2021, Bale was at the centre of Tower's recent project to launch flood risk-based pricing, working closely with RMS - the world's foremost catastrophe risk solutions company - to greatly develop Tower's risk management practices and release detailed flood risk insights for each individual residential address in New Zealand.
"To be told that your skills and experiences are being recognised amongst peers in the entire New Zealand insurance industry is a hugely proud moment. I absolutely love the work I do and I love contributing towards Tower's goal of creating positive change for Kiwi and Pacific communities," says Bale.
Meister led teams that launched three new products - pet, travel and boat insurance – two of which were within three months at the end of 2021 alone. Tower's boat insurance product boasts the fastest quote-to-buy boat insurance process in the New Zealand market. He also played an integral role in solidifying Tower's flagship sponsorship with Coastguard New Zealand.
"I’m very proud to have made the rising stars list and even more proud to share it with two very talented colleagues. Tower is thinking ahead, and I’m fortunate to be part of an organisation that truly supports its people. There are a lot of ‘stars’ at Tower, and as an organisation, we’ve got more to deliver this year,” says Meister.
Insurance Business Global Editor Paul Lucas says, “it's a credit to Tower Insurance for cultivating an environment in which young talent can prosper and that three of its staff were able to make the list amid such strong sector-wide competition.
“However, above all, the credit goes to Nick, Oli and Krutika themselves, for seizing the opportunities in front of them and building such a stellar reputation in the industry at such a young age. There's no doubt they each have a bright future ahead."
Tower Chief Executive Blair Turnbull agrees.
“Tower is a forward-thinking business and we put our people first, we believe in providing opportunities for all our staff to grow, and Krutika, Oli and Nick have earned and excelled in every opportunity they’ve had at Tower. They are huge, highly-skilled assets to the Tower team, that have already made lasting impacts for our people and our customers.
“We are thrilled that now the rest of New Zealand and the wider industry, can recognise the talent of our fantastic rising stars too.”
ENDS
Media Contact
Kayla Dalrymple
External Communications Specialist
Kayla.Dalrymple@tower.co.nz
+64 27 951 3710