ITIJ Awards 2020 – and the winner is…!
After a tumultuous year that has seen the global travel and health insurance industry tested to its limits, ITIJ celebrated excellence on the evening of 5 November, with the ITIJ Awards 2020 – all done virtually, of course!
With Covid-19 still limiting global travel, the ways in which the international travel and health insurance community, and its suppliers, have come together to create new products, meet new and ever-changing customer demands, and try to survive in challenging economic times, has been genuinely inspiring to witness. Ian Cameron, ITIJ’s Editor in Chief, commented: “It was a an honour to host the ITIJ Awards this year, to recognise excellence in the face of adversity and innovation in the face of a global pandemic the like of which none of us have ever seen. All our finalists and winners deserve massive congratulations.”
The winners are:
International Travel & Health Insurer of the Year: battleface
Sponsored by New Frontier Group, presented by Group Business Development Director Rob Upton
Finalists:
Arch Roamright
Seven Corners
Sasha Gainullin, CEO of battleface, said: “Wow! What an amazing honour. On behalf of everyone at battleface, I would like to thank ITIJ and everyone in the ITIJ community; without you, we wouldn’t be here. Thank you to our underwriters for supporting our products, and thank you to our investors – Fintech ventures funds, Tangiers Group, and Greenlight Reinsurance Companies, for believing in us.”
International Assistance Company of the Year: AP Companies
Sponsored by UnitedHealthcare Global, presented by European Business Development Manager Louis Kaszczak
Finalists:
Anvil
Direct Line Group
Natalya Butakova, Business Development Manager of AP Companies, said: “Thank you very much for selecting AP Companies for this award. We are extremely delighted and honoured to receive it. I would like to thank each and every one of my colleagues around the world for their hard work, courage and support. I would also like to thank our management for wise and dedicated leadership throughout the years.”
International Intermediary/Affinity Partner of the Year: Cover Genius
Sponsored by Air Alliance Medflight, presented by Chief Commercial Officer Eva Kluge
Finalists:
SquareMouth
Visitors Coverage
Graeme Dean, Head of Insurance EMEA for Cover Genius, said: “I’m pleased to accept this award on behalf of everyone at Cover Genius. A big thanks to ITIJ for the nomination and recognition, and a big thanks to everyone at Cover Genius for the hard work they’ve put in this year to win this award. It’s great to see that even with travel down this year with Covid-19, we are still able to launch new partners and develop new products and initiatives specifically around Covid-19 and provide coverage for our customers.”
Air Ambulance Company of the Year: FAI Air Ambulance
Sponsored by AP Companies, presented by Business Development Manager Natalya Butakova
Finalists:
Air Ambulance Worldwide
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance
Duncan Stevens, Medical Director of FAI, said: “It’s a great honour for us to accept this award on behalf of everyone at FAI. It’s been a wonderful team effort this year to overcome the disastrous challenges we’ve all faced, so I want to pay my respects to the whole team – our flight crews, medical teams, technical operations team, sales support, and our management team. It’s been a real group accomplishment that has contributed to this award. Thanks to Voyageur Group for hosting this event in such a creative way, and to the sponsor of the award.”
Medical Provider of the Year: Sky Nurses
Sponsored by Redbridge Assist, presented by International Network Manager Paula Obando
Finalists:
GPDQ
Samitijev
John Nacarelli, founder and CEO of Sky Nurses, said: “Thanks to ITIJ for the award, and a special thanks to all the industry professionals that were part of the selection process. All of us at Sky Nurses are honoured and proud to accept this award, but let’s give credit where credit is due. First and foremost, I’d like to thank my partners and all the employees at Sky Nurses. These are hard working, dedicated and passionate people that believe in what we do every day. Our clinicians around the world are unsung heroes and we would not be here today without them. Thanks to all our clients and industry partners around the world.”
Industry Supplier of the Year: New Frontier Group
Sponsored by: Travel Navigator, presented by Chairman and CEO Robin Ingle
Finalists:
Homeland International
TRIP Group
Gitte Bach, President and CEO of New Frontier Group, said: “First of all, I would like to thank the team from ITIC for hosting the event, and the team from Travel Navigator for sponsoring this award. I want to extend my thanks to the team from New Frontier Group, every single day you make it a wonderful day, and I’m so proud of you. Thank you so much everybody.”
Insurtech Initiative of the Year: Charles Taylor
Sponsored by Albin International, presented by Managing Director Emerson DeLuca
Finalists:
Cloud Insurance
Visitors Coverage
Angela Smith, Head of Proposition Development for Charles Taylor, said: “It makes us very proud to receive this award, this year of all years. Big thank you to all the people that have worked so tirelessly on ensuring these tech solutions can be delivered quickly and seamlessly. Everyone has worked in a very fast paced environment, and this is recognition for you all. Thank you to ITIJ for making this event work! Congratulations to all the nominees and winners tonight!”
ITIJ Marketing Campaign of the Year: Global Excel Management Inc.
Finalists:
Air Ambulance Worldwide
AMREF Flying Doctors
David Rivelis, President of Global Strategy at Global Excel Management Inc., said: “Global Excel would like to thank ITIJ for this award, and for keeping us informed during these very difficult times. Our staff of over 1,100 people are deployed across the globe to exceed our clients’ expectations and to achieve our vision, which is to simplify access to quality healthcare globally for patients, payers and providers.”