What does it mean to win an ITIJ Award? Hear from 2020's winners

This year, as the industry has continued to adapt to the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are extremely proud to once again be honouring those companies that have evolved their products and services and gone above and beyond to serve travellers in their time of need.

What does it mean to be a winner of an ITIJ Award? 

A global audience, rewarding your company's team efforts, celebrating your company's journey and innovation throughout the year ... what more can you ask for from the travel and health insurance industry event of the year? How about winning one of the awards?

As entries are open for the 2021 ITIJ Awards, we thought no better time to share what 2020's ITIJ Award winners had to say when celebrating their win!

battleface - International Travel and Health Insurer of the Year 2020

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.”

AP Companies - International Assistance Company of the Year 2020

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.”

Cover Genius - International Intermediary / Affinity Partner of the Year

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.”

FAI Air Ambulance - Air Ambulance Company of the Year 2020

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.”

Sky Nurses - Medical Provider of the Year 2020 

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.”

Charles Taylor - Insurtech Initiative of the Year 2020

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!”

New Frontier Group - Industry Supplier of the Year 2020 

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.”

Global Excel Management Inc - ITIJ Marketing Campaign of the Year 2020

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.”