"The insurance sector has a responsibility to contribute to a better and more competitive Europe". This is what Frédéric de Courtois (AXA) said yesterday in his first speech as chairman of Insurance Europe.
This year's annual Insurance European conference took place in Helsinki. This year's theme was Protect. Connect. Invest. In the Finnish capital, the focus was mainly on the future of climate insurance, what do consumers expect from insurers in the increasingly complex digital world? Which regulations that are yet to be developed will work best for industry and consumers?
Major challenges
In his speech, De Courtois drew attention to the biggest challenges facing the insurance sector. These are recurring, overarching themes that apply to many sectors: an ageing population, climate change and the increasing cyber threat.
Solutions
"We certainly don't shy away from them, but we have to tackle them together. By focusing on public-private partnerships. In this way, we improve the competitiveness of European industry vis-à-vis other power blocs in the world such as the US and China," is the firm conviction of the brand-new chairman of IE. He called on attendees to play a proactive role in the green transition. "And focus on pragmatic legislation based on a thorough impact analysis and that does not simply lead to more administrative obligations."
Next week, our Brussels PA advisers (Jochem van Stiphout and Roy van Cooten) will come up with more substantive news. To be continued!
Frédéric de Courtois has worked in the insurance industry for more than 30 years, has been Deputy CEO of AXA since 2021 and is a member of the Group Management Committee. He succeeds Andreas Brandstetter, Chairman and CEO of the UNIQA Insurance Group.
Was this article useful?