Nov/Dec 2019
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Celebrate Community
» Great Eastern Women’s Run 2019
» Celebrating Christmas with a Difference
» Spreading cheer to the underprivilege
» Tilling the land for shared progress
Celebrate Partnership
» Great Eastern inks regional strategic partnership with Axiata Digital Capital to offer innovative insurtech solutions
Celebrate Great
» A GREAT Night @ the Movies
» Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
» GELI provides Financial Education for Indonesia millennials
Celebrate Teamwork
» The Three I’s of the Life Company
» Great Eastern Amateur Football League 2019
Celebrate Innovation
» Great Cancer Guard
» The exclusive #WOWasan
Celebrate Life
» GELI hosts “Healthy Workplace” talk
Celebrate Success
» GELS and GELM clinch HR accolades
» Congratulations to 2019 Excellent Service Award (EXSA) Winners
» Best IT, Data Tech & AI Governance 2019
Celebrate Great Offers
» Exclusive Deals for UPGREAT users!
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Great Eastern Women’s Run 2019
13,000 ladies participated in the 14th edition of the Great Eastern Women’s Run (GEWR) on Sunday 3 November to pledge their commitment towards a healthier lifestyle.
Starting off at Nicoll Highway, the participants ran through some of Singapore’s most picturesque landscapes, before finishing back at the National Stadium.
This year’s Guest-of-Honour Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, flagged off the 5km race.
Besides the 5km race, other categories were the 21.1km half-marathon; 10km; 2km Mummy + Me (for mothers and daughters aged 7 to 12) and the 100m Princess Dash (for girls aged 3 to 6).
*Chinese horoscope 2023 by Way Fengshui. Permission required for reproduction.
All GEWR finishers got their hands on beautifully-designed holographic medals. Finishers of the Mummy & Me race, in particular, had specially-designed medals that came in a pair and formed a heart shape when placed together.
All finishers for the 100m Princess Dash received a brand new Finisher’s Medal. They also received an exclusive My Little Pony goodie bag with special collectibles. The little girls enjoyed a special treat of their own at the My Little Pony Garden Party where they enjoyed fun activities such as bouncy castles, face-painting and balloon sculpturing
All participants were rewarded with a slew of treats such as designer popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, and pastries to mark the day’s achievement and months of training. Families and supporters also enjoyed the carnival-like festivities as they interacted with engaging attractions such as the 180-degree photo booths and lenticular installations, or hung out in the turfed chill zones.
A total of $50,240 was raised for the Breast Cancer Foundation and Women’s Health Research and Education Fund through individual and corporate donations, underlining GEWR’s support for women-related health causes.
Christmas celebrations came early to 40 elderly friends from AWWA Community Home, as they were treated to a morning of fun and laughter with over 110 staff & their children at Great Eastern Centre.
Organised by Great Eastern Cares and Kids@Work, highlights of the event included two hands-on craft activities for both seniors and children, a sumptuous lunch buffet, booth games with attractive prizes and a festive Christmas carolling performance by ‘Sounds of Joy’ (staff carolers from Great Eastern, OCBC Bank, Bank of Singapore and OCBC Securities).
The three-generation bonding brought much laughter and joy, and each senior took home a goodie bag filled with daily essential items, presented to them by members of our management team.
In the afternoon, our staff and kids were involved in parent-child bonding activities hosted by “Focus on the Family”. This was followed by the “Meet the Boss” ceremony where the children had the opportunity to meet with Ryan Cheong (MD, Digital for Business) and Gary Teh (MD, Group IT). In this session, the children asked them interesting questions that brought laughter across the room as they found out more about how their parents are in the business of helping people, and how we hope we will continue to make a difference and inspire others to do so as well.
Spreading cheer to the underprivileged
GELM shared the spirit of Deepavali with underprivileged children from various charities such as Pusat Jagaan Rumah Kanak-kanak Triniti, Assunta Children Society and Sasthi Blessings Shelter Home. This event is part of ChildrenCare, GELM’s corporate social responsibility initiative. It donated RM18,800 worth of gift vouchers, back-to-school items and Deepavali dinner boxes for the beneficiaries.
Armed with spades and sunscreen, some 40 GETB volunteers accompanied undergraduates from University Malaya to work with 20 families to plant chili seedlings in Kg Orang Asli Sg Gabong, Bentong Pahang on 26 October, as part of its community farming project.
GETB staff assisted these families to take their harvested crops to market. They also conducted a financial awareness talk for these farmers to reinvest their profits so that they can grow more crops for future harvests.
GETB staff also shared with villagers from nearby kampungs the benefits of signing up for mySalam, the free Takaful health protection scheme offered by the government and delivered groceries and pre-loved clothes to the Orang Asli community which had been donated by other GETB colleagues.
Since mid-2018, this project has been part of GETB’s CSR efforts to uplift the standards of living for the Orang Asli community in the area.
Our Group Finance and Group Strategic Initiative and Planning colleagues decided to make a difference by using the money to buy healthy food bundles for the needy.
Working with The Foodbank Singapore Pte Ltd and Thong Kheng Senior Activity Centre, 24 volunteers came together to pack and deliver healthy food bags to 200 elderly beneficiaries’ homes on 19 November.
Fiona Toh and Aaron Ong said, “It was a heart-warming experience, especially when the seniors welcomed us with open arms and expressed their gratitude for our efforts. Seeing our colleagues coming together to pack and distribute the food made us appreciate the importance of teamwork. We hope to reach out to more beneficiaries and we welcome other Great Eastern colleagues to join us the next time.”
Keith Leow, Head - Balance Sheet Analytics and Investment Operations said, “I hope that this simple act of food packing and sharing would provide hope and warmth to the seniors, and a reminder to each of us that there are always segments in our society who need our continuous support and generosity. A big thank you to all the volunteers who took time off from their busy schedule to make this a meaningful event!”
Great Eastern and Axiata Digital Capital signed a strategic partnership on 12 December in Kuala Lumpur to provide affordable and customised insurance and takaful products for consumers, micro-entrepreneurs and SMEs in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The comprehensive range of insurance and takaful products are designed to meet the different needs of the customers’ lifestyle and also includes health insurance, home insurance, personal accident insurance, among many others.
This marks the first insurtech alliance between a digital financial services platform and an insurance and takaful provider to provide a seamless experience of convenience in immediate online purchase to help bridge the protection and insurance gap in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Great Eastern Group Chief Executive Officer, Khor Hock Seng said, "We are pleased to partner with Axiata Digital Capital and provide their customers with seamless access to affordable insurance and takaful solutions customised for their lifestyle. This partnership allows us to reach out to the wider base of consumers who go online to purchase and manage their insurance and takaful needs. Great Eastern’s strong expertise in designing relevant products, coupled with the convenience of digital platforms, will provide a unique value proposition to these customers”.
From left: Mohd Khairil Abdullah, CEO of Axiata Digital Capital; Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, Group CEO of Axiata Group Berhad; Mr Khor Hock Seng, Group CEO of Great Eastern Holdings Limited; Sheyantha Abeykoon, Executive Director of Aspirasi and CFO of Axiata Digital; Ryan Cheong, MD, Digital for Business of Great Eastern Holdings Limited; and Dato Koh Yaw Hui, CEO of Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia) Berhad at the signing ceremony.
From Harry Potter wizards to Egyptian knights from the movie Cleopatra, there was excitement in the air as the staff entered the ballroom dressed up as their favourite movie characters.
The night got off to a great start with a Star Wars themed opening act put up by the organising committee. The event’s emcee, Suhaimi Yusof, drew enthusiastic responses from the crowd as he got the audience ready to take part in the various stage activities.
The “GREAT Movie Trailer Awards” showcased our staff parodying movie trailers. The team from Group IT won the judges’ vote with their enjoyable and humorous recreation of the Chinese romantic-comedy movie “Our Times”.
In the GREAT Movie Soundtrack Awards, Selia Chong from Group Operations impressed the judges with with her perfect rendition of the “Aladdin” theme song “A Whole New World”.
The evening’s other highlights included a stand-up comedy by Suhaimi and actor Wang Weiliang (or Lobang King) from the Ah Boys to Men movie. Another crowd favourite segment was the Red Carpet Awards where contestants awed the crowd with their impressive outfits.
There were prizes galore in the lucky draws held throughout dinner, starting from the Early Bird Draw with 10 winners each receiving an iPad, and culminating with the Grand Lucky Draw. The loudest cheers were heard when Group CEO Mr Khor Hock Seng announced that everyone present would receive a prize. A special Thanos Draw was also added to the programme where the sole ‘survivor’ from Mr Khor’s snap walked away with an amazing cash prize.
The night ended on a high note with Mr Khor wowing the crowd with his signature song from Bon Jovi - “It’s My Life” - together with the band “Jives” and all staff joining in. Indeed it was A Great Night @ the Movies!
Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
In conjunction with the Breast Cancer Awareness last month, GELM organised a “Together We Support Breast Cancer Awareness” campaign to raise breast cancer awareness and express support to those battling the disease.
GELM employees, agents and members of the public made pledges to support this campaign and received a pink ribbon pin – the international symbol of breast cancer awareness.
GELM also presented the “Together We Support Breast Cancer Awareness” pledges compiled in a poster display board to the Breast Cancer Foundation.
In line with the Government's month of Financial Literacy and Inclusion in October, GELI partnered Bank OCBC NISP to organise the #TAYTB Fest at The Tribrata, Darmawangsa from 31 October to 3 November 2019. The event also shared the importance of financial planning among Indonesia millennials to fulfil their aspirations.
Popular Indonesian celebrities were invited to share financial management tips during the #TAYTB Fest. These included entrepreneur Christian Sugiono and singers Bambang Reguna Bukit and Nicky Tirta.
In addition to the three sharing sessions, #TAYTB Fest hosted other activities such as Inspirational Theater, Whimsical Playground, Experiential Hall, Fun(d) Market, Omah Fair, Rooftop Cinema, Hype Market and even a concert with household name musicians at the #TAYTB Musical Stage.
Celebrate Teamwork
The Three I’s of the Life Company
In August this year, we celebrated our 111th Anniversary and took the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be the Life Company. For us to understand the lives of our customers, it starts with understanding the hearts and minds of our people.
Human Capital launched a staff survey and through the responses we have received, we have defined the words and colours that will inspire the way we work together.
These new colours and words are part of our all-new Life Company screensavers. Embodying our three values - Integrity, Initiative and Involvement - this series of screensavers is the first of many initiatives we will be rolling out in the year ahead to partner all Great Eastern staff and to live by the values as ‘The Life Company’.
If you are unable to view the screensavers, drop us a note here.
Great Eastern Amateur Football League 2019
In its fifth year, Great Eastern Amateur Football League was one of the platforms for Agency Leaders to recruit potential candidates to join the agency force. The players are mostly undergraduates from local universities. Throughout the season, the players learnt more about life as a Great Eastern financial representative.
This year, a total of 12 teams took part, with Agency Leaders serving as Team Managers. 30 qualifying matches later, the top four teams - Lions Clique, FCB, EUnited and Legends Clique - squared off with one another in the play-offs. Legends Clique emerged as the Champions defeating FCB while Lions Clique edged out EUnited for 3rd place. Legend Clique also notched a notable feat by scoring 12 goals – the most ever scored in one game – in its earlier qualifying match against Banter FC.
Celebrate Innovation
Note: Amounts calculated are before GST.
GREAT Cancer Guard can be purchased here. This exclusive staff campaign ends on 31 December 2019.
On 15 November 2019, GETB launched i-Great Wawasan. For a payment period of up to five years, enjoy long-term protection starting from RM500,000.
Upon reaching 60 years old, policyholders can choose to extend their coverage for additional 20-years interval to enjoy continuous protection.
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Learn more about this product here.
Celebrate Life
GELI hosts “Healthy Workplace” talk
GELI’s Group Insurance team hosted a ‘Healthy Workplace’ talk, in collaboration with Bank OCBC NISP, Mayapada Hospital, YesDok, In-Harmony Hospital, Great Day HR and The Fit Company. Held at the JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta, the event was attended by GELI’s corporate LinkedIn group members as well as present and prospective customers.
*Chinese horoscope 2023 by Way Fengshui. Permission required for reproduction.
Celebrate Success
GELS and GELM clinch HR accolades
GELS received the HR Asia’s ‘Best Companies to Work For in Asia (Singapore)’ award on 18 October 2019, in recognition of its efforts to create workplace excellence and promote greater employee engagement. This is GELS Human Capital’s fourth HR award recognition this year.
GELM clinched a Silver award for ‘Excellence in Retention Strategy’ at the recent Human Resources HR Excellence Awards 2019 Malaysia. The GELM Human Capital team was recognised for its commitment in retaining employees in a highly competitive HR landscape, through innovative retention strategies that cater to various demographics within the workforce.
GELM was also named the top employer brand in the insurance category at the Graduates’ Choice Award, the most authoritative campus employer branding award in Malaysia, where all votes are cast by university students.
GELS’ Group Operations garnered 47 awards at the annual EXSA Award Ceremony held on 8 November at Marina Bay Sands. Katherine Goh Sok Kian, from Touchpoints based at Westgate Service Centre, received the Star Winner award, the highest accolade received.
Congratulations to the other Great Eastern winners for doing Great Eastern proud!
Gold Winner Award
- Jennifer Khoo Mei Kim (Touchpoints, Westgate Service Centre)
- Yvonne Lim Siew Fong (Touchpoints, Westgate Service Centre)
- Jacintha Merissa Low Yiwen (Touchpoints, Westgate Service Centre)
- Irene Peh Siew Tin (Touchpoints, PLQ Service Centre)
- Eileen Wong Wai Theng (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Hubert Toh Kee Chow (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Josephine Yeo Siew Ling (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Jovina Chan Hong Choon (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Judy Oh Hui Xiang (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Chew Yeong Tay (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Jeannie Hong Huijun (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- Amanda Lee Wen Qin (Touchpoints, Digital Communication)
- Derrick Choo Zhen Feng (Medical Claim)
- Chong Wei Theng (Life Claim)
Silver Winner Award
- Karen Goh Kai Ling (Touchpoints, Westgate Service Centre)
- Adeline Oh Xin Ning (Touchpoints, PLQ Service Centre)
- Felicia Cheong Kai Shun (Touchpoints, PLQ Service Centre)
- Jasmine Kan Oi Chee (Touchpoints, PLQ Service Centre)
- Stephen Lim Ming Teck (Touchpoints, PLQ Service Centre)
- Teo Ying Chao (Touchpoints, PLQ Service Centre)
- Valerie Neo Shi Pei (Touchpoints, PLQ Service Centre)
- Randell Lim Boon Yin (Touchpoints, PLQ Service Centre)
- Agnes Lin Peishan (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Michelle Yau Jia Hui (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Paul Hui Dick Vun (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Rachel Tu Zhiya (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Jessica Lim Bee Geok (Touchpoints, HQ Service Centre)
- Regina Heng Gek Cheng (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- Christopher Kwok Yoke Lam (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
Silver Winner Award
- Felicia Li Ying Ying (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- Jeanette Teoh Siew Cheang (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- Lee Zu Er (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- Lynn Lim Bong Keng (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- Michelle Wong Yeng Ching (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- Sandra Lee Siew Lian (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- Stanley Ong Chin Leong (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- So Cun Hee (Touchpoints, Call Centre)
- Acacia Wong Jia Jia (Touchpoints, Digital Communication)
- Doris Lim Seok Kheng (Touchpoints, Digital Communication)
- Teoh Teng Teng (Touchpoints, Digital Communication)
- Kevin Lim Jia Jun (Touchpoints, Digital Communication)
- Sacharissa Phang Sze Ern (Touchpoints, Digital Communication)
- Jaelyn Chin (Touchpoints)
- Mabel Soh Mun Ling (Policy Services)
- Chow May Fern (Policy Services)
- Riyn Oh Guat Lay (Medical Claim)
GELI won the Data GovAi award at the Best IT, Data Tech & AI Governance 2019. Held on Wednesday, 6 November 2019 at the Jakarta Convention Center, the award was received by GELI’s Head of Marketing Roy Hendrata Gozalie.
The event was organised by the Association Big Data Indonesia and Komite.ID magazine and supported by the Ministry of Research Communication & Informatika, OJK (Financial Services Authority), BSSN (National Cyber & Crypto Agency) and Ministry of Industry, the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Republic Indonesia. The award winners were selected by a jury based on an evaluation through assessments, market research, questionnaires and recommendations from customers and through social media.
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