Do you know that greenhouse gas concentrations are at their highest levels ever recorded? Do you know you can play a part in creating a greener future by eliminating single-use materials, reducing energy use and turning food waste into compost for gardening? Have you ever wondered if you are purchasing more clothes than you need and that will contribute to global fashion waste?

Aimed at building environmental awareness and advocacy amongst over 11,000 secondary school students, the Sustainable Schools Programme was supported by Great Eastern in partnership with Zero Waste SG.

As title sponsor, Great Eastern engaged 13 teams from 10 schools across Singapore through an 8-month holistic initiative, which included funding for the participating secondary school teams to conduct their sustainability projects and the competition prizes, as well as the organising of upcycling workshops and other outreach activities.

Winnie Tan, SVP of Sustainability, was amongst the judging panel for the virtual inter-school presentation held on 2 and 3 November.

On 4 November, the top five winning teams that presented the best sustainability school projects walked away with cash prizes presented by Colin Chan, MD of Group Marketing at Great Eastern Centre.

In his welcome address to the winning teams, Colin Chan said: “Looking back at all your enthusiasm and the projects that were submitted for the competition, I believe you are all already agents of change. Together we can Reach for Great impact in creating a greener future.”

As part of the completion of the Programme, the students were treated to a movie screening at Cineleisure Orchard on 14 November. Titled A Plastic Ocean, the movie further reinforced the importance of reducing single-use materials, especially plastics, as the nation moves towards a zero-waste future.

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In line with our refreshed brand promise, GELI actively promotes a sustainable lifestyle to help Indonesians Reach for a Greener Tomorrow.

In recent years, modern lifestyle, including the increased production of single-use materials and over purchasing, has caused negative impact to the environment. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) of the Republic of Indonesia noted that the volume of waste in Indonesia in 2022 has reached 70 million tons, an increase of 2% compared to 2021 which amounted to 68.5 million tons.

With that in mind, Great Eastern Life Indonesia launched a campaign called Reach for a Greener Tomorrow, in partnership with Saya Pilih Bumi (National Geographic Indonesia) to raise awareness for Indonesians to move towards a zero waste lifestyle.

Reach for a Greener Tomorrow aims to raise awareness about protecting the environment through educating members of the public and sharing tips on how to start and sustain a zero waste lifestyle. In October and November 2022, GELI held conversations on social media platforms, inviting consumers to discuss the following topics:

1. Zero waste at home -- Easy steps to reduce waste at home
2. Sustainability Food – Easy steps to reduce food waste or groceries
3. Sustainability Fashion – Easy steps to reduce clothing waste
   

On 10 November, an Instagram Live on “Zero Waste for Beginners” was hosted by Roy Hendrata, Head of Marketing, GELI, and Andi Pananrang, Community Officer, Saya Pilih Bumi. This campaign will continue until next year (January—March 2023), with a Zero Waste Kit Challenge and 5,000 recycleable shopping bags to be given away.

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Great Eastern Takaful took a big step towards advocating sustainable practices amongst its employees.

On 8 November, GETB launched a Sustainability Room as a platform for its employees to have the opportunity to produce corporate branded items - such as comb, soap dish, bag clips and ruler - from their own plastic wastes. The upcycled items are made possible through a 2-in-1 machine, where it shreds plastics and channels melted plastics into a mold – giving plastic wastes a second life.

Mr. Norman Ip, Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director, GETB, was accompanied by Mr. Shahrul Azlan Shahriman, CEO of GETB at the launch.

During his business trip to GETB, Group CEO Mr. Khor Hock Seng, alongside other Board of Directors were also given a tour around the facility to observe the demonstration of the 2-in-1 upcycling machine.

Implementing Value Based Intermediation Takaful (VBIT) which was rolled out by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), GETB is focused on growing the Takaful industry by seamlessly integrating value-based concepts into the respective business practices. One of the VBIT thrusts is community empowerment.

Under this thrust, GETB has been actively organising recycling and upcycling activities for the community. The first session took place at Taman Tugu Malaysia recreational park. Around 80 members of the public participated in the workshop and had a great time learning how to produce keychains and accessories from plastic wastes.

Moving forward, GETB is looking at rolling out full-fledged environmental initiatives such as beach cleaning activities, rewarding Sustainability Champions across the organisation, monthly public awareness sessions and many more.

This sustainability initiative is a collaboration with The Sea Monkey Project, an organisation that promotes reduction in plastic pollution, and upcycling wastes into reusable materials for positive environmental impact.

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It was a night of fun and recognition as our first Dinner & Dance returned after a 3-year hiatus!

To align with our new brand promise, the theme was set as “#ReachforGreat – Let your dreams set sail” with the aim of inspiring and partnering with our employees to help them achieve their personal goals and aspirations.

In addition to the Annual Appreciation Awards where we recognised the dedication and support of our long serving staff, we also had an impressive line-up of performances by our colleagues who participated in the Great Symphony of the Sea Competition!

We had the opportunity to interview some of them after the Dinner & Dance, so read on to find out more!

Celebrating 40 years with Great Eastern – Alice Goh-Tan Poh Nai

1. What are some of your fondest Great Eastern memories of the past 40 years?
   The memories forged with the people that I have met in Great Eastern over the course of my career. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to have great colleagues & immediate supervisors, who were more than willing to guide and mentor me. Together, we worked hard & play hard as well!
2. What advice would you give to a person thinking of starting a career with Great Eastern?
   Have an open mind and treat people the way you would want to be treated. Be sincere and fair when working with your colleagues and know when to be firm when needed.
3. Have you been with Group Operations since the start of your Career?
   No, in fact I was with the Finance Department when I first joined Great Eastern! During my time with the Finance Department, I was tasked with various projects and handled receivables and subsequently, payments.
   
   After a few years, I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and requested for a transfer to Group Operations and was a unit head in a section. I am thankful for the flexibility and support provided by Great Eastern in catering to my career needs at various points in my career journey.

Our Winner of the Great Symphony of the Sea Competition – D’JUBZ

1. Why did you decide to take part in the competition?
   We decided to take part in the competition to showcase our hidden talents that our colleagues have! More importantly, through the rehearsals our team bond grew tighter as we were able to show our camaraderie and fun sides, both individually and collectively.
2. What inspired you to come up with the Sustainability themed idea for your performance?
   We wanted to create an impactful performance that resonates with our belief and that is to raise awareness on the global climate change situation and to stop man made pollution. We hope that through our humble performance, we can send the message across that we must take action and the time is now.
3. How did you feel when your team was announced the winner?
   Really grateful to the support from our colleagues and bosses and humbled to be able to have the platform to spread awareness of global climate change! Looking forward to the next D&D!

Our first runner-up of the Great Symphony of the Sea Competition – Musicman

1. Why did you decide to take part in the competition?
   We decided to take part in the competition for the fun of it; to show our support in the activities organised by Great Eastern; and most importantly for everyone get to know our division, Group Insurance!
2. What made you decide to write and perform a #ReachforGreat song as part of your performance?
   The idea to self-compose a “Reach For Great” song came to my mind during our August town hall when our Group CEO, Mr. Khor shared the new “Reach For Great” brand purpose. I personally believe in this brand direction as we are growing and reaching for greater milestones in 2023.
   
   It took me approximately a month to complete this song. There was a night whereby I spent 4 hours on my guitar composing the music/tune for the chorus. From there, I wrote the chorus lyrics, and lastly the verse. I sought feedback from a few of my colleagues and based on their suggestions, I re-wrote and change the music/tune of the verse. Thankfully, I managed to complete the song and submitted our entry in time for the competition!
3. How was your experience taking part in the competition?
   To me, it’s not so much the competition but more on how to give my best and put up a good show during our D&D. It takes effort and time to plan all the details. All the pictures in my slides were planned according to the lyrics of my song. For example, there was one line of “Every age, Race and Life stage”. I got my department’s youngest and oldest colleagues, and also colleagues of different races to come together to take their photos. Another line, “For Every Challenge You Face, We Stand By You”, I got my Head of Marketing, Head of Operations and a colleague to act out the scene. All the photos in the slides featured colleagues from Group Insurance! I am really thankful for their support in this journey!

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On 3 November, a total of 86 HODs in Singapore gathered for the final physical Townhall of the year.

Jimmy Tong, MD of General and Group Insurance started the session by sharing instances of how the various divisions like Group Marketing, Digital for Business, RAFABA and GEG had established cross-functional collaborations for our products and services. He also highlighted that the unveiling of our refreshed brand identity had been timely in helping with the cross-selling of our products, with more of our customers being able to better resonate with the new #ReachforGreat tagline. The move to cross collaborate proved to be successful as Great Eastern has since gained 20,000 new customers through our collective efforts. Beyond collaborating internally, we have also begun partnering with OCBC to drive awareness of our products through their staff intranet. Jimmy ended off by urging everyone to keep up the collaboration team effort, to Move Together as One so that we can all #ReachforGreat partnership.

Winnie Tan, SVP of Sustainability then recapped what was shared in the previous Townhall before unveiling our Sustainability Strategy moving forward. Winnie also shared that a Sustainability Taskforce helmed by the GMC members had been set up, and they would be working with the various divisions to incorporate sustainability angles in 2023 work plans.

James Lee, MD of Group Human Capital, gave an update on the upcoming MLG (Enabling Trust and Team Resilience) workshops. At Great Eastern, we want to cultivate and foster a psychologically safe work environment, in order to build stronger and more resilient teams. As such, from November onwards till early next year, we will be launching the MLG workshops for the rest of the organisation. Echoing what Jimmy had shared, James re-iterated the importance of open communications as we strengthen our culture and position and Move Together as One.

Lastly, Group CEO Khor Hock Seng wrapped up the Townhall with an update of the 9M-2022 Financial Results. He shared that the Group's New Business Embedded Value grew despite a softer sales performance, driven by good product mix. Moving forward, we will continue to evolve our insurance solutions and strengthen our business and distribution model, supported by data driven targeted propositions to meet the needs of our customers.

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A great culture plays a vital role in our company’s success. It makes Great Eastern a great place to work at, where everyone shares the same beliefs and works together as one. By living the core values and generic skills and competencies (GSCs) in your everyday work, you can #ReachforGreat in your career.

Learn more about our GSCs and how our colleagues have embedded it into our ways of working as we #ReachforGreat to deliver our best!

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In celebration of the Festival of Lights, GELM ChildrenCare contributed close to 100 packs of lunch boxes with a special Deepavali menu and chocolate cakes to four underprivileged children homes from Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM).

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There is much room to improve the level of financial literacy among Indonesians. Based on latest data from the National Financial Literacy and Inclusion Survey (SNLIK) in Indonesia, there exists a fairly wide gap between the financial literacy index (38.03%) and financial inclusion index (76.19%). This means that out of every 100 Indonesians, there are 76 people who are using financial products and/or services but only 38 of them are financially savvy.

Importance of insurance products for women entrepreneurs and consumers looking for halal lifestyle

In conjunction with the 2022 Financial Inclusion Month in Indonesia, Great Eastern Life Indonesia collaborated with Solopos Media Group and held a financial literacy webinar on 21 October, which featured invited speakers who shared tips on financial planning and recommendations on financial products and services, as well as the importance of insurance as necessary protection for continuity in business and one’s life.

Titled Reach for a Great Womenpreneur: Great Women Create Great Businesses, the first webinar aimed to help Indonesian women entrepreneurs manage business finances and develop business strategies for their micro, small and medium enterprises (UMKM). Of the 65 million UMKM in Indonesia, 37 million of them are managed by women.

Invited speakers were successful women in their industries, including Metta Anggraini, financial planner and founder of Daya Uang and Ngemil Siti Romelah, owner of Snack Ratu.

The second webinar for the day - Reach for a Great Halal Lifestyle Through Sharia Insurance: Realizing a Halal Lifestyle with Sharia Insurance – talked about halal lifestyle in the Islamic economic ecosystem and its great business potential. In its realisation, the halal lifestyle must be balanced with various literacy and adequate access to sharia products.

Experts and activists in the fields of finance and sharia insurance were invited as speakers. They included: Rista Zwestika S.Sos, CFP., Financial Planner and Founder of Finance, Sangkut Wijaya, Head of Sharia Unit Great Eastern Life Indonesia, and Ardhiana Iffa Farida, owner of Snack Cavatoz.

The two sessions were part of Great Eastern’s sustainability focus to help Indonesians Reach for Great financial literacy and awareness.

Partnering Bank OCBC NISP to benefit consumers

Based on statistics from 2021 Indonesian Religious Court Data, more than 25% of divorce cases in Indonesia occurred due to household financial issues. Couples who are preparing for a wedding not only need to prepare for the costs of the wedding ceremony, but also post-wedding living expenses for the short- and long-term, from childcare costs to retirement funds.

To help address this social problem in Indonesia, GELI partnered with Bank OCBC NISP to organise a financial fitness class for young couples. Held on 12 November at The Cove, PIK, Jakarta (Main Stage Cuan Town Festival), the class was themed "Ready to Get Married with Investment Capital: Reach for a Great New Chapter of Life".

Held free for members of the public, the class discussed the importance of financial readiness while preparing for a dream wedding. Participants learnt practical tips to make short- and long-term financial planning and deal with possible pre- and post-marital financial issues.

During the sharing session, GELI also took the opportunity to share health and financial protection products, such as GREAT Optimal Link with additional add-on of GREAT Health Cover and the newly launched GREAT Prestige Protector that participants can consider pre- and post-wedding.

With adequate financial readiness, couples can look forward to lesser financial conflicts and a higher possibility of leading a happily-ever-after married life.

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Customers of GELI and Bank OCBC NISP, together with top achievers from Regions 1 - 4 were treated to an exclusive music experience by the legendary band, Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR) on 14 October at the Grand Ballroom Pullman Central Park, Jakarta.

Titled “The Power of Eternal Love”, the concert was exclusively held two days ahead of MLTR’s public concert, in celebration of the achievements of financial representatives from Regions 1 – 4 in the period of July and August 2022.

The concert also invited Christian Bautista, a Filipino singer and actor whose works have been well received in Indonesia. Selected customers among the 1,300 Premier Banking customers were in for an extra treat to meet and greet MLTR and Christian Bautista.

With exclusive treats to appreciate top achievers, GELI hopes to entice more financial representatives to Reach for Great Achievement in the year to come.

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GREAT warriors and superheroes were seen appearing at Ritz Carlton Mega Kuningan Jakarta on 23 November as GELI’s staff put in GREAT efforts to win the best-dressed cash award of 5 million rupiah at the Dinner and Dance (D&D) 2022.

Back in full swing since the start of Covid-19, the D&D this year was a celebratory event to commemorate the resilience and agility of GELI’s staff for being the superheroes of the company, battling with the pandemic over the past two years.

Aptly themed Reach for Great Celebration, the D&D showcased performances of Top 6 finalist groups of ‘Great Eastern Life Indonesia Got Talent’. The winning groups danced, sang, and performed stand-up comedies. This year, the group of employees called Wonderful Indonesia, which performed Indonesian dances, won 1st place in the talent competition.

The event drew applause from the crowd with the announcement of Reach for Great Content winners, where a total prize of SGD 5,000 and 1 consolation prize for iPad Air 256 were given away. The crowd then anticipated in great excitement as a total of 38 lucky draw prizes, including TVs, smartphones, bicycles, and other attractive prizes, were announced one by one.

All participating staff stood a chance to win prizes totaling millions of rupiah when they uploaded wefies or video reels with fellow colleagues from the department. The night ended with laughter and GREAT poses of the crowd snapping photos at the 360 photo booths before leaving with fond memories.

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Upon completion of their run, participants were treated to a fun-filled carnival at the race village, where they captured memories with fellow running buddies at multiple photo points while enjoying complimentary snacks, drinks, massage, fitness dance session and more!

We thank everyone for your support of the Great Eastern Women’s Run and we hope to see you at the next edition!

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In July this year, the Actionable Consumer Insights Lab (ACI Lab) team from Group Data and Consumer Insights and Research (CIR) team from Group Marketing (GM) collaborated to design and facilitate a full-day Product Roadmap Workshop for GM’s Consumer Proposition team. It was a timely exercise to look at the shifting consumer needs in view of the changing market landscape, especially in a post-Covid world. With that, the primary objective of the Product Roadmap Workshop was to address the needs of the different consumer segments, and to identify and prioritise possible products for development.

The workshop commenced with an opening by Colin Chan, MD of GM, who emphasised the importance of putting consumers at the forefront. Employing a process of divergent and convergent thinking, we first sought to understand the current landscape with our guest speaker, Mr Ernest Fong, APAC CEO of Optimas Capital, who shared key market and economic trends. Thereafter, we delved deeper into how this was affecting consumer behaviour, by understanding the changing needs of consumers through research conducted prior to this workshop. Taking on an empathic lens to view the consumer, the team further brainstormed ideas and product strategies for each consumer segment.

The outcome of the full-day workshop was a consumer-centric portfolio strategy that was developed based on the needs of the target consumer segments, with a new 3-year product roadmap. As this is the first time a long-term product roadmap was developed, it serves to guide the teams within GM to plan ahead for consumer propositions and research, product development, implementation, and go-to-market activities. As a living document, the GM team plans to review the roadmap half-yearly and incorporate new market or consumer trends as we continue to journey with our customers.

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To protect Indonesians against accidental death, GELI launched the Asuransi GREAT Pro Solution, an innovative protection product that can be customised based on customers’ varying needs and financial capabilities.

The product is marketed through the extensive network of Optik Melawai, the largest optical company in Indonesia, established since 1981 with 300 branches across the country to-date.

For a start, the collaboration reaches out to customers from 50 selected Optik Melawi branches. All new customers who purchase Asuransi GREAT Pro Solution through our web portal GoGreat! will receive a discount voucher of up to 35% off for purchases of eyewear products from Optik Melawai (T&Cs apply).

This marks the second collaboration between GELI and Optik Melawai, following the Optical Cashless Program that allows Group Insurance customers to make cashless purchase for any glasses, lenses and/or spectacle frames across all 300 branches, in accordance with the benefits and applicable policy terms.

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