Zurich adds extra strings to risk bow

Zurich Financial Services Australiahas introduced enhancements to its life risk products and beefed up its marketing team to make what it deems is a “major assault” on the life risk market in Australia.

Zurich head of life risk Chris Kirby says the moves continues its program of boosting support to independent advisers.

“The last 12 months have been all about putting the resources in place to provide advisers with the right environment to be successful in the risk game,” Kirby says.

In addition to a range of new included benefits that automatically apply to all lump sum contracts post-1997 and disability contracts since 1998, a new range of optional benefits have been introduced.

These include; ‘needlestick’ cover on Zurich’s Income Replacement Insurance Plus (aimed at healthcare professionals), a superannuation contributions option on income replacement insurance plus, and Business Future Cover on Term Life Insurance Plus, the latter of which provides forward underwriting on business insurance.

“What we’ve tried to do is provide some rational and smart solutions within the products. They are opportunities that I believe advisers can take to the medical community or business community, for example, as options,” Kirby says.

Zurich has boosted its life risk marketing team to four, having appointed a new marketing manager - Simone Waights, who has joined from AMP, and a new Business Projects Manager, Chris Rutherford, who has been consulting most recently.

The marketing team has also prepared and released comprehensive marketing support material for advisers’ professional and business clients, which is a key part of the company’s service offering, Kirby says.

“Advisers need more support in this area and Zurich’s strategy is to grow its business through its total commitment to provide a range of business solutions and services that will assist intermediaries in managing and growing their businesses.”