Dr. Adela Osman was recently promoted to Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's Head of Global Medical after previously serving as Chief Medical Officer for Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP South Africa. In this Inside Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP Q&A, Adela explains why she chose a career in the life and health insurance industry, what Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP Magic means, and how she plans to build on the successful legacy of Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP’s medical team.
I had a thriving medical practice and enjoyed that work, but life led me to consider the insurance space, where I was offered a position as a marketing medical director for a direct insurer. I absolutely loved the job. There is not much formal insurance medical training available in South Africa, so I learned a lot by attending insurance conferences. It was at one of these, an Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP client event, where I was recruited by Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP, and I have found my professional home with this remarkable company.
The Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP ethos is very client-focused, and we've become synonymous with high service levels, constant innovation, and superior client engagement, which is consistent with Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP worldwide. In South Africa, we call it "Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP Magic." We have an extremely dynamic group of people who work fantastically together, consistently delivering value to clients and colleagues alike. We are regularly commended for the great vibe and energy we have when we're together, so we coined Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP Magic.
My role in South Africa went beyond serving as chief medical officer. I also headed up the research and development team and was part of the Executive Committee. This allowed me opportunities to be part of the development and execution of the business strategy.
Having the ability to apply the same set of skills to effect change across the global business is fantastic. But I am most excited to be working more closely with my incredibly experienced and talented team. Our vision is to maintain and grow our global leadership in insurance medicine and remain a key reason for clients to choose Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP as their primary reinsurer.
As has become a trademark of the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP medical team under my predecessor, Dr. Dan Zimmerman, who is now Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's Chief Science Advisor, I also look forward to seeing the global medical team build on its support of Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP initiatives in all areas of the business.
Across the life and health insurance industry globally, the financial impact of a slowing economy, COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, wars, and other factors has put a lot of strain on consumers. And we know that insurance generally is a bit of a grudge purchase to begin with – people buy insurance because they feel they have to, not because they want to. While this might not be a new challenge for insurers, it is becoming more acute.
From the medical side, the ongoing pandemic and its many ripple effects – long Covid, mental health issues, delayed treatments, and so on – certainly remain a primary concern. I think we also need to take a close look at navigating regulations. As innovations such as genetic medicine bring new concerns around data protection and introduce issues such as the right to underwrite, insurers will need to pay close attention and transform in order to best serve consumers.
As stated earlier, we want to build on Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's established reputation as a leader in insurance medicine. When people talk about insurance medicine, we want them to think about Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP and its medical team as the gold standard. My ultimate goal is for Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP to become synonymous with thought leadership and medical excellence while serving as a strong backbone and support engine for a thriving business that consistently delivers added value for our clients and the people they serve.
