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Vertafore: Leading the Insurtech industry With Technological & Workforce Prowess

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Navneet Jhamb, General Manager

Navneet Jhamb

General Manager

According to IRDAI’s annual report, insurance penetration in India saw a jump from 3.76 percent in 2019-20 to 4.20 percent in 2020-21. The pandemic has had everyone pay attention to the crucial importance of having financial security in place. However, insurance too has been benefited by technological advancements that have attended to an average policyholder’s pain points while enhancing the overall insurance experience. Technology has helped the insurance landscape be more user-driven and empathy-rich. Leading this space for a few decades now is Vertafore. In Vertafore’s words, “We’re obsessed with powering the spirit of our industry.”

Founded in 1969, Vertafore has dominated the InsurTech industry where it has consistently worked on the marriage of relationships and technology, thereby making it stronger. Vertafore has been leading the space with independent agents, carriers and MGAs for years and attributes the company’s success to their success. It believes in helping insurance agencies modernize by leveraging the dexterity of technology for successful client engagement, efficiency and connections from data-driven insights. Currently, Vertafore boasts of 21,000+ Agency customers, 50+ Association partnerships and 1,300+ Carrier partners. It credits its growth to its purpose-built insurance system that is driven by industry-specific technology, its agility in responding to dynamic shifts and challenges, its open architectural, microservice enabled platform and its deep partnerships with clients.

In 2022, Vertafore was selected as one of the 'Best Tech Companies to Work for', a deserving accolade in its journey of 50 illustrious years. Powered by a persistent focus on operational excellence, innovative solutions, and alignment with key industry partners, Vertafore has been paving the way with great leadership by delivering results that truly make a difference to customers of all sizes.In North America, Vertafore has been serving more insurers MGAs, independent agencies and insurance professionals than any other InsurTech provider. Its purpose remains singular to simplify and automate the insurance life cycle so customers can focus on what matters most to them. Its vision is insurance distribution that is 'simpler, smarter and more human'.

Sathbir Kaur, Director, Human Resources- India

It goes without saying that Vertafore owes a lot of its success to its workforce a dynamic and efficient global team that has been integral in propelling its growth and accomplishments. Vertafore cares about its team as deeply and is committed to organic growth and career advancements. In 2021 itself, there were 600 internal moves and promotions spanning the company and it will continue to invest passionately in its employees and their futures.

Vertafore’s team in India accounts for about one third of the overall workforce at almost 800 team members and growing. Teams are working on expanding services, capabilities, and new products, and new team members work alongside others who have been at the company more than twenty years. The workforce believes in the products, management, and a strong future with the company.

Navneet Jhamb, General Manager, India, is excited about the growth and the team’s commitment. He says, “Our success and what makes us who we are is our culture, we focus on transparency, trust, and a great employee experience. We are an award-winning organization with passionate teams who are always proving that no matter what department or product we work on, or where we are located, we are one team working together around the world”.

Fostering a Great Experience & Inclusion
A great experience for employees and customers is achieved by focusing on fundamental principles that are followed closely and are also internally known as the “Vertafore Way”. Three of the six principles include Bias to Action, Customer Success is Our Success, and Show Up Curious. The Vertafore Way is considered its north star for how customers are served and how everyone works together as global teams. Vertafore also provides a multitude of benefits, perks, and training opportunities, both professional and technical. Employees stay connected while working remotely through fun and
interactive exercises like 'Better Together' team building challenges and 'Brand Advocate Crew Challenge' to launch its brand modernization efforts.

In the last two years, Vertafore’s workforce has grown considerably with significant hiring done through job openings in India, which was extremely pertinent to the company’s emphasis on team and business growth in India. Its India employees work remotely but cohesively across teams and locations, with access to laptops and enterprise applications. That aside, a number of perks and benefits are given to employees in India. An Online Doctor Consultation service is provided to them which facilitates virtual doctor consultations via video call, chat and phone call. Along with that there are 12 holidays, an employee referral program, an awards & recognition program, paid time off, wedding leave, maternity leave, bereavement leave, insurance coverage, internal mobility, and night shift allowance. Employees also have the opportunity to grow their career with Learning & Development team offerings, including the mentorship program.

Vertafore’s head of human resources in India, Sathbir Kaur, is passionate about employee experience and well being. She says, 'Employee wellness is the most integral part of our employee experience and we’ve added quite a few new wellness programs and benefits for our employees and their families. We truly care about our team members and know they are the most important part of our organization. New offerings include things like a wellness app for Virtual Healthcare with qualified specialists supporting mental and physical wellness along with discounts on medicine delivery, lab tests, and health checkups. In addition to our generous benefits, we have new coverage in IVF, Psychiatric, Laser, and Aayush treatment, along with extra leaves for Covid affected employees. We also care about our communities and continue to give to charitable organizations like donating ventilators to charitable medical facilities and collecting employee donations to distribute 25,000 N95 masks to our communities during the pandemic. This culture of caring is such a special part of being part of the Vertafore team”.

Jon Newpol, SVP, General Manager, Distribution & Compliance Management
Vertafore’s employees also have only good things to say about the company. According to Anusha Gajja - QA Analyst II, “Vertafore has a nice work culture and allows employees to work freely. We also receive ample support from seniors and the HR department. Working here has improved my performance and efficiency. I am excited about the insurance domain where I have grown and advanced my skills. I would heartily refer Vertafore to my friends and family members as the work life, culture and policies are very good and my colleagues are very friendly and accommodating'.

Vertafore also has several Employee Resource Groups that operate on the motto of fostering inclusion, collaboration, team member networks and support. Employee Resource Groups typically comprises of groups of team members who share a common characteristic or consider themselves an ally of that community (e.g., gender, disability status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, veteran status, and many more.).

According to Kristin Nease, SVP, Human Resources, ‘Our focus on diversity and inclusion means always working on ways to better our communities and economies including a focus on creating a diverse workforce with inclusive representation in all the locations where we work.’

Kristin Nease, SVP, Human Resources

The Bright Future
The future for Vertafore is as promising as its present. Jon Newpol, SVP, General Manager, Distribution & Compliance Management says, "Our purpose is to simplify and automate the insurance life cycle so that our customers can focus on what matters most. Our mission is to empower independent agents, carriers, and MGAs and drive their success. We are leading the industry and growing as a company with our talented teams who work hard and deliver products and services with excellence".

Vertafore will continue to innovate to drive the InsurTech industry forward in simple, modern, and human ways. It has targeted plans for key parts of the industry for this year and ahead. Its commitment to innovation can already be seen in its new product, Commercial Submissions, which streamlines the digital quoting and submissions workflow for commercial insurance and enables customers to keep working in one system. Vertafore has also recently acquired Agency Zoom and MGA Systems, both adding capabilities and solutions to best serve their customers across the entire distribution channel.

Awards & Accolades
Vertafore has amassed numerous awards in the past and recent years. Some of the more notable ones are Best Global Culture(2022), Best Engineering Team (2022), Best Product & Design Team (2022, 2021), Best CEO (2021, 2018), Best Company Culture (2021), Best CEOs for Diversity (2021), Best CEOs for Women (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018), Best HR Team (2021), Best Company for Women (2020), Best Company Work-Life Balance (2020, 2018), Best Company Perks & Benefits (2019).

Vertafore’s products and services are also well recognized with theACORD 2019 Top Ten InsurTech Leaders Award, 2020 InsurTech 100 List, 2021 Top 100 Software Companies, Golden Bridge Awards for 2021 Business-to-Business Products: Commercial Submissions (Gold), 2020 Most Innovative Company (Gold), 2020 New Product & Service Innovation: InsurLink (Bronze), 2019 Company of the Year, Insurance (Gold), 2019 Product of the Year, Insurance:RiskMatch (Silver), 2019 Innovations Award: Reference Connect (Bronze), 2019 Company of the Year in Insurance; Cloud Awards for 2021 Best B2B Customer Strategy - Shortlisted, 2021 Best Cloud Business Intelligence Solution (RiskMatch) - Shortlisted, 2020 Best B2B Customer Strategy – Shortlisted; Buil t In Awards for 2021 Best Places to Work: 100 Best Large Companies, 2019 Best Places to Work Top 100 List, 2021 Technology Innovation - Sircon for Carriers; The SaaS Awards for 2021 Best SaaS Newcomer: Commercial Submissions Shortlisted, 2021 Best Product for Financial Services: Sircon for Carriers Shortlisted.