The State of Organizations 2023 - Flipbook - Page 22
CHAPTER 2: LESSONS FROM LEADERS
The ties that bind:
How AIA leads
with purpose and
empowers its people
first set out their importance, and we
adopted them following our IPO in
2011. They shape our culture, define our
aspirations, and drive our employees’
development and progression at AIA.
How is AIA building key capabilities for
the future?
We have four types of capability building
within our “catalyst for growth” framework:
core leadership skills, sustaining business
excellence, developing skills for the future
of work, and building functional capabilities.
We ensure every program has a business
sponsor, not an HR sponsor, so there is
clear business ownership and demand for
the capabilities we’re developing.
Cara Ang, group chief human resources
officer of AIA, on how the Asian insurer
anchors on purpose and develops critical
capabilities for the future.
A
IA’s purpose—to help millions
of people live “Healthier,
Longer, Better Lives”—
applies not only to its customers and
the communities it serves but also to
its employees and agents. AIA brings
together a multigenerational workforce
representing more than 70 nationalities.
Its purpose sits at the core of the
company’s culture, from its leadership
philosophy to its employee health and
wellbeing program.
We spoke with Cara Ang, AIA’s group
chief human resources officer, about how
the company’s purpose-driven culture,
operating model, and leadership ethos
empower its employees to continuously
learn and grow.
What are you most proud of about AIA?
Our purpose—to help millions of people
live “‘Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.” It is
at the heart of everything we do, guiding
the decisions we make and inspiring us
to support and protect the well-being
of those we serve. Our purpose shapes
22
our culture and sets us apart from
our competitors.
As our group chief executive and
president, Lee Yuan Siong, says, it’s
our “strong culture of empowerment
with accountability that differentiates
AIA. Our culture reflects our people and
is a product of the decisions and actions
each of us takes every day. It underscores
our ability to adapt to capture new
growth opportunities and sustain our
outperformance over the long term.”
How does AIA’s operating model
contribute to the success of the
company?
The essence of our operating model is
empowerment within a framework. We’re
guided by the philosophy that if we do
the right thing, in the right way, with the
right people . . . the right results will come.
We operate in 18 markets and empower
the leaders and employees in each one to
achieve their ambitions by building their
expertise and providing the resources
and guidance they need.
The State of Organizations 2023
Over the past few years, our focus has
been ensuring our business units have
the right technology, digital and analytics
people capabilities, and investments
to support the delivery of compelling
propositions and a leading experience for
our customers. We have evolved the way
we work, too, with the aim of creating an
organization that is simpler, faster, and
more connected. In several of our markets,
we have introduced new organizational
designs to enable our strategic priorities.
We are putting people closer to the
decision-making process, which leads to
better outcomes and a nimbler and more
empowered organization.
How would you describe AIA’s
leadership philosophy?
We are very mindful that having effective,
clearly focused leaders at every level
of our organization is a prerequisite
to success. Our three leadership
essentials—clarity, courage, and
humanity—define the behaviors we
desire and are deeply rooted in history;
the Chinese philosopher Fushan Yuan
I’m very proud of our recently launched
reskilling and upskilling programs
for data analytics, business analysis,
and agile ways of working. We had a
growing demand in these areas, but
we didn’t have the talent supply, so we
created several new learning journeys
that included screening, training, and
practical work experience to build these
capabilities internally.
We also recently expanded our
succession planning programs to grow
and develop future leaders and cultivate
greater gender diversity among our
C-suite. Today, women hold about 42
percent of senior leadership roles in
AIA, and we will continue to prepare and
support women to maintain a genderbalanced leadership team.
More about
Cara
Ang
Group chief human resources officer
How does AIA invest in employee
health and well-being?
at AIA
Our people’s well-being is fundamental
to our performance and sustainable
growth. We’ve launched AIA One Billion,
a bold ambition to engage a billion
people to live healthier, longer, better
lives, and this ambition starts with our
own people through our comprehensive
well-being program known as WorkWell
with AIA. It was designed to support the
physical, mental, social, and financial
health of employees through a range
of initiatives, employee benefits, and
tools tailored to the needs of each
business unit. We collect a lot of detailed
employee feedback and data points to
help us understand what works and what
doesn’t, and use that to inform
our planning for the next cycle. We
strongly believe that this comprehensive
investment in employees’ well-being will
pay off for our people and our business.
Cara Ang is the group chief human
resources officer at AIA. She
oversees the development of overall
human capital strategies and their
implementation across the group and
leads the HR functions in the markets.
Prior to joining AIA as the chief human
resources officer for AIA Singapore
in May 2016, Ms. Ang was the head
of human resources at Standard
Chartered Bank Singapore. During
her time with Standard Chartered, she
spent more than ten years in a variety
of country, regional, and global HR
leadership roles based in Singapore
and Thailand. Prior to joining Standard
Chartered Bank, Ms. Ang held HR roles
in the Asian operations of Marsh, Intel,
and Royal Ahold.
‘Our purpose—to help
millions of people live
‘Healthier, Longer,
Better Lives.’’
March 2023
23