New CDSO office to support & drive the implementation of Impact24
01-02-2022 - Ageas has appointed its first Chief Development & Sustainability Officer (CDSO) within the context of the Group’s new strategic plan Impact24. Gilke Eeckhoudt, who also joins the Management Committee, will lead all transversal business initiatives within 3 areas of engagement: Business Development, Technology Development & Sustainability. This new role is designed to create Group-wide momentum around Impact24 and help deliver on the objectives set forward for the coming years.
It is no coincidence that the three areas of engagement directly reflect the main pillars of Impact24. Value will be delivered through a set of transversal initiatives:
- to Grow the Core (Banca, Agency, Customer Experience),
- to invest in New Growth Engines (Health, Digital Platforms, Protection),
- to improve Efficiency (through Tech and Data),
- with Sustainability at the heart of everything we do (ESG Products, ESG Investments and ESG People and Operations),
- and supported by Tech Development as a key enabler.
Through the creation of the CDSO, the aim is to increase and further strengthen our focus on implementation, allowing us to accelerate and deliver on our ambitions and targets. It will also function as an additional motor for change, contributing to Ageas being a future-proof organisation.
The recipe for success
As a Group that believes in the power of being local, the CDSO will operate in full collaboration with the local operating companies and JV’s around the world, each of whom have their own priorities. Each transversal initiative is assigned to a tandem of experts at both the business and the CDSO side. Together they will drive action and change, leveraging knowledge and expertise.
Action radius of the CDSO
As we look to unlock the full potential of our core business, the CDSO:
- will work on further distribution development in our existing channels such as banca and agency,
- with increased commercial excellence and a top quartile customer experience,
- and improved efficiency to compete in new market dynamics.
In tapping into new growth engines, the CDSO will help prepare the long-term future of the Group by exploring opportunities in health and health care services, digital platforms, and protection.
With sustainability at the heart of everything we do, we explore and optimise ESG in every corner of our business. We will pay special attention to sustainable investments and products, that help our customers and the companies that we invest in, to transition towards a more sustainable world. And we will continue our efforts to be a Great Place to Grow for our people where we can nurture and attract the right talents.
Finally, the CDSO will guide Technology Development for the Group in terms of group technological standards and shared group assets such as the Ageas cloud and a shared Security Operations Centre. In the context of Impact24, transversal initiatives such as Smart Automation, Digital transformation, API Management and ESG in IT, are a condition sine qua non for the realisation of the Group’s ambitions for 2024 and beyond.