Expert tasks insurance brokers on reputational management

Insurance professionals have been urged to pay attention to reputation management as a way of growing the profession and the industry.

Vice President, Corporate Communications and CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Emeka Opara, gave this counsel during his presentation on Corporate Reputation Management at the President Breakfast Series of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), held virtually in Lagos.

Opara noted that not many Nigerians are to the principle of insurance despite the huge potential of the industry due to poor reputation management.

While expressing optimism about the positive results of the public awareness initiatives of the various bodies in the industry, Opara urged the engagement of a holistic corporate relations strategy.

In his ten-point lessons on corporate reputation management, Opara said there was the need for the industry to invest in corporate reputation, stressing the need for an exclusive budget for the corporate affairs departments and a set of agreed action plans at the beginning of every financial year.

“Your employees are your most important assets, but they can also become your most important liability if you manage them badly. Treat them well and you will not need to pay anyone to be your brand ambassador.

“Good corporate reputation is a result of deliberate, consistent, methodical, planned and measurable actions. It cannot come about by merely wishing it. It is the total of how your stakeholders perceive you,” he said.

President of the Council, Mrs. Bola Onigbogi, said the choice of topic was to further buttress the two focal mandates of image building as a strategic alignment of the council.