MLC Life Insurance has named a former UK life insurance executive as its new Chief Underwriter, and has also extended its Best Doctors service to cover more of its life insurance customers.
The life insurer has appointed former Group Head of Protection Strategy at UK life insurer Royal London, Debbie Kennedy, to the role of Chief Underwriter, succeeding Fiona Guscott who moved into the role of Head of Policy Administrations Systems at MLC Life.
Kennedy will start in the role later this year with oversight for the development and execution of underwriting strategy along with all new business and underwriting operations and will report to MLC Life Insurance Chief Customer Officer, Retail Advised Insurance, Melissa Heyhoe.
While at Royal Life Kennedy was involved in the implementation of Pacific Life Re’s automated underwriting software, UnderwriteMe, which recently announced that MLC Life Insurance would be the first life insurer in Australia to use the system (see: MLC Life Underwriting Deal to Offer Instant Pricing).
Prior to joining Royal London Kennedy held senior management roles including Managing Director of Shared Services at Capita Life and Pensions and has also worked for Swiss Re in both the UK and Australian markets.
In related news, MLC Life Insurance has expanded the number of people able to access its Best Doctors medical advice service by 25% with around 800,000 customers being able to access the services from 1 October 2017.
Best Doctors has been offered to MLC Life Insurance customers since 2009 with around 600,000 people eligible to use the service which provides medical advice and opinions from a network of 50,000 medical specialists. The service is available to MLC Life Insurance customers and their families at no additional cost and regardless of whether they make a claim.
The Best Doctors service is currently available through a range of products: MLC Insurance – Critical Illness, MLC Personal Protection Portfolio – Critical Illness, Protectionfirst – Critical Illness, MLC Term Insurance, the NAB Essential range and NAB Consumer Credit products and MLC Group Salary Continuance cover including MLC MasterKey Business Super, MLC MasterKey Super Fundamentals and Plum Super.
From 1 October, the service will also be available to an additional 200,000 people through MLC Insurance, MLC Insurance (Super), MLC ProtectionFirst, MLC Personal Protection Portfolio, MLC Life Cover Super, MLC Term Insurance, MLC Income Protection, MLC Income Protection Plus or MLC Business policy.
