Barbara Belfi
Operation Manager of the “Insurtech” Business Unit at Armundia Group
Let’s start from the current Armundia generational handover. How are you experiencing it?
I joined Armundia about two and a half years ago and I immediately felt there were strong chances of rapid growth within the company, as new people were joining and internal changes were taking place. When the board officially kickstarted the handover, I understood that the time was right. And I immediately realised how this transition was going to be implemented very differently from other companies, where important organisational transformations are usually carried out from top to bottom, by defining roles, tasks and scopes, without any interconnection. Here at Armundia the concept of sharing is at the core of this handover, which is key for the people involved; a collaborative approach I totally swear by.
What is your role in this transition?
So far my activities have been very operational, as I’ve been involved in direct client management. I worked daily with the platforms we use, setting functional specifications, liaising with the technical department, carrying out checks, coordinating the work of the various units in line with the deadlines set with the clients. Within the current transition I will be responsible for allocating resources and managing timelines, taking up my new role as coordinator of the activities that are carried out by the different teams. In our Business Unit, which has about twenty people in the different operational offices of the Armundia Group, mostly in Rome, Tirana and L’Aquila, there are three of us who cover this role, hence three different skill sets that are integrating.
Let’s talk about the Insurtech Business Unit. What are your key operations?
The Insurtech Unit operating processes are different from the other internal business units, because the insurance sector is very diverse in terms of clients and fields, such as banks and intermediaries. With regards to the platforms we use, we operate both with Armundia 3SIXTY Bancassurance, with our Brokerver management system and with the Armundia Quot-R estimator, as well as with the various modules of these applications. We also integrate with the companies: Armundia 3SIXTY Bancassurance is, in fact, an important tool for innovating and harmonising our clients’ communication channels with the banks, going beyond the simple link between portals. In this sense, our goal is precisely to make Armundia 3SIXTY Bancassurance the reference platform for the entire sector, both for the banks and companies. In fact, we have important projects underway which, including further development of the application and feasibility studies, could lead us to provide our solution to many banks by mid next year, including abroad.
If you had to explain how it is to work in Armundia, which values would you choose?
Transparency and consistency among people’s ways of working and their way of being. Uncommon factors that enable you to work and carry out activities as part of a group, without interference. Previously, I found myself in work scenarios where the work itself wasn’t as important as defining internal processes, to make it clear who to attribute responsibility for in case of any error. I can say that at Armundia this corporate habit never arises, even when there are moments of intense working pressure due to the approaching deadline. Personally, I would like to pursue this approach, which is always a reflection of the work practices set and carried out by the board.
What’s your opinion about the digital evolution in the banking and insurance sector?
Having digital tools that enable us to carry out operations quickly and easily is certainly an important factor for every user. But it needs to go along with continuous digital and cultural training for human resources, otherwise we’ll end up producing tools that aren’t in line with the expectations and real needs of the market. The human element is essential for a profitable interaction with the digital capabilities. Sustainability in digital evolution lies precisely in finding the right balance between the centrality of the human factor and the opportunities of the new technologies.