It's time for another ‘Our People’ interview and this time we’re joined by Cristina Dardon, Account Manager in our US Business Development team. Read on to find out more about her role and time at MAXIS so far, some of the biggest challenges and opportunities for multinationals in the region, and her hidden talent…
1. Thanks for joining us, Cristina! To start with, can you tell us a bit about your role at MAXIS?
Of course! I’m a Senior Account Manager in the US Business Development team. A huge part of my role is engaging proactively with both our local members and my MAXIS colleagues in different regions, making sure we provide the best possible service to our multinational clients. Whether it’s a renewal, or trying to solve a problem in one of the local countries they operate in, my role is to act as a liaison between our clients and the local insurers . Good co-ordination and forming strong relationships are both key to my role.
2. You’ve been at MAXIS for more than two years now – can you tell us about your time so far, are there any particular highlights to share?
So far, it’s been great. I’ve been able to meet and work with great people from so many different backgrounds. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel to different countries for the first time, for example for the MeetUp and the MAXIS Global Forum, or when meeting with clients.
I worked from home for a while at my previous job during COVID-19 , but this is my first fully remote role. I have to admit that at the beginning I was concerned about working remotely and not having the traditional office setup, but I have to say, I love it!
3. As you mentioned, you work in the US Business Development team. What are the growing EB trends in the region? Is there anything specific that your clients are asking for?
After the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the changes that we were already seeing in the market were accelerated. Employers had to quickly change the way they viewed their benefits programmes and re-evaluate what they were offering. In the same way, employees started to expect change and rethink the types of benefits they wanted to see from their employers.
I’d say that one of the biggest trends we’re seeing right now is employers realising the importance of promoting and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives. More and more, multinationals are recognising that this is vital for attracting and retaining employees. As well as DE&I, we’re also noticing that health and wellness has gained importance – employees are more aware than ever of health and wellness, whether that’s mental health, prevention and screening, or flexible schemes, and this is something that employers are having to respond to.
Finally, I’d say that data – and access to data – is a growing priority for multinationals. Having access to data allows employers to understand what’s happening in their local market and within their workforce and they can use the data to try and improve the health and wellbeing of their people, for example by implementing health and wellness initiatives.
4. What are the biggest opportunities for multinationals in the US when it comes to employee benefits? And what are some of the challenges they face?
I think one of the biggest opportunities for multinationals is that they can take advantage of their size to create more robust EB programmes for their people, for example by using a captive model.
The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to benefits is no longer a part of our changing working environment. With this in mind, multinationals can use a captive to create more tailor-made benefits for their workforce and have more control over plan design. Not only does this help them retain their best people by providing the benefits they want and need, but it also allows them to have more financial control.
In terms of the challenges, I think centralisation is a big one. Centralisation is key to either a pool or captive programme and it can be hard to achieve as you have to have internal alignment between HR and risk management teams to be truly centralised. Having previously worked on the local broker side, I’ve seen that there can be some resistance to this change in more traditional markets. As well as this, not all markets are familiar with what a captive or reinsured policy is, which also presents a challenge.
5. What’s the best thing about working at MAXIS?
Definitely the cultural diversity – everybody comes from different backgrounds which is what makes MAXIS truly unique. For me personally, coming to work in the US from another country is something that could have been challenging or make me feel anxious, but my experience working for MAXIS has been the opposite. I haven’t felt like an outsider at all, we all blend so well together and it’s great.
6. Do you have any hidden talents that you can tell us about?
I don’t know about this one! I don’t think it’s an outstanding talent, but my friends and family tell me I have a good eye for detail so I’m good at spotting things… If they ever need to find something they’ll come to me. I’m the search engine for everyone – it comes in handy sometimes!
7. What do you get up to when you’re not at work?
Outside of work I like to be active where I can. I really look forward to my pilates classes and I love walking and playing tennis with my husband. When I’m not being active, I love spending time with my family and dog and going out to eat at good restaurants.