Getting together with our network members from around the world is always special, and this time was no different. We were lucky enough to be heading back to The Oitavos in Lisbon, where we’d made some fond memories back in 2019… and while the sun didn’t play along all week, the 2024 MAXIS Global Forum was bigger and better than ever.

On 24-26 September, our network members and partners joined the MAXIS team to discuss the biggest trends in the industry at our event titled “The Power of Partnership”. We planned for future success, learnt from our colleagues around the world and made some time to give back to others, as well as having some fun together.

We had a jam-packed agenda, so let’s take a look at some of the key themes we discussed…

The workforce of the future

We can’t talk about the future without acknowledging how the workforce will continue to change and the impact this will have on the employee benefits (EB) that people want and need. Paul Lewis, Chief Business Development Officer, kicked off the first day with a session looking at generational changes in the workforce and the growing proportion of Gen Z employees within this.

He touched on the things that matter most to Gen Z: mental health support, work-life balance, social causes and diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I), and looked at how different EB financing models can help multinationals take these priorities on board and provide the benefits and support this growing demographic expects.

As well as this, he looked at how we can succeed as a network today and in the future, addressing the biggest challenges facing multinationals and looking at the opportunities for our network.

Speaking of DE&I…

It’s undeniable that DE&I has been rising up the corporate agenda for some time now, and it’s no longer a nice to have. Multinationals need to provide inclusive benefits that meet the needs of their specific workforce if they are to attract and retain the best talent.

We were lucky enough to be joined by Maryann Watson, SVP Client Services at Maven, who spoke about women’s and family health touching on global trends and the need to focus on this key issue both for the wellbeing of employees and business productivity. The session was moderated by our Regional Director – EMEA, Aaron Brown, with lots of interesting discussions and questions from the audience.

Voluntary benefits: embracing flexibility

In recent years we’ve seen personalisation and flexibility grow in importance. There’s an emphasis on remote and hybrid working, and when it comes to their benefits, people want mental health support as well as benefits relating to sustainability and ethics.

Takumi Suzuki, EB Partners Asia Representative & Service Strategy, AXA EB Partners, and Mike McDermott, Vice President – National Accounts, MetLife Group Benefits, joined Larry Howley to discuss this topic in more detail. The session focused on how multinationals can transform their EB value proposition, and how digitisation can help improve the way employees interact with their benefits and enable flexibility.

Transforming cancer care

And with cancer cases rising, and the average age of diagnosis getting younger, cancer is a topic that cannot be ignored. Dr Leena Johns, Chief Health & Wellness Officer at MAXIS GBN, led a session focusing on why cancer care should be a priority for our network members, the importance of prevention and screening for health outcomes and costs, and how innovation can play a part in the future of cancer care.

Dr Leena was joined by Rose O’Donovan, Sales Director, International EB & Partnerships at Further, who spoke about precision medicine and the benefits it can bring to cancer diagnosis and care, including:

• more precise diagnosis
• personalised treatments to target specific mutations
• optimisation of resources
• faster recovery and better quality of life for the patient.

 

The 2024 MAXIS Global Forum was packed with insightful discussions on a range of important topics. But don’t fear – we still left some time for fun and some much-needed catch ups!

On Day 1, we all took part in a group activity, whether that was yoga, golf, football, a walk around the local area, or an e-bike tour... not even the rain could stop us! Everyone had a great time, and we got to know both the local area and our colleagues better.

We also had the opportunity to make a difference, with all attendees making solar lights to send to countries experiencing energy poverty.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a MAXIS Global Forum without our much-anticipated member awards – meet our winners here!

It was a valuable week full of learning, networking and growing together and we really did see the ‘Power of Partnership’ in action. Thanks again to everyone who joined us – we can’t wait for the next time.