Hong Kong-based insurer AIA to invest more in technology but won’t go ‘fully digital’, says CEO

AIA, the largest life insurance company in Hong Kong, plans to invest more in technology to help its 14,000 agents sell more efficiently but has no plans to replace its sales team with digital channels, according to its Hong Kong chief executive Peter Crewe.

“Our younger agents and customers have a big appetite for technology. They want to do a lot of things the digital way. It is important for us to use technology to improve their experience with our products and services,” Crewe told the South China Morning Post in an exclusive interview in his office in Quarry Bay.

“However, it would be naive to go fully digital for all our transactions without first listening to what our customers want. Many customers still want to do transactions via face-to-face meetings with their agents. I believe a hybrid model of using both online platforms and our agency sales force would continue for a long time.”

Crewe, originally from Britain, joined AIA 23 years ago and has worked for the company in different areas including Hong Kong, Indonesia and Australia before becoming its chief executive of Hong Kong and Macau in June.

AIA operates the largest insurance agent team in Hong Kong with a sales force of more than 14,000 at present, up 65 per cent from 8,500 in 2010.