An introduction to Covéa’s new CEO Georges de Macedeo

Authored by Covéa

As you will be aware Georges de Macedo, CEO of Covéa Insurance took over the reins in June 2023.  He was delighted to catch up with one of our Covéa colleages, Vicki Leech, Senior Customer Manager, who gets to know him and his plans for the future.

What are your first impressions of Covéa Insurance?

I’m privileged to be leading a fantastic organisation, with an incredibly passionate team. It’s been a real pleasure getting to know colleagues across the company and I’ve been impressed by the dedication and commitment everyone puts into making Covéa Insurance such a great place to be. For me, the clear standouts are the strong customer ethos and the broker partnerships that rightly underpin everything we do.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?   

I’ve worked in the insurance industry for 15 years in different senior roles. I have found in insurance a career which supports my passion for passing on knowledge and experience to others, enabling them to develop and succeed.

I joined Covéa Group (Covéa Insurance’s French Mutual shareholder) one year ago, and more recently, have been appointed CEO of Covea UK subsidiaries. The support of the Group has been and continues to be instrumental for our UK business.  

What are your strategic priorities?

My overall priority is to ensure Covéa is profitable and continues to deliver excellent service to our brokers and customers. To achieve this, the first part of our strategy is to focus on the areas where we excel. We believe our strengths are key to driving sustainable and profitable growth for our business. We know that good service is the key to good business,  and we continue to develop customer experience across the company, through building strong relationships with our broking partners and delivering for our mutual customers.

Secondly, a transformation of our organisation with a leaner structure and simplified processes has been undertaken. We haven’t shied away from taking tough decisions necessary for us to be able to face the future with greater confidence.

Finally, management actions have been implemented to reduce the volatility of our results going forward and reinforce our capital position.

What can brokers and customers expect from your approach?

Our commitment.  We remain committed to our customers and intermediary partners. Our strong relationships with brokers across the market have been built over many years. We know that by working closely together, we will all be stronger and generate efficiencies across the value chain. To that end, I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting several of our key partners and am looking forward to getting to know more over the weeks and months ahead.

Service remains paramount. Our people and culture are a huge asset. Every person in our organisation plays a vital role in delivering our vision, and we aim to recognise the value that each individual brings by providing opportunities for all to thrive and fulfil their potential.  I was proud to be there when we received the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the recent British Insurance Awards, as it’s our people who deliver for our broker partners and customers, every day.

Quality products and services. We’ll continue to deliver great value products and services that meet our customers’ needs and allows them to get the support and help they need, when they need it. Alongside, we will maintain our disciplined pricing and underwriting approach.

You’ve obviously got a serious job to do, how do you like to spend your free time?

During my free time, I prioritise an active lifestyle and enjoy a wide range of sports, in particular I love to play football. As we moved to London in September, my boys will continue their education in a French school, and we’re looking forward to exploring the city’s sports and recreational offerings. I’m excited to fulfil my promise of more fishing adventures with them in England. I value staying active, spending time with my family, participating in sports, and experiencing new places.

You can expect to hear more from Georges throughout the year as he provides regular updates, whether it be at events, broker meetings or through his own CEO update bulletin.