Every entrepreneur has some traits that make them successful and that differentiate them from others. Many of these attributes take years of hard work, trial and error to develop. What exactly are these characteristics? A positive attitude? Razor sharp judgment? Rolling-up-your-sleeves grit? Unwavering perseverance? All of the above? An effective entrepreneur must have the pioneering mindset to continually improve and reinvent themselves by pursuing possibilities and opportunities that continue to push boundaries and keep them out of their comfort zone. It’s essential for a leader to be able to progress through the learning curve so that new expertise and skills can be applied to opportunities in real-time. Danielle Warner, Founder of Expat Insurance, is a disruptor and the leader she was destined to be. She has created her own pathways to make an impact on a global scale by breaking the status-quo in a stale industry.
The Inception Story
The inception of Expat Insurance was the result of inspiration from Danielle’s struggle to find travel insurance for her family’s endless trips exploring the Asian region. Danielle says, “It was a big surprise when I discovered that there was no one available to help guide me through the processes and products. Buying insurance turned into an incredibly frustrating experience. As I settled in Singapore, everyone I met echoed the same sentiments about finding the right protection. It became obvious to me there was a gap in the market. Establishing Expat Insurance seemed to be the solution to all that frustration and uncertainty, not just for me but also to answer the needs of the community. It was a natural fit for me to be the one to help people through their insurance search.”
Translating Vision into Reality with Her Leadership
Danielle’s purpose as a leader is to help people see the best in themselves and assist them in attaining their highest level of accomplishment. She sees it as her responsibility to be the one at the forefront of her business creating energy, inspiration and championing the vision to become a reality. Building a team of believers is the source of much of her fulfillment and satisfaction. Danielle loves to celebrate the more intimate connections which are curated and created with a group of professionals who walk beside her. She thrives on giving her team members the autonomy to empower themselves in their own professional development and she gives them the resources that they need to make that happen.
“When one of our team is inspired to go above and beyond for a client or colleague, it recharges my energy as a leader in very a different way to that of an external success.’ Leadership is about inspiring people and ideas. It’s about fuelling people’s fires and igniting energy within them they didn’t even know existed. This is what fills my cup,” asserts Danielle.
Expat Insurance: Offering a Broad Spectrum of Insurance Services
Expat Insurance is Singapore’s largest and most trusted Insurance Broker for Expats and residents alike with expertise in health and life insurance protection. They are a company that takes care of people and that focuses on protecting and looking after the unique needs of global-mobile individuals and corporations. According to Danielle, her company employs a niche approach to providing protection, and they maintain this by being selective about the clients that they choose work with. This approach ensures a full commitment to providing their customers with the highest quality products, while offering excellent service standards that are unparalleled in the insurance sector in Singapore. Concentrating on multinationals and Asian based start-ups allows Expat Insurance to keep their finger on the pulse of specific industries, anticipate their needs and create bespoke craft solutions that deliver added value.
Powered by a responsibility to restore original intention and integrity back to an industry which has lost its way, Expat Insurance is doing an astounding job in bridging the gap between the technical complexity of the industry and the people who need protection. Their focus is people. Not premium, not profits and certainly not paperwork!
The company specializes in providing Corporate Employee Benefits Programmes for multinational companies employing a diverse and globally mobile workforce. Their goal is to provide clients with tailor-made insurance coverage that is adapted to the exclusive needs of these organizations. They then launch and administer the Employee Benefits Programs with an award-winning team of specialists who service these accounts. Expat Insurance also provides Individual Expats and Families with the most carefully evaluated products in the Singapore market. These products have been identified to offer the broadest coverage, designed specifically to cater to the distinct needs of expatriates.
Danielle’s Moments of Honor
Danielle cherishes 2016 as one of the most memorable and prosperous years of her professional life as an innovator and as a leader. It saw the results of many years of hard work and hustling come into fruition, culminating in achieving a long-held dream to became a published author. In March of last year, she shared her insights and knowledge in a book, Bulletproof: Building Better Employee Benefits. Bulletproof provides insider info, shares illuminating client stories and details the blueprint that Danielle created for structuring, launching and maintaining successful client protection programs. She wrote this with the intention of reaching an audience of HR professionals and business leaders around the world. Bulletproof is her manifesto and its launch last year cemented her reputation as a disruptor; a label which she is only too happy to be associated with.
In April last year, Expat Insurance welcomed a new era by joining forces with MSH International and Siaci Saint Honoré Group. “We love being part of a group with a global footprint, another huge leap in the evolution of the business. The acquisition marked a significant milestone in my entrepreneurial journey. It’s one of my headline achievements and one of my most satisfying career moments,” reveals Danielle.
In July, Team Expat was awarded “Singapore Broker of the Year” by Asia Banking & Finance Magazine. The award signified the presence of their mark on the financial services industry.
Other moments marking 2016 include: “Top 10 Female Entrepreneurs & Business Leaders to Watch” by Singapore Business Review, one of “25 Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs in Singapore” by Habile Technologies, “Expatpreneur of the Year” by the Finder Magazine, and being donned the ‘Insurance Mogul’ by Expat Living.
Getting Motivated at Every Corner
Danielle believes that every challenge delivers an opportunity for those agile enough to adapt their business, products, services and mind-set fast enough. She says that ‘When it comes to innovation, tech should be built as a tool to enhance or create an experience and add value to the consumer. Tech for techs sake does not inspire me. Where tech often misses the mark to create real disruption is that the engineers of the solution are too distant from the user the tool is designed to engage. The closer people are to clients, the more aligned tools are to clients changing needs. Understanding a client’s pain points allow us to solve their problems in a unique and meaningful way.’
Danielle also adds, “If tech and digital disruption are one of the biggest challenges before me right now, I believe it is also an equal opportunity for me to start a ripple, to be at the forefront of innovation. Collaborative partnerships between tech startups and existing business models are the easiest answer to achieving success and creating a real disruption that delivers value to our clients and delivers purpose back to our industry. We’re always on the watch for promising tech tools and teams to challenge and engage us and the way we see the future of our brand in our client’s eyes.”
Empowering Women and Advice for Female Entrepreneurs
Empathy and people-centric principles are the foundation and the future in the Insurance industry. Danielle sees value in the natural strength of women being able to effectively empathize and deliver outcomes using a humanistic approach. Women tend to thrive when asked to collaborate and connect to create relationships with colleagues, clients, partners and vendors. Expat Insurance plays to these strengths and women are a driving force behind the leadership team. Danielle believes that diversity is a prerequisite for a successful businesses and sees difference as an asset. For her, being a woman is not an obstacle, it’s a propeller.
She advises other women to ‘Dare to be different. Get comfortable with disrupting the status quo. You will make a far bigger impact than if you follow a more traditional path. Find your purpose. To do this, you need to ask why a lot. Watch Simon Sinek’s TED Talk “Start with Why”. I look at it whenever I need an energy surge! Don’t expect some big cathartic “why” to appear which defines your purpose and your path on Day 2. Trust the process, ask why a lot, be curious about understanding what drives you. You will find your purpose.’
Her best piece of advice on staying focused is ‘Stay inspired. Your source of inspiration can be anything. It may be champagne with a friend, a TED Talk, an adventure holiday, a trip to an art museum, a run in the park, 10 minutes of meditation, learning a new language or travel somewhere new. Just keep your fires fueled. Stay inspired.’
What’s Next?
The Expat Insurance growth story is nothing short of ambitious. The company is committed to leading the charge for significant cultural shifts in the industry and in the region. Danielle takes her reputation as an innovator and disruptor very seriously. She has every intention to keep challenging the status quo and to defend the role of Expat Insurance as game changer. With some exciting projects on the horizon and an energized, committed team by her side, Danielle is powered by purpose and ready for what lies ahead.
