Defining our values

Unisure’s new CEO, Barry Sundelson, on dreaming big and always putting people first

Setting a company’s values and building a culture around them can play a huge role in a business’s success – particularly if the employees working for that company resonate with and draw a sense of purpose from them.

In fact, according to Gallup, employee buy-in can have an incredibly tangible effect on how a business runs, and even how its customers experience its service:

“Among US employees today, only four in ten strongly agree with the statement, ‘The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.’ Why does this matter? By moving this ratio to eight in ten employees, organisations could realise 41% lower absenteeism, 50% fewer safety incidents and a 33% improvement in quality.” – Gallup Workplace

Six months into his new position as CEO of The Unisure Group, Barry Sundelson has made it a priority to set Unisure’s 10-year vision and launch the seven key values that are going to help us achieve that vision.

“I’ve always believed in adopting a people-first approach,” Barry explains, “and what I love about a framework of strong company values is the way that they create a space in which people can operate at their best.”

“In a rules-based company, you can get stuck in bureaucracy and homogenous thinking, which hinders real progress. Instead, it’s much better to have values that become your shining light.”

By involving a cross-section of over 50% of the team across diverse ages, cultures and geographical locations, the brainstorming, voting and final selections of Unisure’s values really were created from the ground up. Over 60 concepts were condensed into 11 main themes, which were then further refined to create 7 uniquely Unisure values.

These values are as valuable internally as they are externally. As Barry explains, it’s important for us to have an internal framework to work from, but it’s equally important for external clients and stakeholders to know that the company they’re going to be dealing with is one that has a plan and is guided by a strong compass of business values.

“I want us to be held accountable to our values,” he says, “and to show our partners and our people that we are a company of integrity. This is particularly important in the insurance industry. If we want to live up to our vision to be a loved and trusted global insurer, we need be true to our word and show clients, brokers and stakeholders that our whole company operates according to these values.”

In any high-performing team, the values are lived by everyone, at every level of the organisation, not just by upper management. It takes dreamers and doers to set a company’s vision in motion, and at Unisure we’re fortunate enough to have a winning combination of both.

“Dreaming is important; in fact, it’s a vital component of success,” Barry explains, “but those dreams need to be followed by action.” There is a deep feeling within Unisure to make sure that every client interaction is an opportunity to create a positive impact.

To learn more about what The Unisure Group does and meet the brilliant minds that make up our international teams, visit www.unisuregroup.com/ and www.unisuregroup.com/about-us/.