GEB’s Chief Compliance Officer Alexandrine Henriet and Paola Annunziata, Data Protection Officer from Generali Group’s Regulatory Compliance, presented at IEBA’s conference in March on the hot topic of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), asking whether it should be perceived as a threat or an opportunity for multinational companies and insurers.
The 25th May 2018 deadline for all companies to be GDPR compliant is now upon us but the last few months have seen a frenzied reaction by companies to ensure their houses are in order.
It was therefore a timely juncture for Alexandrine to address these issues at this year’s IEBA conference.
“GDPR compliance should be seen by multinational companies as a competitive differentiator moving forward: a way of improving their reputation,” comments Alexandrine.
“It represents an opportunity to enhance security, get to know customers better and be more innovative in response to customer requests.”
Alexandrine and Paola provided an overview of personal data protection regulation, highlighting its scope, the main impacts and potential fines payable in the event of non-compliance.
They also looked at why GDPR is a challenge for the insurance sector.
“Obviously every broker and insurance provider used by multinationals needs to be GDPR-compliant too and may be jointly liable for any mishandling of data,” adds Alexandrine.
Over 180 delegates attended IEBA this year, almost 50% of whom were from employers and the rest suppliers.
The event programme was hugely varied, ranging from the impact of Brexit, age discrimination and employee benefits to connecting advanced pharma and diagnostics technology with international employee benefits.
