Madam Boatemma Barfour-Awuah has led her team, Star Assurance to win the prestigious award of “CIMG’s Best Insurance Company of the Year!” HR Focus was privileged to sit with her to learn more about the secret behind their success.
She shared how she felt about the award, saying: “It was an ecstatic feeling, I felt super excited and it was also a great honour to the Star Assurance brand. It reinforced my belief that hard work eventually does pay off.”
Ever since their last award in 2016, they have been deliberate and strategic to position themselves as frontrunners. They worked very hard over the year under review and as such, receiving the award from CIMG was an ultimate recognition of collective effort.
One thing that could have easily contributed to this win, was Star Assurance’s new innovation: Pokuaa (A Whatsapp-enabled virtual assistant) which serves as an insurance distribution platform to create a smooth and seamless customer experience for both existing and new customers. The organisation focused on this new innovation in an attempt to deepen their penetration into the retail market, and as a result, winning the award has been a great morale booster that will certainly spur them to higher heights.
As a team, their next focus is maintaining this position for a few more years, by staying innovative in their product development for customers.
Her Leadership – Boatemaa Barfour-Awuah
Star Assurance is led by a self-motivated and competitive woman who thrives on cultivating an empowering environment for colleagues. She does this through communication, accountability, emotional intelligence, motivation, and model-worthy work ethics.
Her leadership is hallmarked by an open-door policy that ensures that staff of the company regardless of their level, can confidently come up to me regarding any issue. She ensures innovation through autonomy, allowing departments to function in the manner that boosts maximum productivity.
Her career began at an early age in Star Assurance and she has risen diligently through the ranks, transitioning from the Legal Unit, Underwriting, Accounts, Business Development and finally the Broker Relations Unit to becoming the Executive Director for Finance and
Administration. Thereafter, she became the Executive Director Business Intelligence until her appointment as C.E.O at Star Assurance.
The best part of her job, is seeing the satisfaction of her Brightest Stars(staff) and cherished customers. Over her career, she has developed a sense of empathy. For this reason, she is able to relate with her team in a considerate, accommodating and accepting manner. This also builds a conducive work environment that boosts team cohesiveness.
