People’s Insurance awarded ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System certification

People’s Insurance PLC has been awarded ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI). It is the only general insurance company to receive this certification from the national body for quality management systems. 

The scope of certification covers the “provision of services related to underwriting the insurance policies, claim settlement and supportive services for general insurance covering fire, engineering, marine, motor vehicle, employer’s liability & miscellaneous insurance business and arranging reinsurance & co-insurance services.”

People’s Insurance PLC took the initiative to obtain ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification as a priority under the theme of continuous improvement of company processes and systems for a quality customer service. The company started this initiative covering all processes for each division, involving all managers, executives and officers. Similarly, ISO awareness was imparted to all staff with the intervention of a training consultant whilst working very closely with the SLSI.The SLSI, by virtue of being the national standards body in Sri Lanka, is a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which is based in Geneva. As members of the ISO, national standards bodies exchange on reciprocal basis copies of their national standards and are responsible for disseminating information on standards, technical regulations and standard-related activities to the community at national level.

An extensive audit process was carried out by SLSI auditors until People’s Insurance PLC met the required standard. The ISO 9001:2015 certification was awarded to the company for a three-year period.

People’s Insurance PLC held the ISO awarding ceremony recently at its Head office premises in Havelock Road, Colombo 5. Participants at this glitzy event included People’s Insurance PLC Chairman, and Members of the Board Directors, Chief Executive Officer, senior management and staff members of People’s Insurance. Invitees from the SLSI included the Chairman, Director General and Acting Deputy Director General - System Certification.

SLSI Director General Dr. Siddhika G. Senaratne congratulated People’s Insurance on this achievement. She said the company can rightly be proud of receiving this prestigious certification, through which it has gained a label of recognition. She added that no organisation can be successful without achieving an acceptable standard of quality.

According to Dr. Senaratne, ISO 9001 defines basic elements of a quality system that organisations should adopt to ensure that their services meet or exceed the expectations of citizens. The certification also provides for continual improvement by taking into account feedback and suggestions from customers. “ISO certification can be seen as a prerequisite to achieving organisation excellence,” she emphasised.

People’s Insurance Chairman Jehan .P Amaratunga said obtaining the ISO certification revealed the company’s forward-thinking approach. He believed it will enable them to meet their customer satisfaction goals while opening up new opportunities. He stated that quality consciousness must be inculcated in everyone, from the CEO down to every employee in every department. He added that they will work closely with the SLSI in this regard.

People’s Insurance PLC offers a wide range of insurance products to both individuals and corporates, including motor, property, travel and marine insurance. Today, the company has a large customer base and its annual premium income exceeds Rs. 5.5 billion.

People’s Insurance has a presence across the island through its regional offices and over 100 window offices in the People’s Leasing & Finance PLC branch network. It also has a presence in key branches of People’s Bank.

The shares of People’s Insurance are listed on the Main Board of the Colombo Stock Exchange. The company is backed by a sound financial heritage with an extensive market outreach by two of the largest financial institutions in the country, namely People’s Leasing & Finance PLC and People’s Bank, with a strong international reinsurers capacity. The company is rated A+ by Fitch Ratings.

The company has had an outstanding performance track record since its inception and has emerged as one of the most dynamic non-life insurance companies in the country with constant growth.