Acenda has been recognised for its leadership in claims handling and underwriting, winning four awards at the Australian Life Underwriting and Claims Association (ALUCA) Life Insurance Excellence Awards in Sydney.

Acenda was a finalist in nine of 10 award categories and won the Leadership Award, Claims Team Award, Customer Service Team Award and Partnership Impact Team Award.

Mary Magallanes, General Manager Claims Management for Acenda, was awarded the prestigious Leadership Award, recognising her outstanding contribution to life insurance and commitment to customer focused innovation.

Acenda received the Claims Team Award for the third consecutive year for TPD Express, a new customer-first approach that’s transformed the Total and Permanent Disability claims experience.

TPD Express fast tracks claims for people with severe health conditions and has resulted in eligible claims now being paid and settled in just 17 working days, down from 105 – an 84% improvement.

Acenda won the Customer Service Team Award for KickStart, an early intervention program that provides customers with personal support and tailored rehabilitation plans within 24 hours of a referral to help them recover from illness or injury.

Andrew Beevors, Chief Claims and Transformation Officer for Acenda, said: “The ALUCA awards are extremely competitive and it’s great to see Acenda and our people recognised for delivering meaningful programs supporting outcomes for our customers and partners.”

“These awards represent the end-to-end value chain of life insurance from leadership, underwriting and claims. They also reflect Acenda’s ongoing commitment to put the customer at the heart of everything we do.”

Acenda also received the Partnership Impact Team Award for its partnership with EQ Pathology. The partnership delivers Australians faster life insurance, by allowing doctors to provide medical information through smart, digital questionnaires instead of submitting PDF forms.

Jane Murray, Chief Operating Officer for Acenda, said: “It’s fantastic to see this industry-first initiative delivered by our team, recognised with this award. I congratulate all of our people for what they continue to do to put customers first.”

Read more about the ALUCA awards here.