Dear Member,

In this edition of CEO Connect, I’m excited to share a range of important updates.

It’s been a significant month for our community – 2024/25 Membership renewals were completed, Unimutual was recognised for service excellence, and we explored exciting new initiatives aimed at enhancing the value of your Membership.

I am also delighted to share some initial details on our upcoming 2025 Annual Conference and how you can participate in recognising excellence within our community.

Renewal Update

I’m pleased to inform you the Member renewal process for the 2024/25 protection period is now complete, with all 56 of our Members renewing their protections. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Unimutual team, I extend my heartfelt thanks for your continued support.

This year, we achieved a significant milestone by offering rate reductions for the first time in several years. In addition, we provided personalised presentations to each Member, which outlined your specific renewal details. These sessions were a great opportunity to discuss the current market, understand your needs, and share insights into our contribution-setting rationale.

We are also thrilled to welcome several new Members to the Mutual this year, including:

• James Cook University
• Cromwell College
• The Women’s College within The University of Queensland
• Mannix College
• Marcus Oldham College, and
• St Mary’s College.

We look forward to these new partnerships and the opportunity to continue to deliver risk protection solutions tailored to each organisation’s needs.

As a reminder to all our Members, contributions are due for payment by 30 November 2024. If we can assist in any way to expedite payment, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Unimutual team.

Creating value for Members 

Unimutual recently introduced two new initiatives to deliver greater value to our Members:

• Valuation Services Panel: Launched last month, this panel has been designed to help Members access quality service providers for Insurance Valuations. As an added benefit, Unimutual Members will enjoy a minimum 5 per cent discount off the valuers’ standard rates. Further details can be found here.
• Risk Management Support: Through our partnership with the Risk Management Institute of Australasia (RMIA), all Members now have access to the RMIA Organisational Membership package. This includes a range of benefits, such as training, events, conferences, and RMIA Risk Certification – at no extra cost to you. To learn more, please contact Tony Pescott at tony.pescott@unimutual.com.au.

Australian Service Excellence Awards 

On Thursday 24 October, I had the pleasure of attending the Australian Service Excellence Awards (ASEA), Australia’s premier customer service awards program.

Unimutual was recognised with two prestigious awards:

• Service Champion in the Customer Service Organisation of the Year (Small) category, and
• Winner in the Customer Service Project of the Year (Continuous Improvement) category.

These awards reflect our commitment to delivering outstanding service and constantly improving to meet the evolving needs of our Members in the higher education and research sectors.

A huge thank you to our dedicated team and to our Members for their continued trust and support. We couldn’t have achieved this without you.

Recognising excellence 

Unimutual is deeply committed to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence. Nominations for the 2024 Unimutual Excellence Awards are now open, providing you and your peers the opportunity to be recognised for outstanding performance in Risk Management, Claims Management, and Insurance/Protection Services.

The nomination process is straightforward – whether you’re nominating yourself, a colleague, or an organisation, we encourage your participation. Visit our website to download the 2024 Unimutual Excellence Awards Prospectus and nominate someone today.

Winners will be announced at the Unimutual Annual Conference in March 2025. Contact Tony Pescott at tony.pescott@unimutual.com.au for further information.

Invitation to share your views 

As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance Member experience, we will be launching our next Member Experience Survey on Monday 11 November. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us understand your needs and improving the services we offer. Keep an eye out in your inbox for a link to the survey. We encourage you to take part and share your thoughts by 22 November.

Save the date: Annual Conference 2025 

Mark your calendars! The Unimutual Annual Conference will be held from Wednesday 19 March to Friday 21 March 2025, at the Pullman Hotel in Adelaide. This year’s theme is Leading through challenging times, and we’ve already secured an exciting line-up of speakers. This will also be a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow Members and explore new initiatives for 2025. Keep an eye out for your email invitation coming soon and visit our LinkedIn page for updates, as we countdown to the event next year.

A final note of thanks 

Finally, I’d like to personally thank you, our Members, and our Broker partners, for your ongoing support this year. Together, we’ve achieved some remarkable outcomes for our Mutual, and I’m excited for what lies ahead. On behalf of the entire Unimutual team, we are grateful for the opportunity to continue working with you in the coming year.

Yours sincerely,

Geoff Henderson

Chief Executive Officer

e: geoff.henderson@unimutual.com.au

p:  +61 2 9169 6604  m: +61 (0) 417 887 513

Read previous CEO Connect newsletters here.

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