Many people have likely experienced situations where friends, relatives or acquaintances approached them to sell insurance products. Selling insurance used to be considered a simple side hustle because insurance agents could use their personal networks to find potential clients, making it easy for them to make sales and earn income.

However, the insurance industry is undergoing a transformation driven by increasing customer awareness and knowledge in today’s information-rich era. As a result, customers’ expectations of insurance agents have increased significantly as they look for a high level of expertise, professionalism and trustworthiness from them.

For this reason, AIA Malaysia — a leading insurance and takaful provider — launched a unique talent development programme called AIA Elite Academy (AEA) in 2018.

The programme aims to nurture and develop a new generation of high-performing life planners by providing best-in-class support, industry-leading tools and technology, and an environment that cultivates a spirit of collaboration, professionalism and well-being, which ultimately empowers life planners to help Malaysians live healthier, longer and better lives.

In the midst of unprecedented challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, AEA’s continuous allure to young talents and high-performing professionals stands out as a testament to its enduring value and resilience. AEA provides more than just a job. It offers a sustainable, rewarding and long-term career path that individuals seek, even in the face of uncertain times.

Indeed, AIA’s dedication to nurturing talent and fostering professional growth has taken a significant leap with the recent launch of the Elite Academy Centre in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. This state-of-the-art facility, situated in AIA Sentral, features a talent development centre as well as a premier agency business centre, exclusive to AIA’s high-performing agency activities.

AEA has established a proven track record in the past five years, successfully grooming thousands of accomplished life planners who have demonstrated a higher level of productivity through this best talent development programme.

Understanding that a one-size-fits-all programme would not work for individuals with their own unique aspirations and backgrounds, AEA has curated a series of programmes that complement their chosen career path. These are:

Elite Lite: Designed to enable serious side hustlers to grow their skills as life planners while having the freedom and flexibility to pursue multiple life passions at the same time.

Elite Pro: Designed to help high-performing professionals unleash their full potential and succeed in the industry. The 18-month programme provides support with a fully digitally enabled ecosystem, best-in-class training, highly effective coaching and mentorship, and a positive community learning environment.

Elite Premier Leader: Designed to build the next generation of aspiring leaders who can lead their own team of high-performing elites. The 24-month leadership development programme focuses on team-building, supported by leadership and management skill training.

AEA’s focus on Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) excellence has also demonstrated results, with hundreds of elite life planners successfully earning this highly sought-after global accreditation within their first year in the insurance industry.

“We are extremely proud of how far we’ve come in a span of five years and we couldn’t be more thrilled with what we have achieved,” says AIA Malaysia chief agency distribution officer Leong Chee Soong.

“We are the only insurer in Malaysia to achieve the highest number of MDRT qualifiers for seven years and make it to the top 21 globally. This is only the beginning for us. We look forward to reaching more milestones as we expand our agency force with highly qualified and motivated professionals.”