MONTREAL, Nov. 24 2008 – At the 2nd Annual Benefits Canada Awards Gala in Toronto, The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada received top honours in the Plan Member Communications category recognizing its innovative, clear and effective strategies for the communication of group pension plans to members. Earlier this year, Standard Life launched a member website which includes a personalized “retirement dashboard”.
“We are pleased to present this award to Standard Life for their innovative and personalized member website,” said Alyssa Hodder, Editor of Benefits Canada. “This initiative shows a real commitment to engaging members in their retirement planning.”
“We are very happy that Standard Life’s leadership in plan member communications is being acknowledged, and even more importantly, that our approach is clearly addressing the needs of our customers,” said Claude Leblanc, Senior Vice-President, Group savings and retirement with Standard Life. “The results demonstrate the website’s effectiveness across all categories of members, but also highlight the appeal it has with our younger members, who are typically more difficult to engage in retirement plans.”
As of September 2008, member use of the new website had increased by 16%. In particular, the website had seen a 44% increase in the number of members under the age of 30.
The new website also features the award-winning education and communication program Plan for life(TM), developed by Standard Life in Canada and adopted in the UK as well. Members of capital accumulation plans can use Plan for life to manage their financial affairs and their retirement, from the moment they enrol in the plan, and continuing through their retirement years.
The Benefits Canada Awards are designed to honour Canadian individuals and organizations who have demonstrated leadership and innovation in pension investment and administration, and who have contributed to the retirement security of Canadian employees and their families. Over 30 years, Benefits Canada has become one of the most influential pension and benefits publications in Canada.
About Standard Life
In 2008, Standard Life, the first life insurance company to transact business in Canada, marks its 175th year of operations. With 10,000 employees globally, Standard Life plc is a major international financial services group headquartered in Scotland. It provides asset-managing services for retirement, investment and protection to some 7 million customers globally and has C$330 billion in assets under administration, as at June 30, 2008. It has offices in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Austria, India and China, including Hong Kong.
The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada is Standard Life plc’s largest operation outside the U.K., with 2,000 employees based in Montreal and across Canada, serving more than 1.3 million Canadians, including group insurance and pension plan participants. (www.standardlife.ca)
Standard Life plc has approximately 1.5 million shareholders worldwide, including approximately 14,000 institutional and individual shareholders in Canada. It has been trading on the London Stock Exchange since The Standard Life Assurance Company demutualized in 2006. Standard Life plc is listed on the FTSE 100, Europe’s largest index, and on the FTSE4Good Index, which identifies companies adhering to globally recognized corporate responsibility standards. (www.standardlife.com).
Tags: retirement planning & savings, Standard Life
