George Magazine

At a glance • nib has more than 800,000 policyholders across the country and is one of Australia's fastest-growing private health insurance providers. • nib is the only Australian health fund listed on the ASX. • Providing health insurance since 1952, nib is a genuine success story. Set up by seven BHP employees in a regional Mayfield office, the company recently boasted a premium revenue of $1 billion. Since listing, shareholders have also benefited from strong shareholder returns in the form of dividends, capital management initiatives and share price appreciation. Being a listed public company also means you're always trying to do things better and you're always looking at improving the bottom line. We make a conscious effort to do this by improving customer service and efficiency. nib places a strong emphasis on sponsoring community and charity events, particularly those in the area of health or active lifestyles. Is this part of the company's corporate responsibility or is it simply ingrained in nib's ethos? For more than 50 years, nib has been committed to promoting and supporting health communities. We re-affirmed this in 2008 when we established nib foundation, a charitable organisation that works towards improving the health and wellbeing of Australians. Since we've established the foundation, we've dedicated more than $6 million towards health and wellbeing initiatives. Some of the main charity partners that have benefited from funding include Canteen, the Hunter Institute of Medical Research, and the Hunter Institute of Mental Health. We are also major sponsors of the month-long celebration of the moustache, Movember, which raises awareness of men's health. Even though you have said that nib is very much an Australian brand, why do you think Newcastle-born NRL legend Paul Harragon works so well as the face of the company? Paul's just a genuine personality and has such a healthy approach to life. So even if you don't know Paul and his association with the Newcastle Knights or with Rugby League, he's just got that type of personality that works really well with our brand. He's charismatic, very approachable and very health conscious and that's what nib's all about. The Chief's been the face of nib since the early 1990s and today still features in nib's marketing and advertising campaigns. 26 George www.stgeorge.com.au/george nib's retail outlets are spreading across the land. How St.George helped Ask anyone in business and they will tell you that relationships and reliability are two of the main ingredients for a successful partnership. By following this simple recipe, Glenn Treadwell says St.George has managed to forge a successful and sustainable relationship with nib. "I can't emphasise enough what St.George's relationship model means to us. That's what we made our initial decision on and they've delivered on their promise. That's why the relationship between St.George and nib is as good as it is," says Glenn. "One of the best outcomes for us has been the personal relationship we have with our Relationship Manager. The bank's model is less reliant on call centres and that's exactly what we wanted. "When the going gets tough you know that you've got a person that you can ring and talk to, and it's the same person every time." Glenn says it's this close working relationship that has led to nib also benefitting from a number of sales leads from St.George. "There have been instances where they have been working with a customer to meet their banking needs and have learned that they need health insurance as well and they have recommended us. As a result we've managed to obtain some corporate clients," he says. "It's not just about numbers, it's about a partnership as well and the sales leads are an example of how a banker can do more for you than just your debits and credits and charging a fee for their 'service'."

• Cover
• George reveals
• Business essentials
• I did it my way
• Customer case study
• St.George says
• Time out
• Parting thought