Meet the Team – Emma Needs – Senior Product Manager
Get to know ...
Emma Needs
Senior Product Manager
Get to know Emma Needs in our Meet the Team Series. With a background in product development, Emma is passionate about supporting our digital transformation program and creating innovative tools and services that enhance the adviser and customer experience.
What is your role at TAL?
As the Senior Product Manager, Individual Life at TAL, I work alongside business stakeholders and our development team to create, manage, and constantly improve our individual life insurance products. At the end of the day, our ultimate goal is to provide a seamless and positive experience for our advisers and their clients.
What is your professional background?
Like many others, when I finished school, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. So, I packed my bags and travelled, eventually finding work in the UK with ING Baring. Later, I returned home to attend university and, somewhat unexpectedly, found myself working at ING again. There, I delved into the world of life insurance, focusing primarily on product development for direct life insurance products, and I’ve never looked back.
What role do you play in helping to support advisers to deliver value for their clients?
I play a multifaceted role in supporting advisers, with my primary focus on developing innovative tools and initiatives that can enable them to provide the best possible experience for their clients. One project I'm particularly excited about involves collaborating across various business units to create advanced tools. These tools are designed to empower advisers to provide real-time quotes to customers, significantly improving efficiency and accuracy.
Ultimately, our goal is to create a seamless and smooth online experience for both advisers and their clients, allowing for more effective and timely financial advice.
What are you most excited about in your role for the coming 12 months?
As the business continues to move towards increasing our digital capabilities, I am excited about supporting the digital transformation program for the Individual Life business at TAL. This initiative is set to evolve into a comprehensive self-service hub for both customers and advisers, streamlining access to our services and products.
This also includes working to enhance support for our front-line staff, enabling them to provide real-time quotes across our product offerings. Being a part of these advancements, from improved customer satisfaction to more efficient service delivery, is something I am passionate about.
How do you see the life insurance industry changing in the next five years?
In the next five years, I anticipate significant changes in the life insurance industry, with a focus on several key areas.
Insurers will continue to develop simple, cost-effective, and personalised customer-centric offerings accessible through a variety of channels to meet changes in customers' circumstances. This approach will particularly target the younger segments of the market.
There will be a greater emphasis on preventative health, including wellness and longevity programs, as life expectancy increases, and health trends evolve. Consequently, insurance offerings will need to evolve to provide flexibility for later life stages, given as substantial proportion of healthy older individuals will continue to work beyond the current limits of life insurance products.
How do you think your role will evolve over the coming years as the industry changes?
I see the role of Product Managers continually needing to adapt to regulatory, societal, and technology changes – especially in the context of AI to support product and proposition development.
The role will without a doubt demand a dynamic and proactive approach, balancing technological advancements with a deep understanding of customer expectations and industry needs.
Tell us something that’s guaranteed to brighten your day? What’s something that made you smile recently?
Love listening to a wide variety of music, so one thing that never fails to brighten my day is receiving a new playlist from a friend. I also love to travel, so planning a trip also brightens my day.