FWD Life Philippines is redefining the insurance landscape under the leadership of Peter Karl Grimes, its President and CEO. As the insurance business arm of Pacific Century Group, FWD Group was established in Asia in 2013 and operates across multiple markets, including Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Japan. The company offers a range of life and medical insurance, general insurance, and employee benefits across these regions.
FWD is committed to changing the way people feel about insurance by delivering customer-friendly, easy-to-understand products, supported by cutting-edge digital technology. This customer-led approach is positioning FWD as a leading pan-Asian insurer, setting new industry standards.
A Visionary Leader
Peter Karl Grimes, an industry veteran, has been instrumental in building FWD Life Philippines from the ground up. With a forward-thinking mindset, he has spearheaded highly automated operations, a paperless sales model, and innovative technologies previously unseen in the Philippine insurance industry.
Despite not completing a university degree, Grimes has built a successful career, proving that passion, adaptability, and leadership matter just as much as formal education. He acknowledges that today’s business world is far more complex, with leaders now expected to navigate public scrutiny, media exposure, and ever-evolving regulatory landscapes.
His leadership philosophy revolves around customer-centricity, integrity, and excellence. He firmly believes that by prioritizing customer needs, business success will naturally follow. “Whatever we do, we owe it to ourselves to do it to the best of our ability,” he shares.
Transforming the Insurance Industry
Under Grimes’ leadership, FWD Life Philippines has seen remarkable growth. The company jumped from rank 29 in 2014 to rank 12 in 2016 as one of the fastest-growing life insurance companies in the country. In 2016, it launched Peace Plan, the Philippines’ first terrorism cover sold via a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. The company achieved the highest Customer Experience Index in the Philippines with a score of 78 in 2016, as measured by Forrester. It also pioneered the first fully paperless end-to-end sales process in the Philippine life insurance sector. FWD Life Philippines has received industry recognition, winning the 2016 and 2017 Asia’s Best Employer Brand Award from the Employer Branding Institute.
The Future of FWD Life Philippines
With over 30,000 individual policyholders and 16,000 group members as of August 2017, FWD Life Philippines continues to expand its footprint in a highly competitive market. The company operates with a team of over 280 office staff and 150 sales representatives, embracing a dynamic and customer-focused culture.
Grimes describes himself as adaptive, collaborative, and hands-on, believing in leading from the front, a crucial mindset for any startup leader. His approach, combined with FWD’s innovative edge, is transforming how Filipinos perceive and engage with insurance, making it simpler, more accessible, and more relevant than ever before.
