“The stories of these heroes illustrate the best in people”

Promoting a policy of active social responsibility is one of the pillars of the management of the largest insurance company in the country. Fidelidade has chosen to sponsor Correio da Manhã’s “Heróis CM” initiative because the values ​​of altruism and citizenship are part of its DNA. As part of the WeCare commitment, the insurance company helps people who have been victims of serious traffic accidents return to normal life. In 215 years of history, the core of Fidelidade remains the same: “To keep life going,” as emphasized by its CEO, Rogerio Campos Henriquez.

How much weight does “Social” have in Fidelidade’s ESG strategy and what are your main projects in this area?
At Fidelidade, we have always attached great importance to social sustainability. Whether through an active social responsibility policy, as in the case of our Fidelidade Comunidade award, which has established itself as one of the largest in Portugal and is worth 750 thousand euros this year, or through an active policy of inclusion and diversity in the organization, and and the creation and promotion of increasingly sustainable business practices.

Why did Fidelidade decide to join the Heroes CM initiative?
The stories of these heroes illustrate the best that is in people. Standing by the side of those in need at the most critical moments, their actions bring out the best values ​​of citizenship, altruism and resilience. We believe that there is a real need for society to promote these values ​​of citizenship, which is why the connection to this Correio da Manhã initiative was so clear to us. Sponsoring this initiative is also a way to promote altruism in society and, at the same time, explain our way of life, which we call WeCare.

How does Fidelidade usually support people who are real “heroes” in their daily activities (in uniform or in civilian clothes)?
In the insurance industry, we are very fortunate in some ways. Mutualism, on which our business model is based, allows people to develop their lives safely and in this sense is important for our society. The best support we can offer is presence. In health, savings, assets and helping our clients through all stages of their lives. If we look at recent and anomalous situations such as the pandemic or last winter’s floods, we have sought to encourage our people to go further, put in the extra effort and learn how they can truly make a difference in our clients’ lives. . This is our WeCare culture. For example, during Covid-19, we decided to take on the cost of hospitalizing our clients when it was not necessary. In the event of a flood, we have activated a contingency plan to expedite the claims resolution process, making every effort to minimize the impact of this event on people’s lives.

How did the idea of ​​WeCare Commitment Fidelidade come about, which aims to support the physical, social and family rehabilitation of victims?
The WeCare commitment was born organically, that is, from the actions of our people, who began to do things differently every day, in order to better support the physical, social and family recovery of the most seriously affected. . When we noticed these more spontaneous activities, we realized that we needed to support them in a more structured way, and so we created this program, which we call WeCare Commitment. Our business is often subject to legal obligations, but we wanted to go further. After a major accident, everything changes, and sometimes the payment of compensation may not be enough to guarantee the restoration of people’s quality of life. We understand that we must be closer to those who see their lives change day by day, supporting people and their families in various dimensions (physical, social and family) to help them recover and create new life projects. The WeCare culture that we actively promote at Fidelidade encourages our employees to consider these more “complex” cases, as well as other simpler situations in everyday life. And do a little more, do it differently. On behalf of another, be it a client, a victim, or even a colleague.

How many people who have been victims of serious road traffic accidents have already received assistance in their physical, social and family rehabilitation through the WeCare project?
For 215 years of history, it is difficult to give a specific figure for this question. The only thing I can say is that, unfortunately for the victims, there are many more of them than we would like.

In your opinion, do insurance companies have an “obligation” to engage in traffic prevention and rehabilitation of victims of road accidents?
As I said before, we understand the rehabilitation of victims as an obligation on our part. On the other hand, prevention and road safety are a priority for us. One of the projects we developed in this area was Fidelidade Drive, where good driving habits are rewarded with an app that encourages and rewards more responsible driving with vouchers. We want to help our clients and society as a whole lead a healthy lifestyle. In terms of this focus on prevention, we could say the same about health, demographics, resilience, and many other issues that society is currently facing. The insurance industry cannot and will not, at least from Fidelidade’s side, be a mere bystander to these problems. We have a responsibility to support and reward our customers’ commitment to healthy lifestyles by helping them prepare for the future. Whether it’s road safety, health, or creating innovative solutions for reform.

What is the circle of people covered by Fidelidade and what market share does it provide?
Fidelidade is by far the largest insurer in Portugal, both in the segment of personal and company insurance, and in all business areas: cars, life, health, industrial accidents, property or pets, and has a market share of about 30% in Portugal . On the other hand, we are already located in 12 countries on 4 continents and have over eight million customers, and today even Spanish is their mother tongue for the majority. The contribution of our international operations already accounts for 30% of the business.

What other projects does Fidelidade have in the “social” area of ​​the ESG strategy?
Social responsibility is maturing at Fidelidade. In 2017, we launched the Fidelidade Comunidade Award in response to the needs of social institutions working for the good of society. Since then, there have been 70 winning public organizations with prizes worth 2.7 million euros, which are offered insurance so that these associations can develop their activities. The three axes of the award include the social inclusion of people with disabilities, health prevention, and active aging. But we also have other initiatives: in 2022, we also partnered with the Jesuit Refugee Service to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian citizens fleeing due to the armed conflict in the country. This protocol has strengthened the response to humanitarian assistance, as well as reception and integration initiatives for approximately 1,050 people, by establishing a call center in Ukrainian and providing health insurance that has enabled these people to more easily integrate and follow up. your wellness treatments. Along with these programs, we continue to support public institutions such as the Food Bank, which we have insured since 2013, given the enormous social responsibility placed on this organization.

In terms of sustainable development, what are the priorities identified by Fidelidade?
We have a clear strategy in terms of sustainable development. The social dimension is one of the three main pillars that we must contribute to this global sustainability, along with an appropriate role in the environmental transition and being a responsible and exemplary economic agent. We are moving safely, but step by step. At Fidelidade, we understand that sustainability is at the core of what we do. However, we have work to do. We want to help the Portuguese save for the future in an innovative, simple and convenient way. We want to take on our calling in health and wellness promotion, and we want to have a range of products and services that materialize our ambitions to build and prepare for the future. That’s where we want to position ourselves. We are increasingly aware of what sustainability means to us. Not only at the climatic level, but also demographic and social. After all, helping our customers prepare for the future is our business and our mission.