Last Saturday, July 29, the Real Club Marítimo de Palma witnessed the start of the 41st edition of one of the classic regattas on the calendar, the Copa del Rey de Vela MAPFRE. A competition, synonymous with the best sailing in the Mediterranean, which dates back to 1982 and which today is already a consolidated event on the international sailing scene.
"The Copa del Rey de Vela has become one of the main nautical events in Spain and the Mediterranean, a benchmark competition in which MAPFRE has the honor of participating and, above all, supporting it since 2008 as the main sponsor" –he points out José Manuel Inchausti, Vice President of MAPFRE and CEO of Iberia-.
The insurer has renewed its alliance with the regatta this year for three more years, which implies, in the words of Inchausti, a double commitment, on the one hand "with sailing and with the Copa del Rey, a regatta with which we share Values such as effort, the desire to excel and teamwork, pillars of MAPFRE's philosophy, and on the other hand, as yet another example of our commitment to the Balearic Islands, where we currently have more than 160,000 clients and 73 offices, and where we employ 145 people directly and more than 1,200 indirectly”.
The nautical event shows off its commitment to sustainable and conscious sport. The Copa del Rey de Vela is an official member of the UN Race to Zero and Sports for Climate Action campaigns since 2022 and works to implement measures to reduce its emissions. For its part, MAPFRE ensures that sustainability is in its DNA. The insurer has a 2022-2024 Sustainability Plan, a strategy fully integrated into the business and into decision-making in all areas of the company, which puts people at the center of everything, which establishes indicators that show them where they are and where they want to go and that responds to the needs of all interest groups.
“We are a company that takes care of people and puts them at the center of all its actions; we comply with what we commit to and strive to contribute to achieving a better, more balanced and fair society”. From his privileged position, after 35 years holding different positions in the company, his vice president reviews this future.
“The changes have been many in these more than three decades, and they have always been in line with the evolution and new trends that were taking place in society. A large part of these changes have come, and continue to come, hand in hand with the possibilities that technology is offering us, which is a great disruptor in all businesses, and which presents us with challenges but, above all, great opportunities”.
Challenges such as the one posed by the last pandemic that required exceptional agility, flexibility and commitment, while always maintaining the values that define MAPFRE. "Although the company has certainly changed a lot in all these years, it has managed to do so without losing its values, its culture or its dedication to service."
The insurer has introduced a large part of the insurance innovations in Spain, which they have later incorporated to the rest
From the market. MAPFRE established, more than ten years ago, a digital manifesto, which is still in force. “We can say that Spanish insurance is more dynamic and more agile in responding to policyholders -explains Inchausti-. And in the case of MAPFRE, we have become an omnichannel company that continuously listens to its customers (we carry out more than 900,000 surveys a year to find out their opinions and needs) and that also has the extraordinary strength of a commercial network of more than 3,000 branches, the largest in Spanish insurance”.
In terms of SMEs, MAPFRE is the leader in all of Spain, where it insures more than 730,000 companies. In Catalonia, specifically, it is a very dynamic sector, and an insurance that is growing at a very good rate (17% in 2002 in the case of MAPFRE) with more than 50,000 companies among its clients. These are data that respond, in the opinion of Inchausti, "to an unbeatable offer in this sector, since we help companies identify their risks and protect themselves against them, providing them with the best comprehensive solution in the insurance market at a national and international level, regardless of size." of the company”.
The company has its own tool, SIRMAP360, a comprehensive solution that helps to identify and manage risks in a competitive and constantly changing business environment, and which is especially valuable for SMEs. “We also have the MAPFRE Empresas Club, our loyalty plan for business clients, which provides value-added advice and professional services; the Internet Business Clients Area, and the MAPFRE Passport, an advisory service to help our client companies in their internationalization”.
As for private demand, health and savings are, at this time, the lines of business that are experiencing the greatest growth. "Private health insurance, which is a magnificent complement to our powerful public health system, is growing and we believe that it will continue in this vein in the coming years." Life and profitability are also generators of demand. "The change in trend in interest rates has generated significant dynamism in the Life business, and a greater demand for products with guaranteed profitability, which were not viable in the previous rate environment."
In response, MAPFRE, as of the end of 2022, put a consistent offer of this type of product on the market. The evolution that is taking place around mobility is another of the transformation engines of the insurer's offer. To respond, MAPFRE launched the Cambio range, insurance for electric vehicles; insurance for electric scooters and, very recently with the Verti brand, personal mobility insurance, which accompanies the mobility of the person, not that of the vehicle.
