What’s keeping me up: AIA’s Stuart A. Spencer

In an increasingly health-conscious environment, more brands are launching campaigns and initiatives designed to promote healthier lifestyles and improve overall health outcomes. 

While in the insurance sector, AIA Group introduced its brand campaign "Rethink Healthy" in June, aiming to challenge stereotypes and broaden the narrow representations of health in Asia. The campaign advocates for new definitions of health that will inspire more individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Overseeing the company's customer engagement, propositions, branding, AIA Vitality and communications, Stuart A. Spencer (pictured), group chief marketing officer, said that AIA shifted its branding and positioning to focus on living rather than dying as a key player in the life insurance sector. "I would even say that those of us in our industry are actually catalysts for behavioural change," he added.

In this episode, Spencer shares with us his biggest worry and what keeps him going.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What is the biggest thing you worry about?

Budgets, talent crunch, and layoffs are not what keep me up. Instead, I focus on the movement that we're trying to build and the impact we aim to have. I always talk about marketing for impact, it must contribute to the financial performance of the organisation. We need to measure everything we do and better attribute our impact to our efforts.

I'm very passionate about our purpose, and I want AIA to be synonymous with it, ensuring that we have a real impact on enabling health in people's lives. Our best mechanism for this is AIA Vitality, our key health and wellness programme. Know your health and improve your health. Get rewarded—this truly inspires behavioural change and fosters better habit formation, leading to improved personal health and clinical outcomes because this is the business we're in. We want our customers to live longer and healthier lives.

What keeps me up at night is how well we are doing at that. Are we really creating the impact I want to have? I'm impatient; I want us to have an even greater impact. Through our research on our Vitality customers, we know that we are helping many of them transition from unhealthy to healthy, whether it's in terms of body mass index, blood sugar, or bad cholesterol. We know this, but I want to achieve an even greater macro impact across the region.

I would even say that those of us in our industry are actually catalysts for behavioural change. We need to be catalysts for this change.

In the past, life insurance companies never engaged with their customers. Insurers would send you an annual bill for your premiums, and you would never hear from us again. There was no interaction, no engagement, no nurturing, no nudging, no care—nothing. You die, and we pay. Very simple.

What we've done at AIA is truly turn that upside down. We're in the life insurance industry, and we don’t want to talk about death. Instead, we focus on life, wellness, health, longevity, positivity, optimism, living, and vitality. We aim to shift the emphasis in our branding and positioning toward living, not dying. Ultimately, we want our customers to live healthy, longer, and better lives.

So what keeps me up at night is how well I am doing at that. Am I making the difference I want to make? Am I changing the lives I want to change? Am I driving behavioural change and healthy habits at scale?

And the answer is yes, but I want more. That’s why I want to engage and inspire more people. This is the reason we launched the "Rethink healthy" campaign. As you can see, everything comes together—not like air traffic control, but in a very integrated and connected way. That's what I want to achieve.

Do I also think about retaining my best people? Sure. Do I also consider whether I have the right marketing budget? Sure. But at AIA, I’m blessed to be able to find the best people in the industry who want to work here. And we are very well capitalised as an organisation.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: How do you deal with this worry? 

I have realistic expectations and recognise that we are in a long-term business, so this is a long-term journey. Success won’t happen overnight, but I want to ensure that I’m establishing the right foundations now and leaving a positive legacy at AIA, right?

I know we're not going to be around forever, and I want to make sure I set a pathway for the next generation of great leaders. I want to leave the organisation not just in better shape, but significantly better than I found it, and to be conscious of legacy.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: As a leader, how do you deal with it when your staff tells you the work is creating mental pressure and wellbeing issues?   

I have been very vocal in encouraging everyone at AIA to prioritise their personal health and wellness over work. You cannot perform well if you are unwell. None of us are indispensable, and we must always compartmentalise our lives. Work is just one aspect; I often liken it to a pizza—it's one slice, not the entire pizza.

And here, you need to promise me that you will never allow yourselves to be exclusively defined by what’s on your business card. It’s just a job—maybe a great job where you do good things—but it’s still just a job. You have one life and many jobs, right?

Be mindful of what you sacrifice. People often talk about work-life balance, but there’s no such thing. Let me be clear: there are only work-life choices.

You choose to take that call, write that article, respond to that email, or work on a Sunday. These are choices you make, and you must be accountable for them. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What keeps you going?

My love for the people, passion for the purpose, and desire to make a positive impact drive me. I have spent my career in this industry in Asia and Latin America, always focusing on emerging markets and financial inclusion, helping to provide greater access to insurance and financial services for those who need protection the most.

You've heard about the massive, multi-trillion dollar protection gap across Asia—the difference between the coverage people have and the coverage they need. We are working to close that gap and help solidify dreams and futures. To me, this mission is both noble and inspiring.

I moved here in 2004 to make a difference and contribute to the advancement of the industry in Asia, starting in what was once this building. I am proud of the role I've played and the impact I've made, but I'm not finished yet.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Can you name some of your mentors or some motivational speaker?

Sir Mark Tucker, former CEO of AIA, has been a huge mentor for me. Our chairman, Edmund Tse, is a great role model and a great boss. These are two important figures in our industry whom I have the pleasure of knowing well and who have truly inspired and motivated me. I feel very fortunate to have them in my life. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: How do you boost employee morale when facing obstacles/challenges? 

Love and care for people, treating them with dignity and respect. I'm a super connector with people. It's funny; I interview candidates all the time. When someone sits down in my office for the first time, I often say, “Tell me about yourself.”

99% percent of the time, they respond with, "Well, I joined AIA in..." But I want to know: Who are you? Where were you born? Do you have brothers and sisters? Where did you grow up? What kind of neighborhood were you in? What was your school like? What are you passionate about? What was your childhood like?

Most people seem almost disoriented by these questions. They think, "You want to talk about that?" But I genuinely want to get to know them. When they start sharing, they become multidimensional. Suddenly, I discover things such as their love for the Beatles, and I think, "Me too!"

It’s all about treating people as individuals, not just as one-dimensional workers. People come first, before their CVs. We often say we’re an AIA family, and I want to do my part to make that as believable as possible.

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