Innovation and entrepreneurship are at the heart of our culture and our 2028 corporate strategy, Shape & Scale. Investing in innovation and giving our employees the means to make their voices and ideas heard is a great way to enrich our offer, embrace new technologies at work, and by extension strengthen our competitiveness.

To get everyone involved and take part in this new milestone for our company, we launched an innovation contest where colleagues can form teams and pitch their ideas to power simplification, growth, and client service – Shape It Up! 

To find out more about Shape It Up we sat down with Florence Lecoutre, member of the Board of Management, in charge of Data Analytics and AI, Human Resources, Communication, Compliance and Sustainability.

Why was Shape It Up launched? And why now?

We recently launched our new corporate strategy, Shape & Scale, with ambitious goals and targets. Meeting these goals requires fine-tuning our competitive edge in an increasingly competitive landscape, driving innovation, and ensuring that employees’ ideas can be put into action. Shape It Up is a way to get everyone involved in this.

I led an innovation contest a few years ago, and it totally surpassed my expectations. I was really impressed with participants’ engagement and involvement, and how they took the topics at hand and made them their own. The ownership made all the difference. I think that when you put people on the ground in front of creative situations or challenges, they bring their experience, insight from our stakeholders, awareness of pain points and room for growth, and above all their inspiration - the results are astounding. And I am convinced that the ideas brought by the challenge will fuel our strategic ambitions and enable us to better adapt to changes in the market and the world at large, for instance the significant shifts stemming from the advent of generative AI and the urgent need for progress on sustainability.

Why is the contest focused on these three pillars – growth, simplification, client service?

We’ve structured Shape It Up according to three pillars – simplification, growth, and client service – because they all have internal and external impacts for our company. If we simplify a cumbersome internal process, it frees up precious time for higher value-added tasks and projects. Improving our performance, for instance by strengthening our position as a multi-liner, ideas for new lines of business such as Allianz Trade pay, or using the data at our disposal in new ways, ultimately better serves our customers. And if we improve client service and go above and beyond for our customers, it drives our sense of satisfaction too.

What are the benefits of organizing the contest as a competition between regions?

People tend to work closely with colleagues in their regions, and share an understanding of the challenges and opportunities in their markets. I think it’ll help people take ownership of the contest and strengthen our team spirit. It’s good to have a bit of friendly competition!

We’ve named regional ambassadors to connect participants to each other so they can form teams and work on common ideas before the pre-selection. They’ve been particularly active in drumming up support and engagement and coaching teams to refine their ideas. The contest is also a great opportunity to further cross-functional collaboration and learn from each other, which can be really enriching for our talents.

Could you tell us a bit about the contest’s phases?

From now until December it’s the ideation phase. The regional executive committees will choose 3 projects (one per topic) that’ll move to the pitching round. In January pre-selected teams will have their moment in the spotlight as they pitch their ideas to the global management team who will then select 6 finalists. This will be a live event where attendees will get to see innovation in action. Finally, we’ll have a two-day hackathon in March with the finalists where they’ll get a chance to pitch their ideas to the Board of Management. The winning team will be our guests at the next international management meeting, and we’ve committed to investing resources to implement their project.

Why is innovation at Allianz Trade so important (even as the market leader)?

It’s precisely because we are the market leader that we have to keep innovating. Innovating ensures companies better serve their clients, and that employees are motivated, their ideas are heard, and they feel a sense of pride and belonging. In a company like ours in the service industry where we don’t have a tangible product to show for our efforts, it’s that much more important to have initiatives like Shape It Up that enable everyone to have an impact and rally colleagues around our mission and purpose.

In any company, some changes are more effective top-down, and others bottom-up. When it comes to innovation topics, ideas and projects that come from other colleagues are much more meaningful and impactful.

What’s in it for participants?

I believe there is a real thirst for new ideas at Allianz Trade. This is a great opportunity for all employees to challenge themselves and their colleagues. You can gain new hard skills, such as creating a strong business plan, and soft skills such as developing a good pitch through the high-intensity experience of a hackathon. You can meet colleagues in different functions, growth your network and gain visibility in the company. And of course if you have a winning idea the company invests in its implementation. In some ways it’s both an innovation contest and a talent program!