SilverBridge has concluded the second year of its Awesome Projects campaign rewarding innovative thinking by its employees.
Such has been the quality of entrants that it will be implementing most project submissions as solutions in the organisation.
“As one of the premier technology providers in the insurance industry, SilverBridge identified this competition as the ideal platform to get employees to be creative and identify big, innovative ideas to solve business problems for our clients, and, in some cases, internally for the company as well,” says Stuart Blyth, a director at SilverBridge.
Each of the 14 projects had sponsors inside the organisation to help guide the teams and provide strategic input where required.
“When compared to last year, the projects were on a completely different level. The first competition was very much a case of setting a foundation for the years to follow and this one certainly did not disappoint. We saw teams branch out into quite a few new areas and really showcase that innovation can be achieved with the right initiatives, the right support, and having the flexibility and freedom to experiment,” he says.
Teams ranged from one to three people and combined a mix of expertise between management, development, and marketing. This year’s submissions combined technology with business and examined how to solve some critical challenges in the industry.
“We will turn these projects into value-adds that will position the organisation even stronger in the market. This will not only aid existing customers but will then have the benefit of showcasing our solutions to potential customers as well.”
The first prize as well as the innovation award went to a regulatory compliance framework, which will be a first of its kind in the industry. Second and third prizes were awarded to respectively a generic bulk tool project and an exciting digital app. The judging panel included a mix of SilverBridge leadership and external experts from Microsoft, Regent Botswana, and MMI Holdings,
“Awesome Projects creates an innovative culture within the company. The reality of business means we cannot keep doing what was done yesterday. Instead, we need to constantly evolve to address the needs of our clients and the industry. This competition does just that and makes us even more competitive in the insurance solutions provider market in Africa,” he concludes.
