Member Spotlight: CPP Group
Henry: Can you give a brief description of CPP Group?
Carl: CPP Group is a technology-driven assistance company working with international brands, banks, financial institutions and insurers. CPP Group was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Leeds with several regional CPP offices overseas. It has over 12 million customers.
Henry: Can you describe Blink Parametric?
Carl: Blink Parametric was acquired by CPP Group in 2017 and provides white-label parametric insurance solutions for travel and other sectors. We have a flexible parametric engine and are working in several lines of insurance with solutions being deployed across the world by travel insurance companies and brands, as well as working with a range of insurers in the home, energy and business interruption markets.
Henry: What is your role and what does it involve?
Carl: I am the Chief Commercial Officer for Blink Parametric and CEO of CPP Secure, the insurance support arm of CPP Group in the UK. I support the global distribution of our parametric solutions and lead the provision of insurance capacity behind Blink’s parametric solutions.
Henry: What solutions do CPP Group and Blink specialise in?
Carl: CPP Group and Blink provide a range of consumer-focused global parametric solutions. Our primary solution is for flight disruption globally. We automatically track flights in real time, give customers advance notice of their flight being delayed and provide real-time resolution such as a lounge pass or a cash benefit. Blink offers the UK’s first parametric lost luggage insurance product, Smart Luggage. Customers receive a real-time cash pay-out of £50 if their luggage cannot be located at their destination after 30 minutes, and a further £500 if it is not located after 48 hours. In comparison, traditional insurance would pay out two or three weeks after the event. This parametric solution really helps people in their time of need and allows them to get their holiday started.
CPP also provides a range of cyber risk mitigation and security solutions, such as OwlDetect. OwlDetect scans the dark web and illegal websites to alert customers of personal data breaches or if their data is being sold for illegal purposes and offers real-time resolution with an action plan to help them in the event of a data breach.
Henry: What other parametric solutions is Blink planning to provide?
Carl: Blink is developing other solutions aimed at easing consumer disruption in real time. There are a range of concepts for home energy and weather insurance at different stages of deployment. These include insurance for weather events if someone’s holiday is materially impacted by changing weather, such as a lack of sunshine or snow, and a cold weather energy payment for an energy or home insurance provider where the temperature drops well below freezing. We are also working on Internet-of-Things (IoT) solutions. If someone’s oven or boiler registered a failure, that could automatically trigger a Just Eat voucher or calling out an engineer to attend.
Henry: How does CPP Group support Blink’s parametric products?
Carl: CPP Group brings insurance expertise and existing global business partners to support the distribution and implementation of Blink’s parametric solutions. Blink has the technology and CPP has years of experience providing assistance services to customers globally, which allows us to provide a more holistic solution.
Henry: We hear from some businesses offering parametric solutions that they struggle to secure distribution. What has been CPP’s experience?
Carl: Because CPP is already partnered with banks, financial institutions and travel insurers globally, we already have strong access to those distribution partners for Blink’s parametric solutions. In some markets, CPP works with insurers that distribute products themselves or through brands; in others, we work with banks or other brands that want to earn additional revenue and differentiate themselves by offering parametric products. We also have the added advantage that we can offer insurance or reinsurance solutions where necessary through CPP Secure.
Henry: What companies can you name that are using Blink’s parametric solutions?
Carl: There are many that we can’t name including those in discussion, but we are working with insurers, MGAs and financial institutions including: Blue Cross Canada, Allianz Home and Legacy, TuGo, ManuLife, Zurich, AwayCare, MNK Re and Terrawind.
Henry: Do you see parametric travel insurance as being a big growth area?
Carl: Blink Parametric is working with many new UK and global partners keen to deploy the solution in time for the peak summer season. We are capitalising on and supporting the recovery of the global travel and travel insurance industry. In Canada, seven to eight out of ten travel insurance RFPs and tenders (procurement requests from organisations looking to purchase travel insurance) typically expect the Blink Parametric solution. We are now starting to see similar increasing levels of demand in the US, Latin America, UK, Europe and Asia. Blink is working on more travel, home and energy parametric solutions. All will be fully configurable, white-labelled, multi-currency, multi-lingual and multi-region products. Parametric triggers are likely to become an everyday part of insurance products over the next few years.
Henry: Is CPP Group looking for further acquisitions and partnerships?
Carl: CPP is looking for more distribution and partnership opportunities with large-scale affinity groups, insurers, banks, brands, credit card companies and others. CPP can also partner with insurance administration system providers to integrate Blink Parametric products into their systems. CPP is actively looking for further acquisitions to support our distribution, technology and innovation.
Henry: What do you see as the biggest areas of opportunity for CPP Group and Blink Parametric in 2022?
Carl: Supporting the rebirth of global travel is our biggest opportunity for 2022. We are currently in discussions with some of the largest travel insurers and travel insurance brands. They see parametric solutions as an opportunity not just to innovate and differentiate themselves, but also to reduce fraud and reduce the claims handling costs.
Henry: Why is CPP Group part of InsTech London and what sort of companies would you like to connect with?
Carl: CPP Group and Blink Parametric are longstanding supporters of InsTech London. It allows common understanding and the opportunity to connect with other InsTech members. It is a positive ecosystem for us to share ideas and build partnerships, and InsTech’s content keeps us up to date with what is going on in the market.
Henry: What sort of companies would you like to connect with?
Carl: CPP and Blink Parametric are keen to work with companies involved in insurance technology, insurance distribution or insurance administration systems, especially where we could integrate Blink Parametric’s solutions for their clients or we could enhance their proposition.
For more information on CPP Group, go to corporate.cppgroup.com
For more information on Blink Parametric, go to blinkparametric.com