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<strong>QBE</strong> <strong>European</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> <strong>plc</strong> Annual report 2011 25<br />

Our values<br />

O Open thinking<br />

P<br />

E<br />

N<br />

U<br />

P<br />

Q<br />

B<br />

Personal impact<br />

Entrusting<br />

Networking<br />

Utmost integrity<br />

Planning perspective<br />

Quality customer focus<br />

Business acumen<br />

Motivating<br />

our people<br />

Driving<br />

decisions<br />

Optimising<br />

outcomes<br />

Delivering<br />

superior<br />

returns to<br />

shareholders<br />

Our values, which underpin the unique<br />

<strong>QBE</strong> culture, are demonstrated through<br />

<strong>QBE</strong>’s nine Essential Behaviours,<br />

known by the acronym OPENUP<strong>QBE</strong>.<br />

These behaviours and attitudes,<br />

as applied by <strong>QBE</strong> people on a<br />

day-to-day basis, are the common<br />

threads binding together the diversity<br />

of our worldwide organisation.<br />

E<br />

Entrepreneurship<br />

Business operations<br />

Employee learning and development<br />

<strong>QBE</strong> EO supports its strong learning and<br />

development culture through management and<br />

leadership development programmes, support<br />

for professional qualifications and personal and<br />

technical development. In 2011, we focused<br />

on developing our talented leading underwriters<br />

by helping with succession plans.<br />

The Big Difference awards<br />

In 2011 we repeated the Big Difference awards – an important employee engagement<br />

initiative which gives recognition to our employees – at our annual Christmas party. Employees<br />

were asked to nominate colleagues who have delivered something exceptional to improve<br />

brokers’, clients’ or employees’ experience of <strong>QBE</strong>. Awards were also presented to<br />

employees who made a significant contribution to charity.<br />

As a result of feedback from our employee<br />

surveys, which highlighted engagement<br />

and diversity, in 2012 we will be launching<br />

workshops for managers to support these<br />

initiatives. They are based on the <strong>QBE</strong> Essential<br />

Behaviours, which form the basis of business<br />

performance and leadership standards and define<br />

the values which embody the <strong>QBE</strong> culture.<br />

These behaviours create a common language<br />

throughout the organisation and, through that,<br />

provide consistency in its activities. Over the<br />

past 25 years, the Group has achieved one of<br />

its core strategies – to diversify its product and<br />

geography – primarily by making more than<br />

130 acquisitions. The strength of the <strong>QBE</strong><br />

culture has provided a platform for the<br />

successful integration of diverse teams from<br />

these acquisitions.<br />

Doug Jenkins<br />

Senior Client Risk Manager, Motor<br />

and Big Difference Award Winner<br />

“After ten years in a police force<br />

environment and 20 years running a<br />

successful business, I was surprised<br />

to find a company the size of <strong>QBE</strong><br />

whose values aligned with my own.<br />

I am grateful to work in a culture that<br />

gives me the freedom to use my<br />

initiative, pursue my ambitions and<br />

use my strengths.”<br />

Doug is one of our finest brand<br />

ambassadors. He appreciates the<br />

importance of reputation for an<br />

organisation like ours. By helping to<br />

demonstrate <strong>QBE</strong> EO’s risk management<br />

expertise and by sharing the risk<br />

management services unit’s marketleading<br />

work, he has made a positive<br />

impact on the external perception of the<br />

brand. Doug has made a big difference to<br />

the way brokers and clients view <strong>QBE</strong> EO.<br />

Heena Patel<br />

<strong>Operations</strong> Team Leader, Property,<br />

Casualty and Motor and Big Difference<br />

Award Winner<br />

“<strong>QBE</strong> has provided me with many<br />

opportunities to give something<br />

back to the community. It’s great to<br />

work for a company that encourages its<br />

employees to get involved and make<br />

a real difference to local, national and<br />

international causes.”<br />

Heena did a huge amount of work to<br />

support <strong>QBE</strong> EO’s charity programme in<br />

2011. Not only did she help manage the<br />

reading and maths partners scheme at<br />

Canon Barnett School, in east London,<br />

she also organised our participation in the<br />

JP Morgan challenge – and if it were not<br />

for Heena, <strong>QBE</strong> EO wouldn’t have formed<br />

a partnership with the Rainbow Trust in<br />

2011. She has championed the Trust’s<br />

cause from the very beginning and was<br />

instrumental in achieving a record<br />

fundraising amount for an annual<br />

charity partner.

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