BRITISH Caribbean Insurance Company (BCIC), one of the country’s leading general insurance providers, is celebrating 55 years of service to the Jamaican public.

Under the theme ‘Providing the best feeling for 55 years’, BCIC will host a week-long series of celebratory initiatives beginning with a customer appreciation day on October 23.

Managing Director Peter Levy, a 30-year veteran in the general insurance industry, shared how the company has been able to maintain its mandate over the years.

“The best feeling is really about a culture that cares about people and employees who have developed and passed on that culture so that it has a life of its own. That manifests in how we treat people when they walk through the door, as well as how we think about what we do and develop innovations with the customer’s needs uppermost in our minds,” Levy said in a statement issued to the media.

With eight branches locally — Duke Street, Cross Roads, New Kingston, Portmore, Mandeville, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Savanna-la-Mar — and one in Barbados, BCIC said in a release that it has a tradition of relentless customer focus.

“From the shareholders’ perspective the company has been successful and has experienced a more than adequate return on investment. Just as importantly, BCIC’s customer-oriented innovations have raised the bar for all insurance companies, and we have contributed to the development of the insurance industry and the economy. This is important to both of our shareholders, ICD Group and VMBS, who themselves have been among the most significant nation-building institutions in Jamaica’s history,” the managing director added.

Among the pioneering and innovative products that the company said it has launched over the years are BCIC ASSIST — a motor accident scene response service extended to private car policyholders — and DiamondMax, a ground-breaking private motor product specifically tailored for mature drivers, aged 60 and over.

Levy, who has been at the helm of BCIC for the past eight years, shared, what he believes, is the secret to the company’s continued success in the highly competitive field.

“Our success is attributed to our team of knowledgeable, customer-focused and engaged employees who truly care about our customers, our shareholders who truly believe in those employees; solid relationships that we enjoy with loyal and highly respected brokers and agents; and customers who have provided us with the drive to create distinction and be top of the class in the general insurance industry,” Levy said.

He continued: “We financially protect people’s assets from misfortune, through insurance policies. Our ‘target’ is anyone who wants to feel peace of mind knowing that if anything happens to their stuff, we will be there for them.”

BCIC is licensed, in accordance with The Insurance Act 2001, to write all classes of General Insurance business. The insurance company was formed in 1962.