Ventiv Technology

6 | 360º Aon eSolutions "We knew we needed a system with a high level of security and with capacity to handle all our insurance policies, assets and claims on a global basis. We also knew we needed a system with the flexibility to adapt as our business evolved." RiskConsole met these criteria and also allowed Abertis to work in multiple languages and currencies, which was extremely important given their international scope. "One thing that we also liked about RiskConsole was that it is not related to the services of a pre-determined broker to use the system," Cristina added. Addressing OperAtiOnAl COmplexity Along with considering the policies from the various international infrastructure and Spanish subsidiaries, the company also needed easy access to information within their policy framework, annexes and annual renewals. "Within RiskConsole, we attach PDF documents with all the original documentation as well as files relating to asset valuations that are the basis for property damage coverage and all reports of claims that are managed by self- insurance," Cristina explained. "We are more self-sufficient in terms of monitoring and understanding claims," she said. "The unification into a single system makes it much easier to manage all of our information. We believe that in the near future we can dispense with paper documentation to have it all residing within RiskConsole." Cristina added, "Although all of our businesses are related to infrastructure, they are different in regard to claim type, severity and frequency. For example, we find more liability claims with our car parks and highways business, with greater frequency in car parks but greater severity on highways. However, we have more damage claims in our logistics and telecommunications businesses. RiskConsole handles all of these variations and makes it a great deal easier for us to manage." COnneCting BrOker input The high level of security within RiskConsole allows Abertis to define the type of access for employees as well as different brokers. "As a result, we have three different brokers that have access to RiskConsole," Cristina explained. Because the business lines are very different one from another, Abertis has assigned a broker to each area. RiskConsole allows the broker for each business area to process claims within their unique parameters and manage it through to settlement. Bringing together the risk management information from Abertis' five business areas – toll roads, airports, telecommunications, car parks and logistics parks – into one database, originally gathered in different languages, is critical in order to form a consolidated view of the company's risks. We spoke with Cristina Alonso de Pablo, Head of the Corporate Insurance Unit at Abertis whose main role, she explained, is to define the guidelines for the company's corporate insurance and risk policies and implement it across the firm – both nationally and internationally: "We work closely with the individuals responsible for insurance within the different business units throughout Abertis to ensure and exploit synergies, improve risk management and achieve economies of scale." Assessing the need The design of Abertis' corporate insurance scheme requires the collection of data from each of the five business areas in order to develop a policy framework for coverage. It required moving from a completely disparate management system to one unified platform. "The plan began with the Spanish branches and then extended to foreign subsidiaries," explained, "as we quickly appreciated the need for a tool that allowed us to have all the information in a single database and in several languages. What we wanted was all businesses working within a single tool, gathering policy and claim administration information for each business and creating a global vision." ideAs tAke-Off One of the most important criteria in choosing a RMIS for Abertis, Cristina said, was finding a management tool for all risks. "While initially our idea was to design our own tool, we quickly abandoned that thought because we became aware of the complexity of implementing a system that covered everything we needed. We decided instead to select the RMIS that could meet our demanding requirements. As a global leader in the management of transportation and telecommunications infrastructures, Barcelona-based Abertis Group understood the value inherent in consolidated, unified risk-data management. With help from Aon eSolutions' RMIS (risk management information system) RiskConsole, Abertis has achieved a global vision of its risks and exposures that bridges four continents, multiple languages and currencies, and five business lines. With its international presence, sophisticated operations across 17 countries andanemployeebaseof12,000,theAbertisGroupisEurope'sleadingmanager ofmobilityandtelecommunicationsinfrastructuresandamajorplayerin North America and South America.

• Cover