Kathmandu. Suraj Kafle is a person who has moved forward by taking challenges as opportunities. Suraj, who holds the belief that if a person has the strength to face challenges in any situation, he can definitely achieve success, is still walking on this unwavering journey with this principle. Currently, Suraj is holding the responsibility of the Inaruwa Regional Manager at Citizen Life.
Born in Inaruwa Municipality-1 of Sunsari district in 2037 BS, Suraj’s childhood was spent in a normal manner. He studied sociology up to the bachelor’s level from his birthplace. His father was a government employee in the district court. Although his father was a government employee, Suraj, who grew up in poverty, learned to work hard from a young age. While suffering, he taught himself to study while studying in grade 8. Suraj grew up in an environment of hard work from a young age. Recalling how the money he earned from tutoring fulfilled his desires, Suraj said, “Even though my father was a government employee, he held a small post. The family situation was normal. We grew up suffering. I understood from a young age that we have to suffer. As soon as I passed my SLC, I worked in a cooperative. With the first salary I earned working there, I bought an English book for IA (11th grade). Perhaps because I understood suffering, hard work, and dedication from a young age, I still want to enjoy the same atmosphere. I never feel like I have suffered.”
Suraj is currently supervising five branch offices in his area. He has been implementing the insurance policy and legal provisions in the branches under his area by himself, ensuring that employees, agents, and his team follow the instructions of regulatory bodies, reporting, conducting training in various branches from time to time to develop the capacity of agents and employees, striving to fulfill the company’s business objectives, and making work plans.
Suraj has also been organizing programs to increase insurance education and insurance awareness by visiting various places across his area to expand everyone’s access to insurance.
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## ##This is how he joined the insurance sector
## Before joining the insurance sector, Suraj worked in a cooperative society. At the same time, his neighbor’s brother Damodar Regmi (currently Deputy CEO of Jeevan Bikash Laghubitta) advised him, “Suraj brother, a talented and trustworthy person like you cannot stay in a cooperative. Now you need to take a leap. You need to leave the cooperative job.” The same brother talked Suraj into a job at the former Prime Life Insurance Company. At that time, a job opened up at the former Prime Life. Then Suraj gave an interview for the job. He also passed the interview. Finally, he got an appointment letter in 2066 BS as a trainee assistant at Sabik Prime Life. The insurance sector was new to Suraj. However, he understood insurance. Suraj says that it was never difficult to work, perhaps because he always took challenges as opportunities.
Suraj rose to the rank of junior officer at Sabik Prime Life. He did a good job while in that company. After working for five years in that company, he decided to move on to another company in search of new opportunities. Suraj ended his five-year journey at Sabik Prime Life and joined Sabik Surya Life. Suraj also worked for 3 years at Sabik Surya Life. He worked as an assistant manager at Sabik Surya Life for 3 years and decided to leave.
In the insurance sector, 10 companies came into the market with licenses at once. At the same time, Suraj also decided to leave the previous Surya Life in search of new opportunities and ended his 3-year journey there. Suraj left his previous Surya Life job in the hope of getting a different responsibility and a new opportunity. Even after that, many new companies opened up for Suraj. However, Kavi Phuyal, the marketing head who worked with him at the previous Surya Life, was at Citizen Life. Phuyal said, ‘Citizen Life is good. It has come into the market with new enthusiasm. It is good.’ Then, on the advice of Phuyal, who worked with him, Suraj joined Citizen Life in 2074 BS.
Suraj, who was performing well in the previous Surya Life and Prime Life by meeting every target, entered Citizen Life in 2074 BS. Suraj has been a branch manager since the inception of Citizen Life and is currently in the role of regional manager.
Suraj said that he would have been better off working in different companies in the financial sector than working in the same company all the time. Suraj was attracted by many things including Citizen Life’s management team, policies, management, and employee management.
Suraj says that agents should be encouraged and made to work without pressure. ‘Workers need positive energy. Agents are the backbone of the company. They are the representatives of the company,’ he said, ‘so if agents are enticed, encouraged, and trained and made to work, the company will also be successful.’
‘Citizen Life always supports agents and employees. We always focus on how to empower agents. The first priority for an insurance company is to keep agents and only if they are empowered can the company achieve its long-term goals,’ says Suraj, ‘agents should also go to the market only when they are strong and capable.’
No matter what trend an agent enters the insurance sector, if the company provides them with insurance-related knowledge and creates opportunities for them to survive in the long term, Suraj says that any agent will be long-term. He believes that if agents become long-term in the insurance market, the insurance market will also be good.
Suraj emphasizes that the insurance sector should encourage older employees rather than hiring new employees. In Suraj’s view, ‘Insurance coverage has become broader than before. Now, people are coming to insurance companies saying that they need to insure themselves too.’
‘People think of cooperatives and insurance as the same thing. However, the work done by an insurance company and the work done by cooperatives are different,’ Suraj said, ‘Therefore, if people can be made to understand the difference between cooperatives and insurance, it is not difficult to do insurance.’
Suraj says that there is actually no economic recession at the moment. ‘Many Nepali youth are migrating abroad now. Their income has not decreased. Remittances have entered Nepal from the money they sent,’ he says, ‘People have not stopped farming. And there has been no economic recession. It is possible to get small policies by paying insurance.’
Suraj said that most of Citizen Life’s transactions are done digitally. ‘The company’s digital concept has made it easier to get and do insurance,’ he says, ‘People’s trust has increased after going digital, most of the transactions in Citizen Life are done through digital means. This eliminates the hassle of customers having to come to the company and wait.’
Suraj is confident that Citizen Life will move forward by always supporting the interests of the insured. Expressing his gratitude to the company, Suraj said, “The company’s team has become like his family. Citizen Life has a comfortable working environment. There is a family atmosphere. The company’s top management team has always inspired and encouraged me to work. Like the parents of their own home, the CEO, Marketing Chief and other top management team remind me of small mistakes and motivate me to move forward. There is nothing happier than this. I have been able to work with joy. I am proud to work at Citizen Life for this.”
Suraj has expressed his commitment to move forward not only to make his area successful and capable, but also to improve the overall company’s insurance business. He also promised that Citizen Life has been the best company in the 16 years since it entered the insurance sector and that the company will continue to strive to make it better in the coming days.
