Boardroom Series: Can We Be Green and Profitable?

Celent's monthly Boardroom Series explores the challenges faced by insurance companies, helping C-level executives prepare for the next “hard question” their boards of directors are likely to ask. Each brief focuses on a single question, provides Celent's view of the issues behind the question, and defines specific action steps that will position a carrier to deliver an effective response.

The fourth installment of this series is Can We Be Green and Profitable? Green principles are grounded in best practices for running a lean operation, which is a message that chimes well in the current recessionary climate. Such initiatives focus on reducing costs by being smarter. The benefits of green IT go beyond just business value, and it is likely that, in the future, there will be higher consumer demand and/or stricter rules governing corporate participation in green IT programs and strategies. An organization that begins adopting green IT policies now will find it easier and less costly to adjust later.

"Approaches to greening the organisation are largely mixed, but this appears set to change in the coming years," says Catherine Stagg-Macey, senior analyst with Celent’s Insurance Group and author of the report. "A convergence of factors – legislative, consumer attitudes, and fuel prices – is likely to see increased interest and investment in this area."