Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 5: Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, one of the leading private general insurers of India, hosted the first-ever General Insurance Festival of India (GIFI) on the 3rd of July 2023 in Pune which officially set a new Guinness World Records achievement for the Largest attendance for an insurance conference. There was a record turnout of 5235 attendees who contributed to creating history worldwide in the insurance industry. This record-breaking achievement was announced at the main event of GIFI.

The Company had earlier announced the GIFI Awards where they invited nominations which recognized the top-ranked health and general insurance advisors across the insurance industry. Subsequently, advisors submitted their nominations for the GIFI Awards resulting in an overwhelming response of more than 2000 entries across the five announced categories. Basis a stringent assessment process conducted by an independent process reviewer and a third-party panel of judges, the company announced and honoured winners and runners-up for each category at the General Insurance Festival of India.

The event was graced by Sanjiv Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv; with other eminent industry representatives like Charu Kaushal - CEO, Allianz Partners India; Matthew Stalgis - APAC Regional Leader - Broker & Client Relations, International Health; Dr. Arokiaswamy Velumani, Founder, Chairman and MD of Thyrocare Technologies Ltd.; Ganesh Mohan, CEO, Bajaj Finserv Asset Management Ltd.; Vijendra Katiyar, Country Head-Trend Micro India & SAARC; Vishal Gondal- Influencer, Founder & CEO at GOQii; Nisha Narayanan - COO & Director, RED FM & Magic FM; Steve Watkins-CEO Greater South East Asia; Lieutenant General Satish Dua - PVSM, UYSM, SM, VSM; and Devang Mody, CEO - Bajaj Finserv Health amongst others.

The following were the winners and the runners-up of the GIFI awards for each of the categories.

1. Best Health Insurance Advisor in India - Winner Mayank Chander Kothari from Ahmedabad; Runner-Up Shakeel Ahmed from Mumbai
2. Best Motor Insurance Advisor in India- Winner Shiv Kumar Gupta from Varanasi; Runner-Up Gaurav Sharma from Delhi
3. Best Property Insurance Advisor in India - Winner Priyadarshini Sheshadri from Bengaluru; Runner-Up Bipin Kumar Patel from Mehsana
4. Best Multiline Insurance Advisor in India - Winner Prashant Shah from Mumbai; Runner-Up Charu Bharti from Delhi
5. Best Woman Insurance Advisor in India- Winner Priti Sameer Shah from Mumbai; Runner-Up Karishma Chhabra from Delhi

Speaking on the occasion, Tapan Singhel, MD & CEO, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, said, "Insurance brings immense positive impact to society but does not get its due recognition. Festivals open the window to come together for discussions and we felt that a festival like GIFI would open a forum to deliberate on important topics like what more the industry can do to take insurance to the last mile, bring more people under insurance protection and showcase what is new in the insurance space. With this in mind, we took the initiative and launched GIFI. Here we had industry experts come and talk about insurance products, services, and a range of topics. We are elated that with GIFI, we set a new Guinness World Records Title for the Largest Attendance for an Insurance Conference. BAGIC has been setting benchmarks not only in India but across the globe, and we will continue this journey of introducing industry-first initiatives while making a difference in society.

GIFI started with the idea of creating a platform that brings together the best in the general insurance industry and celebrates the industry's contribution towards society's well-being. The inaugural edition of GIFI was a spectacular success; right from the onset, GIFI received an overwhelming response. The energy and enthusiasm of the speakers, performing artists, audiences and winners were outstanding. We are sure this is just the start; GIFI will only get bigger with time. Let us come together as an industry to continue to add value to the lives of people and create a lasting impact in society and our country."