The Prudential story of Bernard Chai, CEO of Prudential Financial Advisers (PFA)

Half of Bernard’s 40 years in insurance have been with Prudential where he has played a key role in growing our business. Let’s get up close and personal with this industry veteran as he shares about his career journey and his aspirations for PFA.

1.???????????How did you start off your journey here at Prudential?

I’m a Prudential veteran having started off in 2003 in Partnerships Distribution and have taken on roles such as Head of SCB Partnership, Director of Partnerships Development, Head of Business Development and Head of Agency Transformation with Agency Distribution. Before joining Prudential, I was a financial consultant and agency leader for 25 years. When I was first presented the opportunity to join corporate, I was hesitant but took a leap of faith, and have continued to stay excited about coming to work every day ever since.

2.???????????Being in Prudential for 20 years, what would you say is your biggest milestone here?

The highlight of my career has to be building PFA from scratch and eventually launching it. From getting the license approval to selling the first case, it’s a remarkable achievement. It’s not my effort alone; I want to credit this achievement to my team and all colleagues across every division of the entire company who in one way or another played an important part in making this possible. ?Also, a fun fact is that we launched the project on 22/02/22 and sold our first policy on 23/03/23. That’s a nice coincidence and easy to remember too!

3.???????????What do you aspire for PFA in the future and why so?

I live by our corporate value of being ambitious and I am optimistic about taking the challenge to see PFA becoming one of the best financial advisory firm in the years to come! I believe that if we want to do something, we must feel passionate about it, and put in the time to make sure things are done well.

4.???????????What is your advice to your younger colleagues?

It is a very different world we live in today because of the fast pace. It is easy to lose sight of what we have on hand and be attracted to outside opportunities. As a member of the company, collectively, let us put in the effort and passion to deliver the company’s objectives. As the saying goes, “more hands make light work” so my advice would be to always help one another.?

5.???????????Describe your leadership style.

My mantra is “never say no”. Spending time with people and for things that matter. The coffee and late nights are all about building relationships, bouncing ideas off one another and finding ways to smoothen our work. I may not always have all the answers to every situation but will do my best to help.

6.???????????What do you do to unwind?

I love the outdoors. In my younger days, I would spend weekends canoeing and boating. These days, I go for trail walking and hiking. I love to travel too. I just came back from Alaska where I went on a dog sled ride and witnessed up close the splashing and hissing of glaciers. It was an amazing experience.?