What drives us at AXA? Act for human progress by protecting what matters

More than ever, businesses must innovate, transform themselves, and act quickly to rise to the new challenges of their time as well as the expectations of their stakeholders. It’s an exhilarating challenge. But it isn’t enough to harness our collective energy and passion if everyone in the company does not understand the goal or why it matters. This is true of individuals and communities. We can’t understand where we’re headed if we don’t know where we are.

In recent years, AXA has entered a new phase of its history. So we wanted to ask ourselves – collectively - what drives us and what our purpose is.

In recent years, AXA has entered a new phase of its history. So we wanted to ask ourselves – collectively - what drives us and what our purpose is.

This reflection makes even more sense as we begin to emerge from a crisis that will mark the collective consciousness and for which the role of insurance has been a central theme in public debate, where it has also come in for some criticism. Insurance can’t do it all. But it is expected to do much more than other industries because it plays a fundamental, dual role in our societies. Insurance is the key to both development and protection. The two are inseparable. One cannot exist without the other. And without both, there can be no progress.

“Act for human progress by protecting what matters.” This purpose, expresses what we are  – a global insurer, innovative, engaged, and a visionary – and defines our purpose.

This vision of insurance, and of AXA, became obvious to us in the course of our discussions with our employees, our clients, and our stakeholders. We can symbolize it in one sentence: “Act for human progress by protecting what matters.” This purpose, expresses what we are  – a global insurer, innovative, engaged, and a visionary – and defines our purpose. It attests to our determination to support our clients, to inspire and unite our employees, and to help societies address the major challenges of this century. I’m thinking, of course, of healthcare and climate change.

The economic performance of a company is the foundation without which success is utterly impossible. But you can’t build a human adventure like AXA’s if this economic performance does not serve some larger action. An action in which everyone – whatever their role – takes part.

AXA has always been committed to action that benefits society and communities. This sense of the collective good is rooted in our history.

This is why AXA has always been committed to action that benefits society and communities. This sense of the collective good is rooted in our history. Insurance is, at heart, a community of people pooling their resources to protect a minority against life’s accidents. Our solidarity-based initiatives via AXA Hearts in Action and the AXA Research Fund come from that conviction.

This is also why AXA has always strived to invest in the major challenges of our times: economic development, by financing and insuring households and businesses; aging, by inventing new forms of retirement savings; health, by fighting against the harms of smoking and reinventing access to health care. And, of course, by putting its considerable expertise and force into the fight against climate change.

Our purpose is firmly rooted in our history and defines a path for the future.

Our purpose defines a framework for action to ensure that the Group always acts on a grand scale in order to have a significant impact. It provides – I hope – a sense of meaning for our employees. It will feed and inspire our thinking about the next strategic plan, which we will unveil this year. Our purpose is firmly rooted in our history and defines a path for the future.