The team of Henderson Insurances. Photo contributed
Open house Wednesday
St. Maarten News – Henderson Insurances celebrates its twentieth anniversary Wednesday, starting at 5 p.m., with an open house at its offices in the Amsterdam shopping center in Madame Estate. The insurance broker will make a donation to a charitable cause for the occasion.
“We believe in reaching out to organizations that are going the extra mile to enhance our social fabric,” Neil Henderson says. “That could be done through culture, education, healthcare or for instance providing shelter and food to those in need.”
The open house will not only be a celebration, but also an opportunity for those who walk through the door on Wednesday to schedule free consultations with the company’s advisors.
“We’ll keep our ears closed to the ground; we’re not just selling insurance policies but we want to influence the insurance landscape to help citizens acquire, protect and transfer wealth to the next generation,” Henderson says.
Born in Guyana and raised in Suriname, Henderson came to St. Maarten at the request of his older sister. After a stint at N.C. Wathey Insurances, Henderson ventured out on his own in 1996, not with just another insurance company, but with a brokerage firm.
“Insurance companies follow the wishes of their shareholders and are focused on profits,” Henderson says, “As a brokerage we play an advisory role; we’re able to remain objective and have insurance companies compete for the business of our clients. This gives our clients a stronger position. They’re able to focus on their own business while we battle for what is best in the market in terms of price, coverage and faster and better claim settlements.”
As the manager of his own company, Henderson does not believe in telling people what to do. Based on his vision, employees are expected to use their god given talents to execute their tasks. “People should execute that vision in their own style,” he says.
The insurance business is not without challenges, and Henderson, as the chairman of the St. Maarten Insurance Brokers Association (Siba) has been at the forefront of the fight for a level playing field.
“Getting the political establishment to understand the significant role they must play in establishing good legislation remains a challenge,” Henderson says. “They must enable the supervisory body (the Central Bank – ed.) to do its job of safeguarding the interests of the weaker parties in the financial sector.”
Henderson Insurances marks its twentieth anniversary
