The economic power of the American market, coupled with Serbia’s growth potential and human capital capabilities, created a fertile ground for OIP to bloom
OIP is a U.S. Company with a Serbian heart, with people as the driving force behind its innovations, explains OIP Managing Director Martina Seferović, speaking to CorD.
OIP is an American company headquartered in Arizona which has had a production centre in Serbia since 2012. Starting with just three employees and having expanded to several hundred today, you have been here since day one. What did the last eight years look like?
Back in 2012, I was one of the first employees of Outsource Insurance Professionals, sitting in a small Belgrade office, learning insurance in order to understand administrative support for U.S. companies.
Today we do Insurance back-office services and provide InsurTech innovations on three continents, have over 100 clients and hundreds of employees. We established our place as a pioneer and distinguished leader.
Over the years we have been awarded numerous times in both Serbia and the U.S.: Bronze Gazelle Statue recognising us as being among the fastest-growing companies in Serbia, with a high employment rate and constant growth; our President and I have both been on the Hot 100 Insurance Business America list; our Finance and Compliance Director is a member of Forbes Finance Council in the U.S., and our Operations Director was voted Serbia’s Best Development Manager.
Exponential growth over the past eight years brought an incredible journey with a lot of challenges, but even more rewarding moments. OIP has two main objectives – happy clients and happy employees, which we’ve managed to achieve with a constant client, employee and revenue growth of over 50% annually.
What does it feel like to manage a company that grows and develops this quickly?
I suppose that the secret is in having a great team, but also a good strategy and managers. My role is twofold: managing a team of young leaders while simultaneously being committed to the company’s prosperity and quality work output, preserving the OIP mission and values. We promote from within, with a continuous focus on education.
OIP has two main objectives – happy clients and happy employees, which we’ve managed to achieve with constant client, employee and revenue growth of over 50% annually
Deciding on a strategy, setting the groundwork, implementing and continuously adapting to internal and external changes are musts in today’s competitive marketplace. For any organisation to reach the top, change management is vital. Not only ensuring changes are executed properly, but also investing in powerful teams and winning strategies.
The biggest and continuous challenge is leveraging between productivity, quality and employee satisfaction. People are the heart and driving force behind any company, which is why we are always finding new ways to maintain employee satisfaction and engagement. Our efforts are also directed to CSR, contributing to our community.
You are perceived as an initiator of new projects and the company’s further development, including its expansion to new markets. What are your future plans? Launching new services? Conquering new industries, such as IT? the possibilities are endless…
The insurance industry is very specific and does not allow for ‘off the shelf’ solutions, so we continuously introduce new and customised services. Our future plans include further expansion to the London market and the Artificial Intelligence sphere, where we achieve the unbeatable synergy of technology and knowledge in the digital transformation of insurance.
A year ago we launched our own tech start-up – OIP Robotics. The secret to its success in such a short time is empowering employees to release their creative potential. the human imagination is limitless, and when paired with technology it works miracles.
Our customers need a professional and trustworthy partner that knows the Insurance Speciality industry by heart and our staff need an employer who keeps promises and creates opportunities. As long as we feed both, we will continue to prosper. It’s very simple. And exciting!