Pru Life UK Chief Strategy Officer, Julien Fey, headlined LinkedIn’s Leading the AI Shift in Sales Strategy & Growth talk, showcasing how Pru Life UK delivers unique value to customers, distributors, and employees. With him is Melissa Yuen, LinkedIn Sales Solutions Account Director.
Digital transformation has become a business imperative rather than a technology option for organizations that want to remain competitive amid rapid economic shifts and changing workforce dynamics.
This was the message of Julien Fey, Chief Strategy Officer of Pru Life UK, during a LinkedIn leadership event in Manila, where he shared how digital adoption, talent strategy, and data-driven decision-making are now central to business performance in legacy industries such as insurance.
Julien, who leads strategy and distribution growth at Pru Life UK, said that the ability of organizations to adapt now depends on how effectively they enable their people with technology.
“I stopped writing full emails nine months ago,” he said, emphasising the role of new tools in driving productivity. “I focus on bullet points and leverage on AI to structure the message as it helps me being more productive. I also record meetings instead of taking notes because AI now summarises key points immediately. These kinds of capabilities change the speed of work.”
Julien explained that digital tools are no longer used only at the operational level but are now actively shaping growth, customer segmentation, and people development strategies. “We use AI on two fronts,” he said. “One is on the customer side for segmentation and targeting. The other is for distribution.”
He said AI now enables insurance companies to identify the right customer segment more effectively, using propensity models that allow more relevant and targeted engagement across different income brackets. “It helps us craft more suitable products and reach customers in a more efficient way,” he said.
Recruitment Advantage
Julien emphasised that Pru Life UK has embedded technology into recruitment, which is essential to sustaining its growth in the Philippines. “We recruit two thousand agents every month in the Philippines. “In Asia, Prudential has roughly half a million agents. It is a massive recruitment engine.”
According to him, success in recruitment and business development now depends on digital trust-building and targeted profiling rather than mass outreach. He shared that his team also uses digital capability metrics to drive accountability. “I always check the Social Selling Index inside LinkedIn,” he said, referring to the platform’s built-in scorecard for online professional effectiveness. “It shows if you are building the right network and engaging with the right people.” He said that he encourages his leaders to monitor their digital scores because online influence now impacts offline sales performance.
Leadership Adoption
But Julien cautioned that digital transformation cannot succeed without adoption at the leadership level. He said the biggest barrier to progress inside organisations is not technology but culture. “People think AI is going to replace them. But selling will always need trust and relationships,” he said. Products can be similar, but relationships make the difference.
He urged leaders to empower teams with digital tools without losing the human element. “The message should not be fear. AI is there to help productivity. It is there to improve engagement,” he said. “Digital adoption allows us to spend more time where it matters—building meaningful relationships, developing people, and serving customers better.”
###
About Pru Life UK
Pru Life UK is the leading life insurer in the Philippines demonstrating its commitment to protect Filipinos’ financial future and well-being for every life, for every future.
Established in 1996, Pru Life UK operates in over 200 branches and general agency offices in the Philippines, and holds the largest life insurance agency force of close to 38,000 licensed agents.
Pru Life UK offers a wide range of tailored solutions that address the unique and evolving needs across demographics and life stages. These include life protection, health, accident and disability, and investment-linked insurance.
Currently, Pru Life UK serves over 930,000 individual policyholders and more than 85,000 insured group members, and ranks first in New Business Annual Premium Equivalent* as of Q2 2025, according to the Insurance Commission.
Pru Life UK is a subsidiary of Prudential plc, with a legacy of more than 175–years of safeguarding the future of millions of families for this generation and generations to come. Notes:
*New Business Annual Premium Equivalent (NBAPE) – premium for a new policy paid in a year
