HONG KONG, March 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AIA Group ("AIA" or the "Company": stock code: 1299) kicks its 2019 Centennial Year celebrations into high gear during Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League fixture against local rivals Arsenal on Saturday March 2nd.
AIA is Tottenham Hotspur's Global Principal Partner, and the highly-anticipated north London derby will see a series of AIA specific activity with a special high-profile promotional presence throughout the game.
The Premier League fixture at Wembley Stadium will see Centennial messaging on pitch-side advertising, as well as a congratulatory message on the pre-match centre-circle banner, along with special "AIA100" shirts, which the Tottenham Hotspur squad will wear during the pre-game warm-up session.
"Worldwide interest in the highly-contested north London derby provides AIA with a compelling opportunity to engage a truly international audience and highlight our very special Centennial year," said Stuart A. Spencer, AIA Group Chief Marketing Officer.
Tottenham Hotspur players will be involved in celebrating AIA's Centennial year when the Premier League club tours Singapore and Shanghai this summer. The visit is an important part of AIA's year-long series of special events and activities the company is currently involved in across Asia, all of which symbolise its 100-year journey as a company.
AIA can trace its roots back to 1919 in Shanghai, when American entrepreneur Cornelius Vander Starr began an insurance business. The 100-year journey since then has been one of courageous pioneering spirit that has seen AIA become the largest independent, publicly listed, pan-Asian life insurance group with a presence across 18 markets.
In marking its Centennial year, AIA is organising events and physical challenges incorporating the "100-year journey" theme across the region. To date, celebrations have already taken place in Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka, with all of the event activities aligned to a "100" theme, either in distance with 100km hikes, walks or running events or by duration -- the next event in March is a 100-hour expedition in Vietnam -- or by number of participants, such as involving 100 critical illness survivors in Thailand. Each of these Centennial celebration activities will support or raise funds for a local community charity or special cause.
All the various events are being connected by the carrying and passing on of a "Centennial Baton" which celebrates AIA's past by featuring its Life Policy No. 0001, but also incorporates modern-day distance-tracking technology.
Along with health and fitness festivals and celebratory concerts taking place across AIA markets, the milestone year will culminate in a series of grand finale celebrations in Hong Kong in December.
"In recognising AIA's 100 years, we are also celebrating our unwavering commitment to deliver on our promise of helping people enjoy Healthier, Longer, Better Lives," explained Mr. Spencer.
"As we look forward to the next 100 years, our promise of Healthier, Longer, Better Lives is especially relevant. By delivering on this promise we can fulfill our purpose, making a real and positive impact as we contribute to social and economic development across the markets in which we operate."
Note to Editors
AIA first joined forces with Tottenham Hotspur. at the beginning of the 2013/14 Premier League season as the Club's Cup Shirt Partner, before becoming official shirt partner in all competitions the following year.
In 2017, AIA became Tottenham Hotspur's Global Principal Partner and AIA's brand will continue to appear on the front of the team's playing shirts until 2022.
About AIA
AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively "AIA" or the "Group") comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific -- wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, mainland China, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Macau, Brunei, Cambodia, a 97 per cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, a 49 per cent joint venture in India and a representative office in Myanmar.
The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai a century ago in 1919. It is a market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$221 billion as of 30 June 2018.
AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of 32 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.
AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code "1299" with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: "AAGIY").
