Hello Patrick, we are very happy to hear you for this second chapter of the Expert talk serie at Foyer Global Health!
Can you explain us your background (name, origin, career, when did you join Foyer Global Health)?
My name is Patrick Schomaker, I’m Franco-German, my wife is Canadian, and we have three children together. I studied International Management in London, started my career in aviation working for Lufthansa German Airlines, and continued with European Air Ambulance, an international medical repatriation provider for the travel insurance industry. This led me to start on March 1st, 2022, with Foyer Global Health in Luxembourg – which offers international private medical insurance for people living or working outside their home country.
What drives you in your work at Foyer Global Health?
I have worked in the service industry throughout my career, ranging from passenger airline transportation through to medical repatriation of the sick and injured – and now, through Foyer Global Health, helping people find the right health insurance so they are covered in case of need without having to sell their house to pay for medical bills.
Foyer Global Health is a dynamic company with ambitious goals, and the opportunity to be part of this journey and to help people on one hand, and to contribute to the success of the company with my market and project responsibilities on the other, is an exciting combination.
What is your role within the Sales Team?
As part of the International Business Development aims of the company, my main role is to develop the Swiss market – for which we have just implemented new custom-made health insurance products. From concept phase to development to implementation and then marketing and sales, everything is done to find the ideal solution for the Swiss market.
Crucial to our success is identifying new partners to develop our broker-network in Switzerland, ensuring our products arrive with the right customers.
What are your challenges in the Swiss market? How does your team deal with it?
The Swiss market is special and exclusive, oriented towards quality as well as long-term relations based on trust and mutual understanding. Entering this market is a long-term project; our aim is to establish ourselves as the preferred provider of high-quality health insurance and to achieve it, we must emphasise our commitment to this particular market.
Coming from Foyer Group – a family-owned company celebrating our 100th anniversary this year, and a market leader in Luxembourg (a country with similar values to Switzerland) – helps build credibility and gives us a head-start compared with other companies. We must however show that we understand the differences between separate markets, respect them, and find solutions to the needs and wishes of each.
Our aim for the Swiss market is not short-term profit and a quick buck, but a step-by-step approach towards a long-term commitment for our investment to pay off.
What is your best experience so far at Foyer Global Health?
The welcome I received at Foyer Global Health was incredible – everyone took the time to personally explain their part of the business and their responsibilities, show me the ins-and-outs of the company, and answer all my questions.
I am impressed by the bundling of knowledge present within the organisation and the motivation of my colleagues. Right from the start this gave me confidence in FGH and in my decision to join the company, and a real enthusiasm for my new role. I am convinced that with such colleagues we will be able to reach the stars!
In your opinion, what would be the main strength of Foyer Global Health?
Being part of a large, financially stable group, while still being a small, independent company able to adapt quickly to changing needs and client requirements, is the main strength of Foyer Global Health, and will allow us to achieve our ambitious goals.
Foyer Global Health has developed excellent medical insurance products with unlimited coverage and free choice of medical providers. This, combined with our service orientation, flexibility, technological development, and the dedication of the whole team to provide service excellence, will enable us to establish ourselves as a major player within the international private medical insurance industry.
To which value of the company do you identify yourself the most? Why?
Foyer Global Health’s values are Trust, Excellence, Independence, Innovation, and Integrity – they form the backbone of Foyer Global Health, and just as with the bones in the spine, we need every single one to stand straight.
Having to pick only one though, I would choose “Trust” as it is the basis of any relationship, whether private or business. Building trust can take a long time and demand a lot of effort and commitment, but once established it’s priceless.
As a health insurance company, people must trust us to take care of them when their health or life is at risk – and there is nothing more important to everyone than their health or the health of their loved ones.
Patrick SCHOMAKER
