Guardian Life Ltd is among the top 100 life insurance companies in the world, in terms of the number of Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) qualifiers among its sales force.

According to a 2007 MDRT report, Guardian Life had 82 qualifiers and saw a 14% increase in membership between 2006 and 2007.

These sales representatives are part of an elite group, comprised of 39,000 members or one percent of life insurance sales agents world wide.
Leroy Dallas, MDRT's Caribbean representative and Guardian Life sales person of the year said:
"Jamaica has performed well when compared to developed countries like England which had a total of 147 qualifiers, and Australia with 145 qualifiers. The Caribbean with a population of only 6.5 million had as many as 505 qualifiers, of which Jamaica contributed 104."

To earn MDRT status, sales agents must have sold policies which generated a minimum of $4.3M in premium income during the qualifying year. Top of the Table qualifiers must have achieved at least $25.8M while $12.9M is required for Court of the Table.

Mr Dallas revealed that the qualifying standards will be even more rigorous in coming years.

"It is extremely prestigious to qualify for the Million Dollar Round Table, and will get even more so, as the qualifying figures for Jamaica will be increased in excess of 300% between 2007 and 2010. Undoubtedly Guardian Life will continue to have qualifiers as they have been consistently training their agents and improving their product offerings to ensure the agents do the best job possible in terms of the number of lives they touch and improve."

Life Guardians, Lloyd Bent, Leroy Dallas and Fay Hutchinson earned the Court of the Table designation for 2008.

In commenting on the significance of MDRT, Fay Hutchinson said:
"When I got into the industry I was told by my manager that qualifying for MDRT was mandatory. It was my goal at the beginning and I have achieved it without fail every year of my thirteen years in the business. MDRT status means you are among the best in the business and that your clients are very happy with you," Mrs. Hutchinson said.

MDRT, the premier association of financial professionals, was founded in 1927 and, is an international, independent association that represents the world's top performing sales professionals in the life insurance-based, financial services industry.

Thirty-five Life Guardians recently attended the international MDRT conference in Toronto, Canada. The conference was the largest in the organisation's history.