
Our mission
Our mission is to further quality, further access and further care. We believe everyone should have access to the best possible care if they are seriously ill regardless of income or geography. High quality medical treatment should be accessible to the many not the few.
Our Team
Our international team has 50+ years' combined experience in the insurance industry and a presence in over 30 countries spanning three continents.
Frank Ahedo, Chief Executive Officer.
Frank has been Chief Executive Officer of Further since 2017 after working for more than 15 years in various roles at Best Doctors, including Managing Director of Best Doctors International and Best Doctors Underwriting.
His expertise in developing turnkey insurance products with a focus on serious illness led to the creation of our flagship Critical Advantage policy that lies at the heart of our business model.
Frank is passionate about finding affordable insurance solutions that allow people to access international top quality healthcare in the event of a serious illness.
His goal is for Further to continue to create new insurance solutions that provide full financial and personal support throughout a difficult process.
Under his leadership, the Further team has strengthened and built strong partnerships with more than 100 leading insurance companies, international banks, multinational brokers and corporations in 30 countries.
The best part of his job is hearing testimonials from insured members who’ve been given a better chance of being able to beat a serious illness.
When he’s not working, he spends quality time with his family. He enjoys the company of his family and fixing up the house.
Ignacio San Miguel Gil, Global Business Support Director.
Ignacio is an experienced insurance director with a strong background in the health and wellness industry. He has expertise in insurance operations, new market and product development, customer service and strategic planning.
At Further, Ignacio drives the company’s business development objectives and handles new client opportunities alongside the sales and operations teams.
He enjoys interacting with people all over the world and experiencing new cultures while at the same time developing products that will have a significant impact on people’s lives.
Outside work, Ignacio likes playing and watching football, travelling and spending time with his large family.
Damien Payne, Director of Sales and Account Management.
Damien manages existing client accounts and the launch of new business with regional teams across the E.U., Russia/CIS and the Middle East spanning 23 countries and incorporating almost 50 insurers.
Before Further, Damien was with Best Doctors Underwriting from the very start. His work has been central to our vision that anyone anywhere should be able to access the best healthcare.
What he enjoys most is knowing that the effort he and his team are making will open a world of treatment possibilities to those facing serious illness and have a profound impact on their lives.
Damien’s biggest passion is his volunteer work for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity that rescues people at sea. He’s qualified as a helmsman and navigator on their search and rescue boats.
Damien says saving lives is a very rewarding experience and thinks the work the RNLI does is invaluable.
Ekaterina Ogareva - Director of Business Development (Russia and CIS).
Ekaterina has nearly 20 years’ experience in insurance and was the Director of Business Development (Russia and CIS) for Best Doctors. She also worked as Head of Corporate Insurance programme development at Marsh Insurance brokers, as Corporate Sales Director at Renaissance Life and senior underwriter at AIG Insurance and Reinsurance company.
She believes life is precious and knowing that her work helps save lives makes it all worthwhile.
Away from the office, Ekaterina enjoys horse-riding, skiing and cycling but her main hobby is spending time with her family.
Mei Yan, General Manager, Greater China.
Mei Yan has the overall responsibility for Further’s business in Greater China. She has an impressive background with more than 20 years’ experience in insurance, finance and consulting.
She was with Best Doctors Underwriting and was General Manager of the Beijing Branch of MSH, the number one international health insurance player in China.
Mei Yan also has experience working at the Beijing Office of Mercer Consulting, a leading human resource consulting firm and the New York office of McKinsey, a leading strategic consulting firm.
What she likes most about working for Further is that the company is so highly regarded by the market as the expert in overseas critical illness cover.
She loves the variety of her job and working alongside a supportive team.
Mei Yan is a Buddhist and when she’s not working she can be found practising Zen meditation.
Sam Wells, Director of Sales and Account Management, UK.
With more than 24 years’ experience in financial services and protection underwriting, Sam has the knowledge necessary to grow our business. He's worked as an insurance professional for Zurich, Aviva and Friends Life. He's reliable, analytical, methodical, articulate and resourceful and has a specialist knowledge of designing and implementing market leading propositions.
As Director of Sales we are confident Sam will take Further to the next level in the UK.
He’s an ardent Liverpool fan and when not following matches, he spends weekends coaching his son’s football team.
He enjoys golf, walking his pet cockapoo Teddy and travelling abroad with his family.
To continue to be the best, we attract the best.
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