DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 8, 2026--
Pacific Prime Dubai, a global health insurance broker, risk specialist, and benefits specialist, concluded the year 2025 strongly with the AXA Global Healthcare/Daman Market Excellence Award.
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The award was presented by Karim Idilby, Chief Growth Officer of AXA/Daman, at the Pacific Prime Dubai office on 10 December 2025, with Pierre de Mirman, Global Managing Director; Michael Lavelle, Head of Individual Sales; Mark McClelland, Director of Commercial Distribution Middle East & Africa; and Chris Allen, Corporate Client Services Lead, as the representatives of Pacific Prime.
Also in attendance were leadership and representatives from AXA Global Healthcare/Daman, including:
Representing the Dubai office, David Hayes, Regional CEO of Pacific Prime Dubai, expressed, “There is no better way to conclude the year 2025 than this. This is the culmination of the values that our team has brought to our partners and clients through the year 2025 and a sign of what more we could bring in 2026. Thank you, AXA/Daman, for this honor, and a big thank you to our team for their hard work throughout the year.”
About AXA
AXA Global Healthcare specializes in providing comprehensive international health insurance plans tailored for expatriates, globetrotters, and organizations with employees abroad. Members benefit from access to an extensive global network of more than 1.9 million healthcare providers worldwide, with a focus on delivering high-quality healthcare access worldwide.
About Pacific Prime
Established in 2000, Pacific Prime is an award-winning global insurance brokerage and employee benefits specialist that offers individual and corporate insurance solutions. With a USD $1 billion premium under management, Pacific Prime is now the third-largest employee benefits broker and the leading flexible benefits solutions provider in the Asia Pacific after acquiring CXA Group’s brokerage arms in 2021. The brokerage has over 1,000 employees and 15 offices worldwide, including in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Thailand, Malaysia, the UAE, Indonesia, the UK, the US, Mexico, the Philippines, and Australia.
To learn more about Pacific Prime, please visit: www.pacificprime.com/corporate
Pacific Prime Dubai Was Awarded AXA/Daman Market Excellence Award
PHOENIX (AP) — Shea Ralph of Vanderbilt was named The Associated Press women's basketball Coach of the Year on Thursday after turning the Commodores into one of the top teams in the nation.
Ralph led a team that returned just one starter to the most successful season in school history. The team went 29-5, with 13 of those wins coming in the regular season against a rugged Southeastern Conference schedule. The Commodores finished tied for second in the conference, which matched the best finish in program history. They earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the Sweet 16.
“It's wild. It’s hard to wrap my mind around it. This whole year we haven’t slowed down,” Ralph told the AP. “I love basketball, I love the group that I coach.I love they stayed with me. It’s been hard and it’s been challenging, but in a good way.”
Ralph received the award with her entire Vanderbilt coaching staff, as well as her mom, husband and daughter in attendance. It was also special for Ralph with her UConn family there as well as they were also there to celebrate AP Player of the Year Sarah Strong.
Ralph received 23 votes from the 31-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. UCLA’s Cori Close, who was the AP Coach of the Year last season, was next with four. Ralph’s mentor at UConn, Geno Auriemma, received two votes while Mark Kellogg of West Virginia and Kara Lawson of Duke each received one.
”The thing I love the most of where I'm at is the vision never changed," Ralph said. “That's really important to me. Do it at a high level at Vanderbilt is really important to me. They've shown what that looks like to invest in women. Really invest in women. The resources and money, but also the development and academics.”
Ralph is the first Vanderbilt coach to win the award, which was launched in 1994-95. Her team, which won seven more games than the year before and was ranked as high as No. 5 in the AP poll, was led by All-America guard Mikayla Blakes.
“She’s someone you would want to run through a brick wall for,” Blakes said. “She has bought so much into us that it’s only right that we continue to fight in this game for her, and she’s someone who in tough moments you want to lean on. And that’s the reason why I came here.”
Vanderbilt started out 20-0 and had seven wins over ranked teams this season.
“I think truly we never talked about it,” Ralph said of the undefeated start. “I chuckled to some of my staff members this is what I’m used to. I feel comfortable here. Keep kicking their butts in practice and challenging them and keep preparing the same way no matter what our record is.”
AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Associated Press deputy global sports editor Oscar Dixon, left, presents Vanderbilt women's basketball head coach Shea Ralph with the 2026 AP Women's Coach of the Year award during a news conference at the Women's Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
FILE - Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph smiles during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph cheers on her players in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Alabama, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
