Stuart Redfearn, Managing Director: Insurer, SSP Worldwide Leadership in technology businesses is often misunderstood. It is frequently seen as direction-setting or control. In reality – particularly in insurance – it is far more about enablement. It is about setting a clear vision and then removing the barriers that prevent teams from achieving it. That is…
Gary Tessendorf, Regional Director for Sub-Sahara Africa, Sapiens The South African insurance industry is buzzing about AI. Every board deck mentions it. But too often it’s just “AI theatre”: impressive demos layered on top of old systems, now running in the cloud. Moving legacy technology to a new infrastructure isn’t transformation. And sprinkling generic AI…
Christine Rodrigues, Partner, Bowmans Despite the many jurisdictions within the continent, there are common trends shaping Africa’s insurance markets. Here are key developments to watch in 2026. Strengthening of prudential supervision Regulators are tasked with improving the resilience and credibility of the sector thereby creating customer trust and increasing market penetration. With the increase in…
Leslie Muthen, Head of Territory for Africa, SSP Worldwide Across Africa’s insurance markets, the same conversation is playing out in boardrooms from Lagos to Nairobi to Johannesburg. Insurers know their legacy policy administration systems are holding them back, yet the perceived risk of modernisation often feels greater than the cost of standing still. As regulatory…
Nadia Shiba, Cyber & Financial Lines Specialist, Consulting for Inter Alia, South Africa Amnesty International has recently garnered significant attention for its plea to governments worldwide to take immediate action to mitigate the effects of climate change, stressing that it is a pressing human rights issue. The organisation demands that governments reduce greenhouse gas emissions…
Pamela Machiri Nikisi, Senior Manager – Underwriting and Marketing, African Reinsurance Corporation, Mauritius Underwriting in Africa stands at a strategic inflection point. Legacy systems and limited data have long constrained risk assessment and pricing precision in African Markets. Yet today, driven by mobile penetration, InsurTech innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, underwriting is transforming at…
Tarina Vlok, Managing Director, Elite Risk Acceptances, South Africa Customer centricity has become a phrase so familiar in boardrooms and conference agendas that it risks losing substance. Yet in insurance, it remains one of the few sustainable differentiators in a market where products are easily replicated, technology is widely accessible, and switching for clients is…
Kamini Shanmugam, CEO, Inter Alia Casualty Claims, South Africa Imagine stepping into a time machine and traveling back to 2013. That’s where my journey began as a claim’s specialist. I vividly remember my first day, eager to tackle any challenge that came my way. When I was shown to my desk, I met with stacks…
Sucheta Mohan, Director of Professional Services and Product Management, SSP Limited For decades, policy administration systems (PAS) have been the steady backbone of the insurance industry. They processed forms, stored records, and issued renewals with quiet reliability. But today, that role is no longer enough. Across Africa, insurers face the same disruptive forces reshaping the…
Bukhosi Khumalo, Executive Director, OLEA, South Africa In a world of mounting risks and constant disruption, the insurance sector has a critical dual role: Protect businesses against loss while paving the way for new opportunity. As the threat landscape grows more complex, insurers must become agile interpreters of market signals, be able to pivot quickly,…