Introduce yourself in a few lines.
I have an insurance license from the Insurance Institute of South Africa and have been in the insurance industry since 1996. I am currently working within the new business area at Apio.
I fulfil a dual role; looking after our company’s marketing activities and also handling new business development (both domestic and business).
What’s more, I volunteer as Chairperson of the Rand Region of the Financial Intermediaries Association of South Africa. The FIA represents more than 12 000 licensed financial services advisers throughout South Africa and I believe that being a part of the organisation is a great way to give back to the industry.
I love the outdoors and I am a keen swimmer and hiker.
How did you join OLEA ?
I joined Apio in 2016 after being an independent broker for 2 years. Apio became part of the OLEA group in December 2021 following the acquisition of a majority stake by OLEA. We are excited about the opportunities for growth and shared knowledge because of this.
From a staff of forty employees within Apio, we are now part of a dynamic pan-African group, with more than 500 employees across Africa.
How is APIO's visual communication evolving following its integration into the OLEA Group ?
We are fortunate to have Vincent de Charnacé, OLEA CEO East & Southern Africa, based in our offices, so we are kept up to date with all the latest developments and activities within the OLEA network. We also follow OLEA on social media!
As a new subsidiary of the Group, it was important that we quickly align our visual identity with the OLEA image. Thus, from a green/grey logo, we moved to red/grey, and added the words " An OLEA Group company ". In addition, our new communication tools (flyers, social media visuals, website ...) are now in harmony with the identity of OLEA.
What are the biggest challenges facing Apio today?
I think that the challenges we face are those that affect most brokerages in South Africa; getting the younger generation interested in a career in insurance; we need to do more to showcase the dynamic environment we work in. Secondly, we are becoming increasingly legislated, and this does put a strain on resources to ensure our business and people remain compliant and up to speed with the changes to the operational requirements needed.
To put it in a nutshell, at Apio we believe that face to face interactions are key to building strong relationships with clients and insurers, but we also understand that there is a need to have a digital strategy in place for clients that like to transact online. We are working towards expanding our range of digital insurance solutions – we currently offer personal and business insurance as well as travel and Tax Risk Solutions online.
