PPS INSURANCE

Established in 1941 and situated in Johannesburg, Gauteng, PPS Life Insurance is the only mutual financial services company in South Africa that focuses exclusively on graduate professionals, providing tailor-made risk insurance solutions. Its members share in all the profits.

Position: Head: Digital – September 2023 to Present

• Lead and manage the Digital Strategy and Business Transformation for the PPS Group.
• Collaborate, engage, and coordinate across the PPS Group’s stakeholders to develop and drive a digital roadmap that supports the PPS Group strategic objectives and transforms the digital interfaces used by staff, intermediaries and customers. Monitor and report on outcomes and success/failure.
• Drive digital innovation and serve as a change agent throughout the organisation, championing a digital mindset, ways of work, and knowledge-sharing.
• Product Manager of the SAFe Agile team focused on developing and improving customer-facing front-end digital interfaces (web and Mobile), and Business Owner to coordinate marketing and roll-out.

Position: Head: Digital Interface Development – April 2023 to August 2023

• Develop the strategy and roadmap for the PPS customer-facing digital interfaces (web and mobile), that support the PPS Group strategic objectives.
• Influence and contribute to the PPS Group digital interface developments with UX/UI/best practice trends.
• Product Manager of the SAFe Agile team focused on the development of the web and Mobile customer-facing interfaces, and Business Owner coordinating marketing and roll-out initiatives in the broader PPS Group.

Position: Segment Head: Graduate and Early Professional – January 2021 to March 2023

• Develop the strategy, coordinate, drive and integrate the PPS Group student and young professional proposition (including accompanying products, services, value-added experiences etc).
• Conduct market research into the segments and generate insights for the PPS Group to enhance its proposition.
• The role includes leading the Strategic Execution Team focused on the student and young professional, chairing the relevant steering committees and workstreams and building strong relationships with stakeholders across the PPS Group.

Position: Technical Marketing Specialist  |  Segment Manager: PPS Graduate Market) – July 2019 to December 2021

• Fulfilling the Segment Manager role for the PPS Group’s Graduate Market, tasked with coordination and integration of the PPS student and young professional proposition (including accompanying products, services, value-added experiences etc from across the PPS Group). The role includes vesting the solution process and way of work across group-wide stakeholders.
• Creation, development and implementation of sales support material, presentations, brochures and newsletter articles (internal or trade-related) for business assurance and personal insurance.
• Analysis of the competitive landscape and products.
• Giving information, help and support, including the delivery of workshops, high-level launches and presentations.

Position: Technical Marketing Specialist  |  Product Owner: PPS Business Assurance) – October 2017 to June 2019

• Business owner for the design, development and implementation of PPS’ business assurance solution, spanning the systems, products, processes and people required to implement a fully-supported offering.
• Creation, development and implementation of sales support material, presentations, brochures and newsletter articles (internal or trade-related) for business assurance and personal insurance.
• Giving information, help and support, including the delivery of workshops, high-level launches and presentations.
• 2018: Contributor to the design of the advice part of PPS’ online risk advice tool.
• Until May 2018: Editor of PPS’ monthly intermediary e-mail newsletter.

Position: Technical Marketing Specialist – January 2014 to September 2017

• Creation, development and implementation of sales support strategies, material, presentations, brochures, newsletter articles (internal or trade-related), videos, sales tools and concepts for personal insurance and business assurance.
• Editor of PPS’ monthly intermediary e-mail newsletter.
• Analysis of the competitor landscape and products.
• Giving information, help and support, including the delivery of workshops, high-level launches and presentations.
• 2017: Contributor to the design of the advice part of PPS Insurance’s online advice tool.
• 2016 & 2017: Life Insurance liaison of the bi-annual PPS Group newsletter.
• 2015 & 2016: Creation, development and implementation of the PPS broker accreditation module.

Position: Product Specialist – January 2012 to December 2013

• Creation, development and implementation of sales support material, presentations, brochures and newsletter articles (internal or trade-related) for personal insurance and business assurance.
• Giving information, help and support, including the delivery of workshops, high-level launches and presentations.

Selected Accomplishments

• 2021: I was selected to be the Leader of one of PPS’s Strategic Execution Teams, tasked with focusing on the students and young professionals. I received this honour even though I didn’t yet form part of the senior leadership team that formed part of the overall PPS strategic program. My strategic team achieved an exceptional overall rating of 83%, one of the highest in the PPS Group, which included ratings of 5 out of 5 for effective team leadership, creative thinking and problem solving, as well as collaboration and teamwork. The team was also one of the top teams in terms of percentage completion.
• 2021: I developed a comprehensive business case and wireframe outline for an innovative digital education, advice, quote and product implementation solution for students and young professionals, which was approved for development during 2022. This solution is aimed at significantly improving the student onboarding process whilst leveraging gamification and effective UX to aid the user in understanding financial services and the onboarding process.
• Since 2019: I established and chair a Steering Committee and various workstreams to drive the coordination and integration of the PPS Group’s value proposition for students and young professionals across the entire value chain. I wrote a detailed strategic approach and execution paper to outline and support the initiative. I commissioned various research initiatives which greatly improved the PPS’s knowledge about the Centennial and Millennial customer segments. I also developed a consolidated product solution for students incorporating benefits from across the PPS Group into a single package, process and positioning.
• 2018: I implemented and launched PPS’s Business Assurance development pilot phase. The solution is an end-to-end digital advice, quote and application journey with various unique elements. The solution is aimed at significantly simplifying the advice and implementation process of life insurance where a business and multiple business partners are involved.
• 2017: I was a co-founder of an internal thought leadership forum, open to all of PPS, built on learning, sharing and networking. The forum seeks to engage attendees and gain their insights into topical business themes.
• 2017: As a key stakeholder in the development of PPS’ business assurance solution, my responsibilities included writing the business case (outlining the problem definition, proposed solutions, alignment to PPS’ strategy, possible risks, success metrics and costs) for Exco approval, and writing the detailed specification to guide business.
• 2017: I created a detailed proposal for a PPS Life Broker Services digital platform. The proposed solution included dashboards (sales statistics and key performance areas), tools (self- and relationship management) and data analytics for the broker distribution team.
• Since 2017: I am an active mentor with various successful engagements completed. Focused on objectives like personal positioning or preparation for career progression into a subsequent role. I am also listed as a mentor on PPS’s Professionals Connect Mentorship program.
• 2016: As editor of the PPS’ intermediary newsletter, an independent survey to PPS accredited intermediaries found that the newsletter is better than many competitor newsletters. The newsletter regularly featured Senior and Executive contributors.
• 2015: I drove the implementation of quarterly sales technical workshops; these workshops greatly increase the knowledge of sales staff, are conducted quarterly, consistently rated above 8/10 and were seen as indispensable by Sales’ Senior Management.
• Since 2015: PPS certified coach, with various successful engagements completed.
• 2014 to 2016: I vastly improved the quality and availability of technical product information, brochures and marketing information; created, developed and implemented the PPS product guide, all product summaries and the broker accreditation course, as well as most of the marketing brochures and documents, all of which serve as the central source for product information within PPS as directed by Product Development.
• Since 2014: I was selected as a PPS Media Spokesperson, focusing on intermediary media. To date, I’ve made various contributions in internal and external media.
• 2013: I developed a life stage framework which was widely implemented within PPS’ marketing and administration departments as part of PPS’ Treating Customers Fairly initiatives.

PPS NEW GENERATION RETIREMENT FUND

The PPS New Generation Retirement Fund makes provision for retirement savings, risk (death and disability) and related benefits for permanent employees of PPS Insurance, PPS Short-Term Insurance, PPS Healthcare Administrators and Profmed.

Position: Trustee (member-elected) – November 2016 to July 2021

• Managing the fund and ensuring that all decisions are taken for the benefit of members, according to the retirement fund laws and the rules of the fund.
• Ensuring that the fund is managed transparently and fairly and keeping watch over the fund administration to ensure members’ assets are managed properly.

Selected Accomplishments

• During my tenure: Serving on the death benefits sub-committee.
• 2017: Developed a detailed group risk benefit guide, explaining the features of the PPS group risk benefits. Major contributions to booklets and letters supplied to members about the fund and benefits available. Developed a death claims process, templates and questionnaires to administer death claims.

SYMINGTON & DE KOK ATTORNEYS

Established in 1957, Symington & De Kok is a professional legal firm in Bloemfontein, Free State, rendering a comprehensive range of legal services to clients throughout South Africa.

Position: Candidate Attorney – August 2010 to November 2011

• Articles of clerkship; experience in Estate Administration, High Court Litigation and Magistrate’s Court Litigation.
• Admitted as an Attorney in the Free State High Court during October 2011.

Selected Accomplishments

• Admitted as an Attorney just over 1 year from the start of articles of clerkship.

To see the skills and expertise I utilise(d) in these various roles, view my Skills, Knowledges and Interests, learn more about my Education and Short Courses completed, or read a few Interesting Facts about me.