About Us

Our history

Originally named Stalker Hutchison & Associates, the company was founded in 1985 by Angus Hutchison and Tony Stalker as a local broad form liability alternative to the Lloyd’s market.

The SHA partnership with southern Africa’s largest insurer, Santam, dates back to as early as 2000, with SHA becoming a wholly owned underwriting manager.

As from 2021 SHA is now a division of Santam Ltd.

In 2008, a merger with Admiral Underwriting gave birth to the entity, Stalker Hutchison Admiral (Pty) Ltd, who became a wholly owned subsidiary of Santam Ltd, the largest short term insurer in southern Africa. On 1 January 2021, SHA became a division of Santam Ltd and we remain known to our brokers in the market simply as SHA Risk Specialists. 

SHA is synonymously known as the largest niche casualty insurance provider on the African continent. All of SHA’s insurance products are underwritten exclusively by Santam. Today we are proud to be associated with the majority of the South African Financial Mail’s Top 100 companies as well as a broad spectrum of medium to smaller enterprises locally and internationally.

SHA Risk Specialists is a division of Santam Ltd. Santam Ltd is an Authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP 3416).

Corporate Social Responsibility

SHA Risk Specialists is a proud South African company with a multi faceted approach as corporate citizens of the community. All too often, CSI projects are one-off initiatives. This means that the beneficiaries of the support only get momentary relief from the daily hardships they may be faced with. 

Our underlying purpose at SHA is to secure the future of all our clients, partners and staff, restoring livelihoods and ensuring business continuity, keeping hopes, dreams and possibilities alive. This is the SHA way and filters through to the communities we serve.

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Corporate Social Responsibility

Why deal with SHA?

SHA is a division of southern Africa’s largest short term insurance company being Santam Ltd. We offer solutions across the African continent through the various Santam companies in each territory.

Each unit at SHA has a particular focus on a complex, niche insurance product. This allows for great insight into the complex exposures and casualty risks facing businesses.

The classes of business written through SHA a division of Santam generally produce long-tail claims activity. It is critical for brokers to place their specialist insurance covers with a company with staying power.

n 2018, SHA broke its own record for the highest amount of claims payments in a single year - in excess of R700m. We have a team of highly skilled and experienced specialist claims technicians and managers. This in-house capability, together with the support and leverage we have with leading external legal practitioners, enables us to guide and assist our clients through even the most traumatic litigation.

Meet the Team

SHA employs just over 140 staff, with many legal professionals and highly qualified, experienced underwriters amongst them, always striving to deliver quality service and expertise.

Meet the team

Meet the team

The SHA brand promise

SHA is backed by SA's largest insurer, Santam. This enables us to deliver secure and trusted insurance products to our chosen markets.

We value and cultivate the relationships with all our stakeholders; clients, brokers, employees, reinsurers, shareholders and the greater community.

Environment Sustainability

SHA risk specialists continue to strive to stay ahead in a changing environment and therefore aligns with Santam’s environmental statement.

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