As part of its aim to achieve sustainable, profitable growth with a particular focus on expanding its market share throughout Africa, SHA Risk Specialists has announced three new strategic appointments.
The first is the internal appointment of Manisha Chiman, who previously held the position of Underwriting Head: Liability at SHA, and has been promoted to a newly created position of Underwriting Head: Liability, Professional Indemnity, Construction. In her new, expanded role, Chiman will be responsible for both the General Liability and Professional Indemnity product classes and will oversee a team of skilled underwriters.
Gareth Beaver, Business Leader at SHA Risk Specialists explains: “The position was created to align with the business’s strategic objective to create more cross-skilled resources and work towards greater operational efficiencies.”
Newcomers, Makolo Kalambaie has been appointed as the new Underwriting Head: Financial Lines (Structured Risks) and Koketso Shabalala takes up the position of Underwriting Head: Construction and Single Projects.
In congratulating the candidates, Beaver remarks: “Heading into 2022, as a company, we have reaffirmed our mission to be the leading specialist insurer for our insurance broker partners and their clients within our chosen product classes. We believe that in order to do this, we need to become the number one employer in the specialist insurance business segment. And that means attracting and onboarding the best talent. All three of the appointees are individuals who we have identified as being exceptionally talented and we’re excited about what they will bring to our leadership team.”
Chiman has over a decade of experience in the insurance industry, of which six years have been in various roles within SHA, after first joining the company in 2016 as Manager of Commercial Liability Underwriting. Chiman holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Insurance and Risk Management from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Higher Certificate in short-term insurance through Milpark Business School.
Chiman says the years she has spent as part of the SHA leadership team have been invaluable to her on both a personal and a professional level. “I believe that my skillset and my experience will set me in good stead to optimise efficiency and achieve success in my new role.”
Kalambaie is a Financial Lines specialist with extensive industry experience, including 15 years as an insurer and two years as a broker. He has held several senior management roles with the responsibility of delivering on key business strategies. Kalambaie will head up the Structured team within Financial Lines, with a specific focus on mid and SME market segment clients and the expansion of these products into African territories. He has a postgraduate BCom degree in insurance and risk management from the University of Witwatersrand and a Senior Management Development qualification from the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
“I am excited about my future at SHA and passionate about servicing the African market and identifying the myriad of untapped business opportunities on the continent,” comments Kalambaie.
Shabalala joins SHA from AON South Africa where he held the position of Senior Broker in the Engineering, Construction and Renewable Energy Department with a specific focus on Renewable Energy. His role involves heading up the Construction Professional Indemnity and Liability product line, including large-scale infrastructure projects for the South Africa region and across the African continent. He brings with him over twelve years of experience and holds a BCom from the University of Johannesburg.
“For me, this was an intuitive next step. I share SHA’s vision to deliver world-class specialist insurance products that meet the unique needs of an important market segment. I welcome the opportunity to learn, grow and add value in my new role,” he says.
“We are confident that the year ahead will see us achieving and exceeding our strategic objectives, and that with individuals like Chiman, Kalambaie and Shabalala, we will continue to demonstrate how a people-first approach to doing business continues to be the best way forward,” concludes Beaver.