A client-centric future
The new year is well underway and we’ve had a lot happening in the first three months of 2024. As I bring you my second letter as your CEO, I’m excited to report back on how we’re doing as a business.
Three major events on our calendar in the first quarter were the AfroCentric Leadership Conference, the Sanlam Corporate Leadership Roadshow, and the Sanlam Life and Savings Leadership Conference – all aimed at collaborating and leading with purpose as we discussed strategic priorities and focus areas.
Importantly, we unpacked what it means to be a majority-owned subsidiary of the Sanlam Group, and how we start integrating and leveraging the scale and opportunities this presents for our business.
The main themes at the AfroCentric Leadership Conference centred around client service excellence, innovation, improving our stakeholder relationships, and motivating and inspiring our people. I think this was a great start to the year and am confident that our leaders are energised and synchronised to take the business forward.
At the Sanlam Corporate Leadership Roadshow, themed The Year of the Client, I was proud to be part of the panel of great leaders from Sanlam who had years and a wealth of experience to share. I also echoed the sentiments of putting our clients and customers at the heart of everything we do. I believe that now, more than ever, we need to be thin-skinned about negative or poor client experience.
I’m excited about our journey ahead as we work with Sanlam to develop a winning health offering and becoming the top open scheme in the South African market by 2030. I believe that each of us has an important role to play in delivering on this bold ambition, and I encourage you to keep delivering excellent service – what you do matters!
Be sure to read more about the leadership conferences in our article Leading Into the Future.
Another highlight of quarter one was the Ignite Awards, our employee recognition programme where you nominated and honoured your colleagues who had made a stellar contribution to our business and our culture. I encourage you all to continue nominating and celebrating colleagues who go the extra mile.
You can read more about it in our article Igniting Our Business. Be sure to check out the photo gallery showcasing the special event.
I also want to touch on our interim financial results. In a significant strategic move, we decided to align our financial year-end with Sanlam, effective 31 December 2024. This change will help us streamline our reporting and operational processes while providing our stakeholders with clearer insights into our financial performance. You can read more about our financial results in the Our Business section.
Lastly, I had the opportunity to engage with our internal communications team, so be sure to check out my feature Coffee with Gerald to find out what makes me tick.
Until next time
Gerald
