Directors
Conrad Backeberg – Chairman
Conrad holds a B.Sc. and B.Sc. Honours degree from the University of Cape Town, majoring in Mathematical Statistics, Actuarial Science and Operations Research. He qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in the UK and a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa in 1988.As a Certified Financial Planner, he has 27 years of business and actuarial consulting experience in the South African financial services industry. For the last 14 years, Conrad has headed up life and health reinsurance operations for Gen Re and RGA respectively in Africa, as well as direct life insurance and asset management operations in South Africa as Head of Medscheme Financial Services (Pty) Ltd. His most recent executive leadership position was that of Managing Director for RGA Reinsurance Company of South Africa Ltd until end March 2009. Currently, Conrad is an independent business and actuarial consultant as well as an independent director of companies.
Brad Toerien – Chief Executive Officer
Joined FMI in 2003 in the Product Development Department and has since embedded a product development cycle that focuses on customer needs and market trends. Brad has an Actuarial Science degree and is a member of the Actuarial Society of Southern Africa. Brad was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in the last quarter of 2008. As Chief Executive Officer, Brad’s aim is to ensure that FMI positions itself as a leading product provider of income protection benefits through a product design that is transparent and an innovative service offering.
Johnny Symmonds – Director
Johnny is currently the Managing Director of Lombard Insurance Company Ltd. He started his career in 1991 as a senior manager of Deloitte & Touche, London and in 1997 Johnny became partner in charge of the Financial Institutions Services Team. Johnny moved into the Hollard Group in 1999 as a Director of Hollard Holdings (Pty) Ltd and was then appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Mercantile Lisbon Bank Holdings in 2003. Johnny is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a Bcom, BCom Honours graduate from UCT.
Dean Hyde – Director
Dean graduated from the University of Witwatersrand in 1988 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He then studied at York University in Toronto, Canada, achieving his CA qualification. After completing his articles with Grant Thornton International in 1993, Dean joined the Spur Group as financial manager. By 1999 Dean was the financial director of Spur Group. Dean played an instrumental part in restructuring the Spur Group which culminated in the Spur Corporation re-listing on the JSE in 1999. In 2004, Dean resigned as financial director and was appointed as a non-executive director to the Spur Corporation Board, a role which he still fulfills. Dean joined James Beattie in late 2004 to establish Xanita, an eco-friendly composite board manufacturer, where he contributed to the initial business plan concept and implementation. Dean was the financial director of Xanita for 5 years and still remains on the Xanita board as a non-executive involved in the strategic direction of the company. Dean joined the Lombard Group in 2009 as the financial director, and has been the driving force behind the corporate formation and structuring of the Lombard Group as it is today. He represents Lombard’s equity interests via a number of directorships in businesses ranging from Underwriting Managing Agents to two debt businesses and a life company.
Robert Rusconi – Director
Rob has nearly 20 years of experience in the Financial Services field of which around seven years are Life Office work experience. He obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in Stats & Actuarial Science in 1990 through the University of Cape Town and has been a fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, London since 1998. Rob has vast experience gained from time spent working at a number of companies, such as Old Mutual doing health care & Individual Life product development; Bacon & Woodrow in London; FT.com in London – the website of the Financial Times; Sanlam doing Pension and Investment Consulting; SEI, a US asset manager where he was responsible for asset and liability modeling and investment. Before joining Lombard Life Rob was an independent consultant to Government on social security and Pension system design. Rob is committed to working with partners, to meeting customer needs and to exploring new channels for delivering solutions to current and future customers.
Simon Cordial – Director and Head of CSR
Simon is a B.Comm graduate with a work history including corporate project design of accounting and financial systems for De Beers. In addition he has 14 years direct involvement in the insurance industry and is a co-founder of FMI.
Lucia Kujawa – Non Executive Director
Lucia has a Business Science Honours degree from U.C.T., a Chartered Management Accountant degree and an MBA though the University of Henley. Her experience includes heading up the I.S. Project team at De Beers Namaqualand Division before moving into the accounting field. Lucia is a co-founder of FMI and has occupied an executive role since FMI’s inception in 1995. Lucia continues to sit on FMI’s board as a Non-executive Director.
Mark Taylor – Non Executive Director
Mark is the Managing Director of Global Aquariums BV, he is also the independent investment advisor to Sanlam-backed private equity fund Agri-Vie and also a principal of Naxian, a Cape Town-based IT company. Up until the end of 2005 Mark was the Group CEO of JSE-listed CCTV technology company Intervid, from where he led the successful turnaround of the group which spanned Malaysia, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, the UK and the USA. Prior to that Mark was in charge of new investment evaluations for JSE-listed VenFin, the largest ICT private equity investor in Africa. Mark has almost a decade of private equity and venture capital experience. From 1994 to 1996 Mark was assistant to Johann Rupert, then MD of LSE-listed Richemont, and executive chairman of JSE-listed Rembrandt. Prior to that Mark spent two years in Amsterdam where he managed the trust and fiduciary services business of what is now Bank Insinger de Beaufort, having been seconded from Investec Bank, Durban, where he had headed up Investec’s property finance business and helped launch Investec Property Group. Mark practised law as an attorney specialising in Maritime and International Trade law with South Africa’s then biggest maritime law firm. Mark’s education includes a BA LLB from the University of Stellenbosch (1984), a Higher Diploma in Maritime Law from UND (1987), and a Masters in Commerce from the University of Cape Town (2001) where his thesis was awarded a distinction and won the Andersen’s Gold Medal.
Stephen Vivian – Company Secretary
Stephen graduated from UNISA in 1998 with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Law degree in 2002. He is an Admitted Attorney and a qualified Notary. In 2008 Stephen joined Cardif Pinnacle Insurance Holdings as Company Secretary and Head of Legal and Compliance. Following the acquisition, by Lombard Insurance Company Limited of the Cardif Pinnacle Insurance Holding shares, Stephen moved to Lombard, on 1 October 2009, as the Company Secretary. As a result of Lombard Insurance Groups shareholding in Financial Management International, Stephen has also been appointed as the Company Secretary for FMI. Stephen has been involved in corporate law since 1999 when he commenced lecturing Corporate Law to CIS Students at the University of the Witwatersrand, a position which he still holds today; some eleven years later.
Executive
Brad Toerien – Chief Executive Officer
Joined FMI in 2003 in the Product Development Department and has since embedded a product development cycle that focuses on customer needs and market trends. Brad has an Actuarial Science degree and is a member of the Actuarial Society of Southern Africa. Brad was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in the last quarter of 2008. As Chief Executive Officer, Brad’s aim is to ensure that FMI positions itself as a leading product provider of income protection benefits through a product design that is transparent and an innovative service offering.
Neil Mackenzie – Chief Financial Officer
Neil joined FMI as the Chief Financial Officer in June 2011 and is responsible for all financial aspects of the company’s business and for overseeing IT, legal and risk management. Neil qualified as a Chartered Accountant (SA) with Ernst & Young and has more than 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining FMI Neil was the CFO at RGA Reinsurance Company of South Africa Ltd and previously spent six years with Swiss Re Life & Health as head of marketing, claims & underwriting. In 2011 he completed a B Com Honours degree in Financial Management at the University of Cape Town. He has worked in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Shannon Ambrose – Head of Marketing
Shannon joined FMI in March 2012 and brings with her 15 years of experience in predominantly business to business marketing. As Head of Marketing Shannon leads the development and implementation of marketing strategies that drive revenue growth, elevate the brand and represent the voice of the customer. Having originally completed a 3 year National Diploma in Public Relations in 1993, since then Shannon has also completed certificate courses in Marketing Management and Marketing Research (UNISA) as well as various other marketing specific and general management development courses. Shannon is well versed in reviewing, developing and defining overall marketing strategy. In addition her areas of expertise include branding, product marketing, direct marketing, communications and market research
Sacchin Maharaj – Head of Operations
Since joining FMI in 2000, Sacchin has had the opportunity to gain a thorough knowledge of all areas of the business and has been involved in many of the developments at FMI. As Head of Operations, his portfolio comprises the Administration, Call Centre, Underwriting and Claims departments. His current responsibilities lie in managing the entire customer experience from Application to Claim, which includes ensuring Hi-Touch Client Service and Ease of Process throughout the business. From an academic perspective, Sacchin has completed a B.Compt degree with Unisa, together with various Project Management certificates, including an Executive PM Programme through USB-ED.
Paul McKillen – Product Development Actuary
Paul studied a Bachelor of Business Science degree, specializing in actuarial science at the University of Cape Town. He graduated with Honors degree at the end of 1998. He is a qualified member of the Institute of Actuaries. After graduating from UCT Paul began working as an actuarial analyst for Commercial Union. A year later Commercial Union was purchased by Metropolitan and Metropolitan Odyssey was formed. He than worked at Odyssey for less than ten years. During that time he progressed from Junior Actuarial Analyst into product development, heading up the Odyssey product development team for a period of 6 years and ultimately into Senior Management (Exco). He left Metropolitan Odyssey at the end of 2007 and subsequently worked as an Independent Consulting Actuary specializing in product development and strategy. It was in this capacity that he initially joined FMI. Paul is looking forward to the challenge of being part of the team responsible for growing FMI into a significant player in the industry. During his period at FMI Paul hopes to help realize the incredible potential of the business.
Stuart Cumming – Head of Sales and Distribution
Stuart joined FMI in May 2010 and brings with him 13 years of experience in the insurance industry. He worked for Sage Life from 1997 to 2006 and worked for Medscheme Life from 2006 to 2010. He completed a 3 year Marketing Diploma through The Institute of Marketing Management in 2003. At Sage Life, Stuart fulfilled dual roles, one being a traditional broker branch manager and the other being the national outsourced broker network manager, both reporting within the Broker Division. Thereafter he moved to Medscheme Life where he was the General Manager for Sales and Marketing. As FMI’s Chief Distribution Officer, Stuart’s role entails full responsibility for the distribution of FMI products. This comprises fine tuning FMI’s existing distribution channels to become more efficient as well as finding new channels to distribute our products.
Wikus Joubert – Head of Enterprise Risk & Legal
Wikus joined FMI in May 2010. He is a qualified attorney with an LLB obtained in 2006 through UNISA. This was followed by a post graduate diploma in Financial Planning that he obtained in 2007. Wikus is a Certified Financial Planner® and worked at Old Mutual for seven years where he was a Senior Broker Consultant. He then moved to Strauss Daly Attorneys for three and a half years where he practised as an attorney. Wikus looks after FMI’s Enterprise Risk Management, Legal and Compliance.
Carol Morris – Head of IS and Project Planning
Carol joined FMI in October 2010 as the head of Information Systems. Early in 2011 she took over the role of Project Management for the whole company. She has been in Information Technology for over 28 years starting from being a developer through to system design, business analysis and then moving into the management/project management side which she has been involved in for over 15 years. Apart from the various programming and analysis qualifications Carol has a project management diploma which she obtained in 1999 at Damelin College in Durban. Carol has been exposed to various areas of business; sales and distribution, warehousing, property management, accounting etc. She believes that it is important to have a good understanding of the business in order to provide the correct and most efficient IS solutions and for planning and managing projects for the business.
Management
Maarten van de Vijver – National Outsourced Networks Manager
Maarten has over 20 years experience in the financial services industry with a strong Life insurance background. He’s worked in sales and business development management for several of the top 5 Life assures with a particular focus and success in the Western Cape. He joined FMI in 2009 and is responsible for Outsourced Distribution. Maarten aims to enhance the physical distribution capability of FMI nationally by growing a professional and service orientated sales force, offering value to Financial Advisers and Distribution Networks thereby forging strong partnerships.
Lee-Anne Ibbetson – Underwriting Manager
Lee-Anne Ibbetson with over 21 years in underwriting experience joins us as FMI’s Head of Underwriting. Lee-Anne has strong background in reassurance and has previously worked with 3 of the insurance industry’s big players. As a vibrant energetic individual, Lee-Anne is keen to contribute towards FMI relations as a service department and relishes inter-departmental interactions. We look forward to her applied skills adding high value to FMI’s risk base while refining our underwriting philosophy.
Michael D Shongwe – Claims Manager
Michael joined FMI in January 2009, after being in the Life and Health Insurance for 17 years specializing in Underwriting, Claims and Forensic Underwriting. He is now responsible for maintaining the FMI philosophy of ensuring that we pay valid claims. Michael aims to ensure that the claiming process and related documentation is in order to ensure a flawless, efficient and transparent claims process. With his team, Michael has a drive for exceptional client services and will make sure that all claims are handled with respect, urgency and that all decisions are communicated effectively.
Simon Cordial – Head of Corporate Social Responsibility
Simon is a B.Comm graduate with a work history including corporate project design of accounting and financial systems for De Beers. In addition he has 14 years direct involvement in the insurance industry and is a co-founder of FMI. Simon has for the past few years been very involved, in a funding and management capacity, with a number of local community projects focused on the Amaoti informal settlement near Mount Edgecombe.
Dennis Booysen – Risk and Product Specialist
Dennis has over 26 years experience in the insurance industry, with a strong re-insurance background. Before joining FMI, he spent the last 8 years consulting for various big life insurance companies. Dennis joined FMI early in 2008 as the Head of Operations and Underwriting. Currently, Dennis oversees FMI’s underwriting, claims and actuarial functions as our Chief Risk Officer and works with each of FMI’s business units to establish, maintain and continuously improve risk management capabilities.
Michelle Leckie-Cuzen – Marketing Manager
Michelle joined FMI’s marketing department in 2007 as a Marketing Assistant after travelling abroad. Michelle has a B Com Marketing and Management degree from the University of Natal and a B Com Honours degree from the University of UKZN. In 2011, Michelle assumed responsibility of the Marketing Department and looks forward to growing with FMI as the Specialists in Disability Protection.
Nic Smit – Actuarial Manager
Nic joined FMI in 2008 as an Actuarial Analyst and was appointed as the manager of the Actuarial Department in 2011. Nic has a BSc in Statistics and Actuarial Science from UKZN, as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Actuarial Science from UCT. He is currently a student member of the Actuarial Society of South Africa. As manager of the Actuarial Department his duties revolve around the development and pricing of new products, market research and competitor comparisons, monitoring of the experience of in force business and communicating results to management.
Kim Hodgson – National Broker Distribution Manager
Kim joined FMI in 2010 to take responsibility for the national distribution of FMI products through the Independent and corporate broker channels. He has over 17 years experience in financial services, a Law degree, qualifications in e business applications and vast experience as an entrepreneur having had interests in a range of businesses and sitting on the Boards of various different companies. Kim’s focuses are primarily to grow the existing distribution channels, develop strategies within the distribution department and develop the team of Business Developers who service the FMI client base.