RGA Appoints New Chief Underwriter

May 28 - South Africa's only dedicated reinsurer, RGA, has announced the appointment of Cliff Jooste as its new Chief Underwriter. Jooste will leave his posting as Chief Underwriter for RGA's Indian division which he has held for the past four years, to take up the new position in South Africa.

"RGA has traditionally maintained a strong business focus on underwriting, a key element of life reassurance business," said Jooste. "My experience in the developing and growing market in India has given me a broader view of how to develop insurance business through product development. The Indian economy is growing by between 8% and 9% per annum, so there is a great deal of pressure placed on growth and the need for new products."

Jooste noted that the South African market was more mature and consolidated than the Indian market, although the innovation that was required by him to develop the company's services in India would certainly help in his new role.

Jooste was welcomed warmly by RGA South Africa Managing Director, Conrad Blakeberg who said that the company was "looking forward to seeing what his wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience will bring to our local underwriting team."

Blakeberg said that Jooste would add a new dimension to the underwriting team in South Africa, ensuring that the team remains at the forefront of reinsurance product and service innovation.

Jooste replied: "Following the commencement of my new role we look forward to building on the strength of the RGA underwriting team and concentrating on our core competencies to meet our clients' needs."