Santam appoints new CEO

Santam, one of Namibia’s leading short-term insurers, has appointed Franco Feris as its new CEO, with effect from 1 January 2012.
Feris’ responsibilities will include monitoring the growth and profit of the business; building and retaining relationships with clients; managing risks and compliance within the business, as well as overseeing the overall operations of the company.
He will be reporting to a board of directors and will also serve on the Namibia Insurance Association Committee (NIA).
Feris previously served as the company’s chief operational officer for four years; a role that included the supervision and control of claims; underwriting; analyses of the brokers portfolio to ensure growth and profitability; internal auditing as well as reporting to the board on a quarterly basis.
Riaan Louw, the outgoing CEO for Santam, comments: “Franco is the perfect candidate to fill this position as he has a deep understanding of the business. He started at Santam in 2005 as a financial manager and later showed interest and aptitude in operations and was duly promoted to chief operation officer in 2007. He managed the operational side of the business with distinction and we have no doubt that he will do the same in his new role.”
Feris holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Accounting and Economics) from the University of Namibia and a Senior Management Development Programme (SMDP) qualification from the University of Stellenbosch.
He was awarded the Best student of the Faculty of Economics and Management Science prize in 1998 by the University of Namibia.