Santam board names Lizé Lambrechts as Chief Executive to succeed Ian Kirk

The Board of Directors of Santam Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Lizé Lambrechts to succeed Ian Kirk as the Chief Executive from 1 January 2015.

Lambrechts joins Santam from the Sanlam Group where for the past 12 years she was Chief Executive: Sanlam Personal Finance (SPF), Sanlam's retail business in South Africa.

She has a B.Sc. Hons (cum laude) from the University of Stellenbosch, qualified as an actuary and has held numerous senior memberships and directorships within Sanlam's local and international operations.

As the chief Executive of SPF, she successfully led the Group's biggest business through extensive regulatory changes to become one of leading retail financial services groups in South Africa.

"We have a solid business strategy in place for the Santam Group and an outstanding Executive team. We believe Lizé has the qualities and vision to build on this and take the Group forward into the next stage of its development." says Ian Kirk, current Santam CEO.

"She has demonstrated throughout her time within the Group the ability to build and grow the business and to work with people. Lizé's extensive experience, knowledge and insight of both the insurance market and the Group's strategy as well as her proven leadership skills marks her as the prime candidate to take over the leadership of Santam. We couldn't have chosen a better leader for Santam" concludes Kirk.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity to be part of the yellow umbrella. It is a priviledge to be asked to lead an organisation that has established itself as the leader in the short-term insurance industry and continues to grow and diversify. I am excited about what lies ahead for Santam." says Lambrechts