BB Trustco closes Centurion office
Mutual & Federal Port Elizabeth joins the fight against crime
Trustco South Africa closed its leader office on 31 August 2011. Trustco acquired Lleader Underwriting Managers, located in Centurion, during the course of 2010 and integrated the business into the Trustco stable.
More than 50 Mutual & Federal employees recently joined forces with the Humewood Police Department in Port Elizabeth in a crime prevention initiative. Their mission was to distribute flyers; their objective was to educate the public about what they could do to make PE a better place.
According to managing director of Trustco South Africa, Jans Wessels, it became apparent that the new business had duplicating functions and eliminating this dual process would place Trustco in a better position to offer its clients a more streamlined and efficient service. The underwriting and new policy issuing functions have since been moved to the Trustco head office in Houghton.
Staff members also joined the police on routine patrols of notorious crime hotspots, including the beachfront, Govan Mbeki Street in the city centre, St George’s Park and several shopping centres. Crime prevention is one of Mutual & Federal’s prime focus areas for corporate social investment and the company encourages the public to be vigilant at all times. “This initiative was started in the spirit of preventing crime in the communities in which we live and work,” said Louise Westerman, claims manager at Mutual & Federal Port Elizabeth. “As a short-term insurer, we believe that it is our responsibility to remind the public how to protect themselves in their homes and in public places.”
The Centurion staff was offered the option of a transfer to the head office located in Houghton. However, due to the travelling distance between the Centurion and Houghton offices, many staff members turned the offer down. Key personnel such as Barry du Plessis, who was the managing director at Lleader and now executive director at Trustco South Africa, the senior underwriting manager for personal lines and senior underwriting manager for commercial, all accepted the move to the head office. Wessels explained that the consolidation process has resulted in the successful integration of Trustco products and services onto one system. For Trustco clients it will mean a more efficient and prompt service being facilitated on one system and out of one office, with one contact centre.
RISKSA Support Star of the Year
Etana’s Dimitra wins Support Star of the Year Award Dimitra de Morais, personal assistant to Carel Nolte, head of people and brand, Etana Insurance, beat contestants from MUA, The Investment Group, and Old Mutual to win the coveted title of RISKSA Support Star of the Year, which the magazine launched in 2011. Four entrants were shortlisted by guest judge Salomi Steenkamp, administrator for the Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa’s Western Cape division. RISKSA posted the shortlist on its website (www.risksa.com) and initiated a 24-hour flash poll to determine the winner. The poll garnered a record 1 440 voters. De Morais (pictured) won narrowly with 486 votes, while Michaela Hogan, personal assistant to Christelle Fourie, managing director of MUA Insurance Acceptances, came a close second with 480 votes. Third place was awarded to Roxanne Denman, personal assistant to Karen Toerien, short-term insurance manager of The Investment Group, after 266 participants voted for her. Carmen Cara, personal assistant to Mogam Pillay, finance director at Old Mutual STA, came in fourth position with 208 votes. Steenkamp said it was difficult deciding on who should be on the shortlist after interviewing candidates: “After reading these four finalists’ entries and getting their answers to the additional questions, they seemed equally eligible to win first prize. Unfortunately we can have only one winner,” she said. “I would like to stress the fact that these were four very strong finalists and it is a pity that we couldn’t have four winners. Their bosses are extremely privileged and hopefully appreciate them as they all made it clear that no job is too big or too difficult to handle in their daily role as PA.” Andy Mark, publisher of RISKSA magazine, said that due to the overall response RISKSA would again host the Support Star of the Year Award in 2012. “I’d like to thank all the secretaries and PAs who entered this year and all the people who voted for them and showed their support. As the leading insurance publication, RISKSA is keen to not only focus on experts in the insurance industry, but commend those who are tirelessly working behind the scenes and keep everything ticking over smoothly. I agree with Steenkamp, all four should be highly commended, but unfortunately there can be only one winner.” RISKSA will be interviewing the winner and runners-up for the October 2011 edition and will post the feature on www.risksa.com.
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