Heart and Soul Newsletter Edition 3

SPHERE HOLDINGS ACQUIRES 25.1% OF THE POGIR GROUP, OPENING DOORS TO FURTHER GROWTH.

The Pogir Group is pleased to announce the acquisition of 25.1% of its business by Sphere Holdings, a high performance, empowered, investment holding company.

Sphere Holdings has an impeccable investment track record spanning two decades. The company invests in partnerships with quality, privately owned businesses across a range of strategic sectors. Sphere’s investment portfolio includes BBD, a software development business with significant experience in financial services and telecoms. Sphere also holds investments in the local subsidiaries of various blue-chip multinationals such as Babcock, Honeywell and Pandrol, amongst others.

For Pogir, Sphere Holdings brings a wealth of technical expertise, and an ability to drive further strategic and operational excellence within the Group. This partnership will allow Pogir to increase business opportunities and realise meaningful returns and value for all stakeholders.

Importantly, Sphere’s empowerment credentials and ownership stake advances Pogir’s transformation objectives, which will in itself unlock opportunities for the Group.

Darren Pogir, Director at the Pogir Group says: “Sphere’s credentials and track record as a strategic and technical partner are impressive. It is our close alignment in our culture and values, as well as a shared vision of the future, that confirmed that Sphere was the right long-term partner for us.”

Mohammed Sabi, Director, Sphere: “The Pogir Group’s leadership team has built a meaningful business through providing its clients with a personalised and tailored service – an uncommon approach in today’s modern business environment. We look forward to this partnership and in particular, in working with the leadership team to build on the success they have enjoyed over the last 5 decades.”

Overview of Last Quater

A WORD FROM EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

The past quarter for EB has been a successful one, we have been appointed to some nice new business. We are also working on a number of potential new clients.

As we near the end of our financial year we can be grateful for the year all round. We welcomed Khutso to the team and she has fitted in nicely and added to our already excellent team of ladies. Hilton and Dean have also been busy with new business over the period.

We are feeling positive about the new business opportunities in the coming year, even in very difficult market conditions. In February we had our divisional strategy session where we reflected on our previous years achievements and failures. We are grateful that we have had very few lows over this period. I would like to thank all the ladies, including Cindy, for their hard work over this period and look forward to us growing into the new financial year.

What we have been up to

In January 2023, Dean Murinik was invited by Aflac California to give a motivational talk, at the Levi Stadium in San Francisco (home of the San Francisco 49-ers). Dean is a survivor of the 2004 tsunami, and believes that his survival is a metaphor of how we all have to tread water in all aspects of our lives. The San Francisco seminar was an incredible experience for Dean, and he was honored to take part in the momentous event.

Dean with the Aflac California team

Overview of Last Quater

A word from... LIFE AND INVESTMENTS

We had a great start to the year – January was a record breaking month in terms of New Business submitted.

Integration: Integration with Steven’s Discovery Life clients who also have Insure:

 We started this process late last year – Nov 2022.

 We have transferred 6 clients to Pogir, with Broker appointment letters.

 This will be an ongoing process for 2023.

A WORD FROM HEALTHCARE

The last quarter of each year is traditionally the busiest period for the HCS team, and 2022 was no different.

We successfully hosted 3 webinars to our employer groups and individual members regarding their medical scheme increases for 2023. The Corporate Account Managers and Administration team were certainly pushed to their limits attending to training sessions, plan advice and ensuring that option changes were processed before the cut-off date.

Stan Smookler finally decided to join his “PA” Steven Romberg as part of the Pogir Group. We are very fortunate to have him as part of the HCS team.

We held our annual HCS Strat in February 2023 which was a very informative session with fresh new ideas been presented. For me the message that derived from this session was opportunity, integration and growth.

In my view 2023 has started on a positive note, with a good flow of new business leads coming our way and the successful appointment of Medhold Medical. In addition to this, two new staff members will be joining our administration team during the month of March.

With the strong team we currently have I firmly believe we will grow from strength to strength not only as a division but within the group.

Overview of Last Quater

What we have been up to:

 Lows: Sad that Zandi is leaving at the end of Feb

 Highs: Two new staff members starting in March (Karabo & Mpho)

 Integration Committee still in process in pushing the cross and upselling concept (HCS consultants did some upselling and cross selling during the Year End period between October – December)

Overview of Last Quater

What we have been up to:

 The Noah’s boat confirming that we are all together in this journey

Overview of Last Quater

A word from... SHORT TERM COMMERCIAL

I want to take a moment to reflect on the last quarter and share some feedback on our performance in the Commercial Short-Term Division.

First of all, I want to commend everyone on a productive start to the year. Despite some challenges, we managed to make progress in several key areas. Here are some highlights: Client relationships: We’ve done an excellent job building and maintaining relationships with our clients. Through our proactive approach, we’ve exceeded expectations and delivered exceptional service.

Collaboration with personal line colleagues: We’ve taken steps to improve our processes and share best practices with our colleagues in the personal line division. This collaboration has helped us learn from each other and improve our performance.

Technology adoption: We’ve implemented a new Claims system that will be a gamechanger. This system will help our claims team manage clients’ claims more efficiently, resulting in faster turnaround times and higher satisfaction rates.

Reporting: We’ve generated valuable reports that have helped us track our progress, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions. While there have been some lows as well, I believe that we can overcome them with teamwork and determination. Here are some areas where we can improve:

Market challenges: The market has been tough, and we all feel it. However, I believe that by working together, we can find new opportunities and come up with innovative solutions to meet our client’s needs.

Increased workload: We’ve been dealing with more claims than ever before due to load-shedding, thefts and vehicle accidents. While this has been challenging, I’m proud of how our team has risen to the occasion and remained committed to delivering the best outcomes for our clients.

In conclusion, I’m confident we have what it takes to succeed in the long term. By continuing to work together and support each other, we can build on our successes and overcome any obstacles that come our way. Thank you for ST Commercial team, and claims team’s hard work and dedication to our clients and our team.

Thelma Cross

We Welcome Thelma Cross to Commercial and Mareleze Abraham to Personal lines division

Mareleze Abraham

Eat Enjoy

Lee-Ann

Van Rheede WafflES

A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used. Waffles are eaten throughout the world, particularly in Belgium, which has over a dozen regional varieties. Waffles may be made fresh or simply heated after having been commercially cooked and frozen.

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.

3. Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

If I could have lunch with one person it would be: Best book you’ve ever read?:

If you could learn one new personal skill, what would it be?:

If

Bits Pieces

Khutso is busy studying her BCOM in Financial Planning, and has the following to say about her recent examination:

“The exam for Principles of Economics module was not that hard nor easy. What helped me most was doing preparations for my assignments before due dates and being involved in topic discussions to check that my understanding is in par with other students. Supply and demand can be tricky if not prepared.”

Candles Cake

Gary 16th January

Desire 21st January

Vivashni 24th February

Divene’s Birthday 1st March

Hestia and Caroline 2nd March

Clarinda’s son, Ruan is turning 1 on 2nd March

Magda’s Birthday is March 4th

Love Marriage

Congratulations to Steven K and Linda celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary

Natasha’s little one is turning 1 on 5th March

Bits Pieces

Work Reward

JANUARY

Craig David - 21 years

Rubin Pogir - 52 years

Sandra Bertha - 21 years

Selwyn Pogir - 52 years

Darren Leigh - 29 years

FEBRUARY

Steven Paul - 8 years

Amanda Lamond - 3 years

March

Caroline - 16 years

Vivashni - 10 years

Adele- 8 years

Cindy E - 8 years

Hestia - 6 years

Tonia- 4 years

Dean - 2 years

Adele has exciting times ahead, her family is expanding. She is gaining a daughterin-law, her younger son is getting married in April and her older son is expecting his second child, a baby girl in mid-June.

Amanda’s

and has started a

son Arran passed Matric with distinction

BSc at Tuks.

Quotes of the Quarter

Giggles Gags

After I spoke to my financial adviser I slept like a baby. I woke up every hour and cried.

A drunk wanders into the lounge of a hotel where an insurance convention is being held, intent on causing trouble. He yells, “I think all insurance agents are crooks, and if anyone doesn’t like it, come up and do something about it.”

Immediately, a man runs up to the drunk and says, “You take that back!”

The drunk sneers and replies, “Why, are you an agent?”

“No,” the man replies, “I’m a crook.”

Insurance agent to his lawyer: I want a divorce. My wife hasn’t spoken to me for six months.

Lawyer: Better think it over. Wives like that are hard to get!

Here’s a peek at our some of our recent blogs posted to our website

Mind the Gap: Is Your Medical Aid Cover at Risk?

Your medical aid scheme provides you with cover for a wide range of medical expenses and procedures. However, some medical expenses exceed your cover limit, and you become responsible for payment of the shortfall. This kind of shortfall can vary from the higher cost of a consultation with a medical specialist, to the dramatically higher expenses incurred by intensive medical procedures that inevitably exceed the cost of routine or planned-for medical care.

This is where medical aid gap cover becomes critically important. Gap cover is essentially top-

up health insurance that covers the difference between the upper limit of your medical aid cover and the actual cost of consultations, treatments, or procedures.

This becomes particularly important if you are faced with medical bills that could leave you in debt, struggling to pay off high bills, and possibly facing a ruinous financial situation. And, when you consider the current state of spiralling medical costs in South Africa, medical aid gap cover should be an essential element of your healthcare solutions planning.

Why Some Life Events Have a Greater Impact on Your Finances

Your financial position naturally evolves as your life progresses, and it makes sense to plan ahead for the most common changes. At the very least, it’s helpful to understand how best to plan ahead. When it comes to financial planning – and life planning in general – foresight is far better than hindsight!

Enlisting the advice of a skilled financial advisor is helpful, because it provides objective insight into the best financial strategies as your financial position grows from strength to strength.