SHA Risk Specialists is pleased to announce the promotion of Roeann Lazarus to the position of Underwriting Head: Commercial and Africa, effective 1 July 2023. This most recent appointment aligns with SHA’s strategic objective to expand its commercial insurance offering to more businesses across the African continent.  

Lazarus holds an LLB Honours degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and brings 15 years of industry experience to her new role, having fulfilled various roles in property, claims and financial lines. She joined SHA three years ago as a Senior Underwriter in SHA’s Financial Lines division and has since proven to be a valuable member of the team, contributing to the division’s goal of achieving sustainable and profitable growth.

During her time as a Senior Underwriter, she also played an integral role in mentoring upcoming talent and passing on a wealth of knowledge that she has amassed over the course of her career. In her new position, Lazarus will report to Makolo Kalambaie, Business Head: Financial Lines at SHA Risk Specialists.  

Welcoming her to the team, Kalambaie expressed his confidence that Lazarus will continue to be a trusted member of the team, a partner to SHA’s clients and to the business as a whole. “Roeann has a strong reputation of service excellence and expertise as a highly proficient underwriter and senior manager. She has succeeded in using this industry knowledge to inform and inspire her fellow team members to work towards the collective goals of the Financial Lines unit.  

We believe that Roeann is the best fit for this role and is well-positioned to service our network of corporate and business leaders in South Africa and across the continent.”

SHA’s Financial Lines division consists of a highly skilled and experienced team of underwriters and claims professionals. The team’s focus is on the exposures facing companies in terms of directors’ and officers’ liability as well as commercial crime.  

The team is also tasked with developing niche insurance products that address the unique risks facing financial institutions and other corporates, including employee fraud and cybercrime. SHA’s current client base includes the majority of the South African Financial Mail’s Top 100 companies, as well as several medium to small enterprises situated regionally and throughout Africa.  

As Lazarus concludes: “As I step into this new role, I hope to apply myself wholeheartedly to the goal of supporting SHA’s Specialist offering. SHA has consistently delivered on its commitment to aid businesses in navigating their way through a landscape of complex exposures and risks. I resonate with this commitment and believe that my experience lends itself to transferring knowledge, helping the team to continue delivering excellence for our clients.  

I look forward to furthering SHA’s progress in becoming the continent’s leading specialist risk insurer and I am honoured to be a part of this dynamic workforce.”

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