ACE Insurance appoints new Accident & Health management to drive growth

Neil Beaumont

ACE Insurance South Africa, a provider of specialist insurance, has appointed two new members to its management team. Mike de Jong has assumed the role of senior manager in the company’s Accident and Health division, while Neil Beaumont takes on the posit

Formerly the business development manager of the Accident and Health division, de Jong holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Wits and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Wits Business School. After some years in advertising, he joined the insurance industry. He worked for several years at what was then AIG before joining ACE more than four years ago. He is excited about the opportunities his new position offers.

“The insurance industry is under pressure at the moment owing to many new or altered regulations. That makes it a tougher environment, but I see big opportunities for a nimble, innovative company like ACE,” de Jong says. “We have great staff and we think laterally—I believe we are well set to seize the opportunities that this changing landscape offers.”

Examples of ACE’s approach can be seen in its integration with the Kulula.com on line booking platform to provide easy access to travel insurance, and its ongoing focus on implementing technology to enhance effectiveness to its broker network.

Beaumont holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Institute of Marketing Management, and joined ACE in 2009 after several years at what was AIG. He moves up from his previous position as head of the Corporate unit of ACE’s Accident and Health division. As head of the Classic unit, Beaumont assumes responsibility for both Corporate and Affinity.

Looking to the future in his new role, Beaumont says that his focus is to ensure that existing clients are well looked after while remaining alert for opportunities for new business that is profitable. He believes that the Affinity sector, which involves tailoring schemes for individual clients, has the potential to generate significant new business in the right circumstances.

Beaumont concurs that ACE has certain advantages when it comes to growing market share, particularly into today’s constrained markets. “Our brand proposition is based on our dedication to superior customer service,” he says. “Good product is only the first step. We make the right investments in technology, and we have a team that is dedicated to the same culture of excellent—and speedy—customer service.”