Europ Assistance appoints Industry leader as CEO

Europ Assistance announced the appointment of Christelle Fourie-Colman as its new CEO in South Africa.

Europ Assistance announced the appointment of Christelle Fourie-Colman as its new CEO in South Africa.

Making the announcement, Manrico Iachia, chairman of Europ Assistance South Africa, CEO for the ALAP Region, Africa, Latin America and Portugal, re-affirmed the Group’s commitment to its African operations: “By appointing someone of the caliber of Christelle, Europ Assistance is delighted that its strong base will serve as a platform for increased services to existing and new clients.” 

Fourie-Colman is a well-known personality in the South African insurance market with more than 20 years’ experience, most recently as the Managing Director of MUA Insurance Acceptances, a leader in personal high net-worth insurance. She brings not only her technical expertise, but also a strong belief in adding value to clients through relationships and tailor-made solutions. Having served as the President of the Insurance Institute of Cape Town and playing a role across many industry initiatives, Fourie-Colman is known across the insurance value chain. 

Says Iachia: “In Christelle we have found someone to give added meaning to our tag line of ‘We Connect’.” Fourie-Colman adds: “I am proud to take on this responsibility and look forward to working with the local and international team in serving an industry I am so proud of.” 

Europ Assistance South Africa is part of a broader Group with operations in 34 countries. Having been established in 1963, Europ Assistance is the leader in assisted services, providing value to more than 300 million clients across the globe. With revenue in the last financial year of 1380 million euros (approximately operating income of 86 M€) the Group is well positioned to support the aspirations that Iachia, Fourie-Colman and the team have for the future.

Fourie-Colman will be joining Europ Assistance on a permanent basis on 1^st June 2016. To ensure ongoing service to clients prior to the new CEO joining, Iachia will be spending a substantial part of his time supporting the established management team.

“I am excited that South Africa is part of the broader Europ Assistance family.

With our parent company Generali, one of the largest insurers in the world, behind us, the future is certainly going to be good! During these tough economic times, we aim to ensure we support our clients as they deliver value to their customers.”