INSETA appoints Nadia Starr as the new CEO

Nadia Starr, CEO at INSETA

The Chairman of the Board of the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA) announced the appointment of Ms Nadia Starr as the new Chief Executive Officer of INSETA effective from 1 February 2019.

Ms Starr steps into the position after having spent over nine years at INSETA, previously heading up the Quality Assurance Division and most recently, the Learning Division of INSETA. Prior to INSETA, Ms Starr worked in both the Corporate Higher Education and Public Further Education sectors.

Ms Starr holds a Master of Education degree, various professional certificates and registrations and currently serves on the Board of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). She is well known to the sector as a person of integrity, with a passion for skills development and a commitment to tangible impact.

During her tenure, Ms Starr hopes to retain the high performance and governance standards set by her predecessor, whilst focusing on improving engagement with the sector. Her primary objective is to align skills development support to the current and future skills needs of the sector.

“The most important role that INSETA can play is that of facilitating and supporting a strong relationship between the world of education and the world of work. We need to be a lot closer to the sector to better understand its needs in order to provide the right skills at the right time, that supports business imperatives, and thereby grows the sector and the economy,” said Ms Starr.

“If we are to get this right then we will need to look carefully at our current models and ask very difficult questions about their validity and value to the sector. We would also need to involve the sector in our discussions and plans for the future,” continued Ms Starr.

“I hope I can count on the relationships already built, and those that we will initiate in the future, as we engage and co-craft a more innovative and responsive skills development strategy for the insurance sector,” concluded Ms Starr.

The Board wishes to convey its unequivocal support to Ms Starr and wishes her every success in her new role.

Finally, the Board would like to acknowledge Ms Sandra Dunn for her unwavering commitment to the INSETA, as CEO for the last nine years. The Board thanks Ms Dunn for her improvements in performance and governance during her tenure.

The Board also wishes to thank Ms Tumi Peele, who stepped into the Acting CEO role at the end of Ms Dunn’s contract in September 2018, while the CEO recruitment process was underway.