RGA SA appoints Cliff Jooste as Chief Underwriter

RGA Reinsurance Company of South Africa Limited (RGA), the only dedicated life reinsurer in South Africa, has announced that Cliff Jooste (pictured right) has been appointed as Chief Underwriter. Jooste joins RGA South Africa from RGA’s operation in India, where he held the position of Chief Underwriter and Head of Underwriting and Claims for the last 4 years.

Jooste has over 22 years of experience in the life insurance industry. He entered the market in 1984 with Standard Bank and Liberty Life and was later the Head of the Underwriting and Product Development Department at Gerling Global for nine years, before joining RGA South Africa in 1999 as Team Leader and Underwriting Manager. In 2003, Jooste moved over to work on RGA’s India initiative, operating from RGA’s offices in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“RGA has traditionally maintained a strong business focus on underwriting, a key element of life reinsurance business,” says Jooste. “My experience in the developing and growing market in India has given me a broader view of how to develop insurance business through product development. The Indian economy is growing by between 8% and 9% per annum, so there is great deal of pressure placed on growth and the need for new products. While the South African market is more mature and consolidated, with lots of product innovation the thought processes and mind-set required for the Indian market will assist me in my new role in South Africa.”

“We at RGA South Africa would like to welcome Cliff back to the local team and we are looking forward to seeing what his wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise will bring to our local underwriting team”, says Conrad Backeberg, Managing Director, RGA South Africa. “The core of the underwriting team at RGA is well-established and stable due to the continued involvement of non-Executive Director, Oscar Smith , who has been involved with the department since our introduction to the local market in 1999. Cliff will now add a new dimension to the underwriting team, ensuring that RGA remains at the forefront of reinsurance product and service innovation, as we benefit immensely from his vast experience”, he concludes.

“Following the commencement of my new role we look forward to building on the strength of the RGA underwriting team and concentrating on our core competencies to meet our clients’ needs”, says Jooste. “With the experience carried across from the Indian market, our underwriting team offers a blend of local expertise and international experience that will complement RGA’s hands-on style of doing business,” he concludes.