Sanlam Group announces three new senior appointments
Ms Lulu Letlape
Ms Siobhan McCarthy
The Sanlam group today announced the appointments of three new business unit heads: Ms Lulu Letlape as Group Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr Basil Forbes as Group Head of Market Intelligence and Ms Siobhan McCarthy as Head of Group Communications.
“We are extremely pleased with the appointments of Lulu, Basil and Siobhan as we believe they will add significant value and expertise to the business and to our dynamic leadership team,” says Dr Yvonne Muthien, Chief Executive of Sanlam Group Services which oversees functions such as legal and compliance, corporate affairs, market intelligence, policy analysis, shared services and marketing.
Letlape, who joined the group on 1 July, is based in Hyde Park, Johannesburg and is responsible for the communications, sustainability, corporate social investments and public affairs divisions. Prior to joining Sanlam, she most recently held the position of Executive Director of Corporate Affairs at Mercedes-Benz SA, where she provided strategic functional leadership at EXCO and Board level and managed stakeholder relationships in addition to serving as the Chair of the Transformation Forum. Prior to this, she was Group Executive of Corporate Communications at Telkom, Director of Celebrity Services Africa, CEO of World Vision South Africa, Senior Manager at the Telkom Foundation and Public Relations Manager at the Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency. She holds numerous degrees and postgraduate qualifications, including a Bachelor in Education from the University of Natal, a Masters Degree in Public & Development Management from Wits as well as Global Executive Leadership Certificates from the Aspen Institute Colorado and IMD Switzerland.
Forbes’ role as Group Head of Market Intelligence, the group’s research and insights division, will aim to strengthen Sanlam’s position as a market leader. Before joining Sanlam on September 1, Forbes held the position of Southern Africa Area Head of Strategy and Portfolio Management for British American Tobacco (BAT). His accountabilities included the Strategy & Budget Cycle, Risk Management and formed part of the BAT Africa Middle East regional strategy leadership team. Prior to this, he was the CRM and Insurance Lead for IBM Business Consulting Services for Africa Middle East focussing on strategy and transformation. He started his consulting career at Andersen Consulting / Accenture and was consequently employed by Sanlam and Old Mutual. He holds a Master of Science in Chemistry from Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts and an Honours degree in Pharmacology from the UCT.
McCarthy, who also joined on 1 September, is responsible for corporate communication and reputation management. She most recently held the position of Chief Director: Communications for the Department of Home Affairs. As the Head of Communications, she was a member of the Executive Committee (chaired by the Director-General) and the Executive Management Committee (chaired by the Minister) and was also the primary spokesperson for the department. McCarthy also served as Acting Head of Communications for Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority. She worked for Simeka TWS Communications as an Account Director and before that owned an events management company. She holds a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in medical microbiology from the University of Leeds in the UK and has completed the Programme of entrepreneurship at Stellenbosch University, Principles of Business and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand and the Leadership development programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, where she has also just completed her Masters in Business Administration.
