Tobias joins SanlamAllianz Re with more than 18 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance sectors, with a career distinguished by his strategic leadership and commitment to innovative solutions.

As a dual citizen of Germany and France, he has a strong international background that will be invaluable to the company.

Since joining Allianz in 2007, Tobias has held various key positions, most recently as the Head of Global Lines at Allianz Re, a role he held since August 2023.

In this capacity, he successfully managed group reinsurance programs for Allianz Commercial, Allianz Trade and Allianz Partners.

A key part of his work also included leading the integration of AI solutions in reinsurance underwriting.

His tenure at Allianz Re also includes impactful roles as Client Manager and Senior Project Manager, where he developed a standardised and centralised operating model, streamlining Allianz Group’s reinsurance business.

“Tobias brings a deep global experience in the reinsurance space, which is crucial as we continue expanding our SanlamAllianz Re business across the continent. We are confident that his leadership and commitment to innovation will be invaluable to SanlamAllianz Re, our subsidiaries across Africa, and our clients and partners,” said Delphine Traoré, chief executive: General Insurance at SanlamAllianz. “We look forward to his contributions and wish him all the best in his new role.”

Tobias holds a Master of Business Administration from Leuphana University of Lueneburg, Germany, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Leibniz Academy Hanover, Germany. He studied in Germany, Canada and France.

Mr Mota’s appointment follows the departure of the company’s former CEO on 31 May 2024. Mrs Margaret Dawes, Chairperson of Sanlam Angola Seguros’ Board of Directors, has been acting as the interim CEO to ensure business continuity.

“We are delighted to welcome Mr Mota to Sanlam Angola Seguros. His vast experience and proven track record as a strong leader in the Angolan insurance market makes him ideally suited to lead Sanlam Angola Seguros towards further profitable growth and its vision of consistently being one of the leading insurance companies in Angola,” says Mrs Delphine Traoré, chief executive: General Insurance at SanlamAllianz.

“At the same time, we thank Mrs Dawes for her valuable leadership and direction during the transition period leading up to Mr Mota’s appointment,” adds Mrs Traoré.

Mr Mota has 28 years’ management experience in the insurance and banking sector, 13 of which as the CEO of insurance company Fidelidade Angola.

From 1996 to 2010, he held several senior positions at Companhia de Seguros Fidelidade in Portugal.

In 2011, he established Universal Seguros, an insurance company in Angola, which rebranded to Fidelidade Angola in 2017.

Mr Mota holds a BSc degree in Business Administration and a Masters degree in Business Management from the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa.

He is currently busy with his Masters degree in Marketing through the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

This follows the regulatory approvals the Sanlam and Allianz businesses in Ghana obtained recently to merge and rebrand to SanlamAllianz.

The joint venture, which was launched in September 2023, is the leading pan-African non-banking financial services company, which operates in 27 countries across the continent.

The CEOs of the two businesses are Tawiah Ben-Ahmed, chief executive Officer/MD of SanlamAllianz Life Insurance Ghana, and Mabel Nana Nyarkoa Porbley, Chief Executive Officer/MD of SanlamAllianz General Insurance Ghana.

SanlamAllianz’s ambition is to leverage its global and pan-African expertise, and unlock growth in Africa’s high-potential economies, in line with its purpose to empower generations to be financially confident, secure and prosperous. This will be achieved through supporting financial inclusion through innovative, cutting-edge technology and diverse financial services that create shared value for all stakeholders.

Mr Heinie Werth, SanlamAllianz CEO, said:

“Launching the SanlamAllianz brand in Ghana marks a new milestone for us and the broader financial services market and our commitment to doing business in Ghana. It demonstrates our strategy to leverage our expertise to create leading businesses in the economies where we choose to operate and supports our intention to enable access to financial services.”

“The joint venture will also leverage the combined economies of scale of our shareholders, Sanlam and Allianz, as well as greater distribution opportunities, shared knowledge, and existing partnerships in telecommunications and bancassurance to benefit our customers,” Mr Werth added.

The joint venture will operate as SanlamAllianz.

SanlamAllianz’s ambition is to be among the top three players, in both market share and profitability, in the markets where the company will operate.

The joint venture is expected to have a combined group equity value (GEV) of approximately R35 billion.

Retail and corporate clients will benefit from a broader offering of insurance products tailored to their needs as well as best-in-class financial solutions.

Products and services will be available in the markets where one or both companies currently operate. Namibia will be included at a later stage, while South Africa is excluded from the agreement.

“We are confident that SanlamAllianz will create significant value for clients, shareholders and other stakeholders. The combined expertise and resources of our respective companies will enable us to provide innovative solutions and services to meet the ever-evolving needs of our clients on the African continent,” stated Sanlam group’s chief executive officer, Mr Paul Hanratty.

Mr Christopher Townsend, board member of Allianz SE, commented: “SanlamAllianz has the capability to gain leadership positions in all key markets in both general insurance and life segments. With this powerful partnership, we want to unlock the potential of multiple fast growing African markets and access a wider range of customers, particularly in the corporate segment. Allianz is deepening its commitment to the vibrant continent and is building on our 100-year legacy here.” 

The priorities of SanlamAllianz are to:

• Drive financial inclusion, focusing on the number of lives touched, by providing greater access to products and services through digital innovation; and leveraging their telecommunications and bancassurance partnerships to create new opportunities across the Africa region;

• Provide the best of two leading multinational brands with enhanced offerings in property and casualty as well as life insurance offerings through innovation and the additional capabilities enabled by greater economies of scale; and

• Grow the life and general insurance businesses through product, service and distribution innovation.

“The joint venture marks a significant step forward in further implementing Sanlam group’s strategy that we have pursued over the past few years. Opportunities to improve insurance penetration in Africa abound for those with the right combination of financial strength, scale, new technology and a tangible commitment to the customer. We believe that SanlamAllianz has all the ingredients to succeed on this new journey,” said Mr Hanratty.

Mr Heinie Werth, the current CEO of Sanlam Emerging Markets, has been appointed as the CEO of SanlamAllianz. In a career spanning 25 years at Sanlam, Mr Werth has held various executive positions within the group, including that of finance director.