Africa’s largest non-banking financial services group, Sanlam, has appointed  Mariska Oosthuizen as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Oosthuizen’s appointment builds on the group’s already-strong female representation at an executive leadership level.  

An accomplished and awarded creative brand strategist and integrated marketing specialist, Oosthuizen brings over two decades of knowledge and experience to her new role. With Sanlam being on a rapid journey to becoming digitally-led, Oosthuizen will be responsible for driving groupwide brand and marketing efforts that will play a critical role in delivering on the group’s purpose to empower generations of Africans to live with confidence.    

Following her appointment, Oosthuizen has led the group in using technology to drive financial education with the brand’s most recent, LI:FE of Confidence campaign, using a first-of-a-kind meta-human to help South Africans think about their financial lives differently. She will also spearhead the group's strategic expansion into untapped markets, where the transformative power of fintech can play a pivotal role in creating innovative solutions for Africans.  

Commenting on Oosthuizen’s promotion, Chief Executive of Sanlam Fintech, Riaan van Dyk, said “During Mariska’s time as Head of Brand for the Sanlam Group, the business witnessed her excel at leading cross-functional teams, and deliver impactful and results-driven campaigns. We look forward to seeing Mariska lead our group’s marketing efforts to new heights with her forward-thinking, and ability to work collaboratively across all levels of the organisation.”