Santam, South Africa’s largest short-term insurer, has announced a strategic branding alignment of its specialist businesses, that will see various well-known entities in insurance unified under one brand umbrella, to streamline operations and amplify the group’s market presence across Africa and beyond.

Gareth Beaver, the CEO of Santam Specialist Solutions (SSS) said the alignment is the natural next step in the evolution of a specialist portfolio that has grown significantly over time.

“Each of these sub-brands has carved out a distinct space in the market.  They are known for their technical expertise, deep client insight and specialist focus. Their success, however, was not achieved alone.  It was built on a strong partnership with Santam, whose financial strength and national footprint provided the resilience and support needed to thrive, even in times of crisis.,” he said.

By adopting a single, cohesive identity, the SSS business is reinforcing its position as a market leading risk specialist offering products and expertise, backed by the strength of Santam’s 107-year-old legacy.

The SSS business insures a range of large, medium and small complex risks across a wide spectrum of industries in Africa, India, Southeast Asia and other emerging markets. It offers expert technical underwriting in a range of insurance classes that include agriculture, corporate property, casualty, travel, specialist motor & transport, accident & health, aviation, and marine sectors, among others. It is also responsible for executing opportunities flowing from the Pan-African partnership with SanlamAllianz.

“We’re simply bringing together our teams under a single brand, a common purpose and vision, a client commitment to integrated specialist risk solutions, while also preserving the specialist capabilities that define our value proposition,” explained Beaver.

The transition will formally take effect in the final quarter of 2025, and will involve rebranding of the following five specialist business units:

• Emerald Risk Transfer
• Mirabilis Engineering Specialists
• SHA Risk Specialists
• Travel Insurance Consultants (TIC)
• Vulindlela Underwriting Managers (VUM)

This strategic brand alignment initiative was informed by lessons learned over a period of significant disruption.

“From the uncertainty of a global pandemic to the devastation of floods and riots, our specialist businesses were tested. Santam brought the scale and solvency, while our specialists brought the grit and insight. Together, we stood by our brokers and our clients,” said Beaver.

He added that while the look and feel of the brands will change, the realignment will be seamless for brokers and clients.

“There will be no changes to service team personnel, underwriter and claim teams authority and mandates, operational processes IT systems or points of contact, you will have the same teams and the same trusted relationships. What’s changing is how we show up – with greater cohesion and purpose. This, however, is not just a name change. It’s about consolidating our expertise and presenting a single, more powerful specialist proposition: Santam Specialist Solutions,” said Beaver.

The brand realignment will see the five businesses rebranded and named as:

• Emerald Risk Transfer – to – Santam Corporate Property
• Mirabilis Engineering Specialists – to –Santam Construction & Engineering
• SHA Risk Specialists – to – Santam Casualty; Accident & Health and Motor Fleets
• Travel Insurance Consultants (TIC) – to – Santam Travel Insurance
• Vulindlela Underwriting Managers (VUM) – to - Santam Emerging Business

“This alignment is about making it easier for our partners to do business with us. It reflects our confidence in the future, and our continued commitment to delivering expert, responsive and tailored support, backed by the strength of Santam,” said Beaver.