Career Pathways, Cultural Insights, and Leadership in Insurance

Tony speaks with Dan Moeti, Executive Head of Business Development at Hollard Group Risk, whose remarkable career journey spans brokerage, large corporate insurance, aviation risk, and executive leadership roles across Africa. Dan reflects on growing up in the Free State, pursuing extensive academic qualifications, including an MBA focused on risk management, and building deep technical and leadership expertise across multiple sectors.

Dan offers invaluable insight into how working across distribution, underwriting, and the public sector has shaped his holistic approach to insurance. Having led sales teams across multiple African markets, he speaks candidly about the importance of cultural intelligence, the ability to listen deeply, and adjusting one’s approach to diverse clients and environments.

A major focus of the discussion is the critical role of group risk in South Africa, especially in protecting families who cannot afford individual cover. Dan breaks down why education remains a major gap, many employees don’t fully understand the benefits they have, and how insurers, brokers and employers must collaborate to improve awareness and financial resilience.

His leadership philosophy is refreshingly human: co-create with your team, avoid autocracy, empower people to think, and never spoon-feed. Dan also shares advice for aspiring professionals, study the technical foundations, pursue continuous learning, seek opportunities proactively, and never wait for someone to “pull you up.”

This episode is rich with thoughtful insights on people, risk, culture, and the future of insurance, making it essential listening for industry professionals and emerging leaders alike.

Key points

• Understanding the distribution mindset helps insurers support brokers more effectively.
• Cultural intelligence is vital when working across African markets.
• Group risk is essential for affordability and financial protection for South African families.
• There is a major education gap: many employees don’t realise what benefits they have.
• Dan’s leadership style centres on co-creation, empowerment, and accountability—not autocracy.
• Young professionals must study, pursue technical expertise, and proactively seek opportunities.
• Collaboration between insurers, brokers, and employers is crucial for better outcomes.