As the Programme and Client Relationship Manager for a strategic project at a prominent Cape Town-based real estate company, I am currently tasked with implementing a new property management and finance reporting system. This pivotal role requires me to liaise with the executive and operations team, furnish design recommendations, devise business processes, and report on delivery progress. I am also responsible for cultivating strong relationships with stakeholders while spearheading a team to ensure successful project delivery.

In my role, I was the lead analyst, responsible for determining the detailed requirements for various strategic features across banking, insurance, and lending products, which included elements like money transfer, virtual card, value-added services add-ons, branch account funding, and revolving loans.My key duties encompassed collaborating with stakeholders across the organisation to reach a consensus on product requirements. I was also responsible for documenting these requirements and presenting them to a cross-functional team, with the aim of agreeing on an implementation strategy grounded in agile principles and a minimal viable product approach. Furthermore, I monitored customer adoption and designed any necessary product refinements.

In my role, I was tasked with defining product and business rules for the launch of a new risk product set. This involved working closely with the actuarial team to understand new product requirements and integrate these into both frontend and backend user interfaces, with the goal of creating a seamless customer and servicing experience. I also developed processes and ensured successful integration across all existing business units, focusing particularly on policy servicing.My key responsibilities encompassed developing business processes and facilitating solution-oriented discussions about requirements with external stakeholders, including TATA Consulting Services India, Saratoga, E.O.H, and Native. These discussions considered insurance best practices, group processes, system testing, and relevant regulatory requirement considerations.

Responsible for the implementation of a new Retirement Fund Distribution Model with a focus on changing customer retirement behaviour and driving customer retention while educating customers on the Retirement Benefits Amendment Bill.Key responsibilities included the development and rollout of an online reporting dashboard to bridge Old Mutual’s Retail and Corporate businesses. Negotiating access agreements with Old Mutual Corporate clients (often C Suite executives and senior management of top 100 JSE listed companies). Ensuring support from National, Regional and Area management across Old Mutual’s Retail and Corporate businesses to deliver advice services to clients.

Responsible for the implementation of projects in the Insurance sector using subject matter expertise, data analytics and customer experience insights. Assisted in creating a new data analytics team and identified areas where data could be used to gain deeper customer insights. Projects included the redesign of the customer experience for servicing across the Liberty Life with a focus on leveraging capabilities across the organisation and assisting Sanlam Sky with insights and guidance on the implementation of a digital application tool into their tied distribution force.Key Responsibilities included business development to assist BSG grow their penetration into the Insurance industry.

Responsible for the management and implementation of a first to market savings product set (2-IN-ONE SAVINGS PLAN) and new Funeral Product range into the mass market. Project managed more than 70 resources with a R20 million project budget. Was responsible for the full product lifecycle, including but not limited to, product development, legal & compliance, operations, money collections, policy servicing, marketing, IT, training and change management.Key responsibilities included overall project management, business solution design, overseeing the new business processes and delivering the business case. It included the assessment of multiple IT platforms for policy administration and investments e.g. TIA, OIPA, ThoughtExpress, Traderoot.

Responsible for the delivery of numerous project steams focused on implementing a new start-up business in Nigeria. Managed a team of four actuaries in the development of multiple products and worked with the Chief Actuary to get the product approval and included the management of the reinsurance agreements. Collaborated with the Nigerian Insurance Regulator to introduce Old Mutual and present the Old Mutual launch strategy.Key responsibilities included the legal and corporate secretarial work for the successful incorporation of new companies, trademarks and other regulatory requirements, project managing the property design and build team of the new physical office space as well as ensuring consistency in branding and that health and safety compliance was achieved at the new sites.

Project: Mutual & Federal Claims Procurement TransformationResponsible for developing a business case and strategy to consolidate spending to more favourable contracts and identification of new savings opportunities. This was done using the spend data across the Personal Line claims and procurement business.Project: Mutual & Federal Start-up Business Implementation - Project OfficeLed the Project Management Office (PMO) with implementing a new Direct Short Term Insurance business and facilitated user acceptance testing of the Short Term Insurance Administration platform (TIA). Worked alongside the programme manager and sponsor and test manager to implement project management controls across the project. This included progress tracking, change controls and scope management.Project: Santam Procurement TransformationResponsible for redesigning the procurement business and re-engineering procurement processes to support insurance claims with a view of improving the customer experience and delivering a cost effective claims settlement process. The role included the evaluation and short listing of suppliers for a new procurement and contract management software solution.

Responsible for the analysis and design of the to-be business processes for a new commodities trading system. This included the development of a detailed functional system specification to track commodities through the various stages of the financing cycle. I worked with a team of developers and assisted in the testing and deployment of the new system including an interim application to allow the uploading and downloading of client data for use in remote locations.