We're looking for a Head of Complex Commercial Underwriting.
Reporting to the Executive Head: Commercial & Personal, with a dotted reporting line to the Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO), this role provides strategic leadership, technical underwriting direction, and portfolio stewardship across Hollard Insure's largest and most complex commercial risks. You'll play a pivotal role in shaping underwriting strategy, strengthening portfolio performance, safeguarding risk appetite, and ensuring sustainable profitable growth across the business.What you'll be trusted to own
This is more than a senior underwriting leadership role.
It's about setting the direction for complex commercial underwriting, balancing distribution ambitions with underwriting discipline, and ensuring every decision supports sustainable growth, profitability, and long-term portfolio resilience.
You'll make your mark by:
Leading the Complex Commercial underwriting strategy across Property, Liability, Engineering and other large commercial risks.
Turning strategy into clear portfolio plans, underwriting priorities and team deliverables.
Driving profitable growth against loss ratio, expense ratio, COR and return-on-capital targets.
Setting strong underwriting standards across risk selection, pricing, authorities, referrals and governance.
Building trusted broker and client relationships, while partnering with actuarial, claims, reinsurance, pricing and data teams.
Leading portfolio improvements and developing a high-performing team that values accountability, technical excellence and continuous improvement.
Required Knowledge and Experience
What you'll bring
A reputation for combining technical underwriting expertise with strategic leadership, strong commercial judgement, and the ability to deliver sustainable portfolio performance in a highly complex environment.
10+ years' Commercial Lines underwriting experience, with at least 5 years leading at a senior level.
The technical confidence to navigate large, complex and unusual commercial risks.
A sharp eye for portfolio performance, pricing, governance, reinsurance and risk appetite.
Strong broker relationships and the judgement to pursue the right growth, not growth at any cost.
A data-led approach to decision-making and a sound understanding of South African insurance regulation.
A proven ability to grow technically strong teams that take ownership and keep raising the bar.
Educational Requirements
Bachelor's / Honours Degree in Insurance, Risk Management, Actuarial Science, or a related field.