The division provides brokers with dedicated access to Hollard’s personal lines, and commercial and corporate product range and was responsible for more than R5 billion of Hollard’s premium income in the year to 30 June 2014.
“Omar and Geyer are both well-known within the insurance market. Over the last fifteen months, they have played key leadership roles in establishing Hollard Broker Markets as a leading port of call for brokers looking to place commercial, corporate and personal lines business. Their track record in working together, the complementary nature of their skills and experience, and the vast scope of the opportunity within this important market meant that it made perfect sense to appoint joint MDs. We are especially proud that we are able to make these important appointments from within the Hollard leadership team,” says Nic Kohler, Hollard CEO.
Nash Omar was previously the Managing Director of Etana Insurance, South Africa’s quickest-growing corporate and commercial insurer at the time of its purchase by Hollard in 2014. Omar is a veteran of the insurance industry and was part of the team that started Etana Insurance Company in 2007.
Pierre Geyer joined Hollard in 2005 from Mutual and Federal. He became Managing Director of Hollard’s Select Broker division and a member of the Hollard Executive Committee in 2008.
Hollard Broker Markets, the newest business unit within Hollard, was created when Hollard purchased the Etana Insurance company and merged it with Hollard’s Select Broker, Corporate Markets and Group Schemes businesses and industry-leading Hollard UMA’s Scintilla (Construction and Engineering), Astra (Marine) and FASA (Accident and Health).
“We are all very excited about the future of the Hollard Broker Markets business and I believe that these appointments position us extremely well in terms of reaching our ambitious growth targets in this challenging environment,” continues Kohler.
Hollard simultaneously announced the departure of two long-serving executives, Paolo Cavalieri and Rob Hallier. Cavalieri was Hollard's CEO from 1999 to 2007 and Hallier's CFO over the same period. The two industry veterans will be leaving Hollard at the end of July 2015 to join Itoo Pty Limited on a full-time basis.
Paying tribute to Cavalieri and Hallier, Kohler said “Under Paolo and Rob’s guidance, Hollard grew substantially from a small multi-niche player to a very successful challenger to more established players in the insurance industry. Their establishment of Etana as the fastest growing commercial insurance business in SA from 2007 to 2013 will surely afford them a place in South African insurance folklore.”
