11 minute read
INTERVIEW WITH YOLANDÉ VAN NIEKERK, CEO
IBILITI UNDERWRITING MANAGERS
INTERVIEW WITH YOLANDÉ VAN NIEKERK, CEO
Ibiliti Underwriting Managers provides short-term insurance products and services to small- and medium-sized businesses in South Africa. Our vision is to deliver practical and creative solutions to our business partners that will enable them to remain competitive and successful in a complex world.
HOW HAVE YOU IMPLEMENTED GENDER- DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORKPLACE?
We embrace our femininity and do business in an authentic way. We believe that women infuse the business world with a gentler and heart-centred energy. We always strive to embody the feminine qualities of compassion, empathy, and friendliness.
HOW HAS GENDER EMPOWERMENT STRENGTHENED YOUR ORGANISATION?
Women value cooperation and collaboration. These two abilities or vital skills in the new world of work, which are also the essence of femaleled businesses, have enabled us to build a healthy and strong company. Because we recognise and value one another’s strengths, we are a formidable team that has each other’s back. Contrary to popular belief, women can work together and do so with great success. Our feminine approach also has an enormous impact on how we are perceived in the market and the kind of quality clients that we attract.
WHAT ARE THE CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS IN YOUR SECTOR?
Human intellectual capital capacity building: Without talented, skilled staff, businesses have little hope for the future.
Data collection and activation: The right data helps to understand customer needs better so that businesses can offer customised advice, cover, and tailored pricing.
Digitisation: Insurance companies are adopting digital strategies for savings and efficiency, as well as increased customer satisfaction.
AI: The specialised functions of AI and machine learning assist in preventing fraud and money laundering. Underwriting and pricing are also set to be overhauled by using this transversal tech.
Blockchain: It enables the creation of a digital ledger that cannot be altered. Using this technology, insurers can reduce the administrative costs that come with reviewing claims and checking payments made by third parties.
WHAT TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS ARE YOU USING IN YOUR ORGANISATION TO KEEP IN LINE WITH THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (4IR)?
At Ibiliti we use:
• Real-time video and collaboration platforms that enable us to eliminate delays and reduce the number of onsite visits in the case of a claim.
• Our desktop technicians use streaming services during quoting, inspections, or service calls to improve the quality and timelines of the triage process.
• Seamless insurance web-based software, real-time portfolio management tools as well as online training and support make it possible for us to work from anywhere in the world on as many devices as we please. This ability makes quoting, policy conversion, and amendments easy, and receiving claims notification in real time a reality.
• Our insurance business partners have access to their monthly reports and portfolio information in real time.
HOW ARE YOU USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO CREATE MORE BUSINESS?
We use our social media platforms – Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and GooglePlus - to educate our audience on insurance-related topics, inform them of the latest news and regulations, and inspire them to be their best and live on purpose. We believe that by sharing quality content regularly, we build our brand and subtly yet authentically create awareness of who we truly are and by doing so attract our ideal audience into our inner circle. Our colourful, mindful, and valuable posts tell the story of Ibiliti and its ‘ibiliti’ to make magic.
HOW ARE YOU INTEGRATING THE DRIVE FOR SUSTAINABILITY INTO YOUR ORGANISATION?
Sustainability is one of the core values that underpins our brand. We believe that sustainability starts with being human by building lasting relationships through trust, competence, care, and responsibility. Sustainability is also built into our product offering as we strive to offer solutions that will stand the test of time instead of merely fly-by-night products. We also assist our clients, through regularly analysing our data, to manage their portfolios to remain at a certain level so that they survive and thrive in challenging times. When it comes to environmental sustainability, we are nearly 100% paperless.
WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON DOING BUSINESS IN AFRICA?
Africa offers numerous opportunities and is rich with talented and gifted people who deserve a chance to show their metal and become financially independent.
We believe that Africa and its people can truly change the narrative and inspire a new history. For us at the moment, home is where the heart is. We love our sunny Mzansi and have not yet ventured beyond our country’s borders. We do, however, insure South African businesses with assets in neighbouring countries, and are always curious about chances for expansion.
WHAT SKILLS DO YOU THINK LEADERS OF THE FUTURE ARE GOING TO NEED?
• Creative thinking
• Emotional intelligence
• Social consciousness
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Communication and coordination skills
• Resilience and tolerance to stress
• Active learning, curiosity, and a growth mindset
• Social maturity
• Mindfulness and human consciousness
• Tech-savvy
• Judgement and decision-making competencies
• Critical thinking and reasoning
• Complex problem-solving
• Negotiating
WHICH FEMALE LEADERS INSPIRE YOU THE MOST, AND WHY?
Female leaders who live on purpose and follow a heart-centred approach inspire me. Not ignoring your intuition, going with the flow instead of always against it, showing compassion, working together instead of always competing against one another, are all qualities that I associate with the feminine way of doing business. Margaret Hirsch, executive director of Hirsch’s, is a female leader that truly embodies all these qualities for me. She is strong yet gentle, ambitious yet humble, and cares for her fellow human beings, and especially about empowering women.
ACHIEVEMENTS
• Started Ibiliti Underwriting Managers in 2011.
• Ibiliti Underwriting Managers is one of the few female-owned or femalemanaged underwriting agencies in South Africa.
• We represent Mutual & Federal Risk Financing Limited, which is part of Old Mutual, one of the largest insurers in the country.
• Ibiliti was first appointed by the South African Bus Operators Association (SABOA) on 1 December 2014 as their official insurance provider.
• In 2022, we reached the milestone of successfully running a femaleowned business in the insurance industry for ten years.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES
• Serving on the Council of the South African Bus Operators (SABOA).
• As the official insurance provider of SABOA, we provide their members with customised risk management and insurance solutions.
GENDER POLICIES-We offer flexible work-from-home opportunities, maternity and paternity leave, as well as always-on technical and vital skills training.
FIVE TIPS ON SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN BUSINESS
• Develop your decision-making skills. Decisiveness in business is an important part of running your own business. Trust yourself and trust your gut.
• Build certainty by owning and believing in what you do. Transactions happen where there is the most certainty.
• Actions speak louder than words. Tell the world what you want to do but first show it.
• Trust yourself and be true to your nature so that others can trust you. Trust in all relationships accelerates transactions.
• Develop your higher faculties by developing objectivity, intuition, will, reason, memory, and imagination.
The human face of insurance
CONTACT DETAILS
PHONE010 590 5511
POSTAL ADDRESSPostnet Suite 984, Private Bag X153,Bryanston, 2021
PHYSICAL ADDRESSUnit 9 The Straight Ave, Pine Slopes,Sandton, 2194
WEBSITEwww.ibiliti.co.za
You will have to search high and low to find a more colourful logo in the world of underwriting managers and short-term insurers.
Picking seven vibrant colours and creating a brand that attracts attention and sparks the imagination is not something that many businesses in the financial services industry do.
But we are different and like to go about our day with a touch of charm. The seven bright colours were consciously and deliberately chosen to tell the story of our creative approach to everything we do and to visually demonstrate our magic-making abilities underpinned by our values: Possibiliti, Capabiliti, Flexibiliti, Profitibiliti, Responsibiliti, Sustainibiliti, Credibiliti, and Adaptibiliti.
Our colours reach far beyond the confines of our logo. When you get to know Ibiliti Underwriting Managers and our employees better, you realise we genuinely embody our colours. There is nothing dull about the way we do business.
BACK TO MAGIC
But back to magic: Our top woman, Yolandé van Niekerk, aka the Chief Executive Officer of Ibiliti Underwriting Managers (better known as the Cute Efficient Oracle) believes in magic and regularly waves her wand to develop products and services that enchant and transform to serve our customers in better ways. She is a seasoned entrepreneur who has co-founded five businesses in the short-term insurance industry.
Be assured that there is nothing airy-fairy about the way we do business. Our strength lies in our ability to adapt to the times, adopt new technologies, and infuse everything we do with much heart and feminine wisdom by honouring our values. We are also pretty good at enabling and supporting our brokers by being human and placing ourselves in their shoes. This is evident as Ibiliti Underwriting Managers has served our customers for ten years in the short-term insurance space.
We believe that empathy and understanding expand beyond fancy algorithms and that doing business without the human component will lead to failure. It is tough to replace specialist interaction and human understanding, and therefore Ibiliti continually reinforces the role of professional insurance brokers who are experts in their fields.
OUR FLAGSHIP PRODUCTS
Our products also show how much we care.
We understand the debilitating effect unexpected excess payments can have on a business’ cash flow, in the event of a claim. This is exactly what motivated us to innovate our Excess Cover to empower companies to buy down those often-substantial insurance excesses. Best of all, this is a standalone product.
Every business in our Rainbow Nation is different and often mainstream insurers do not cater for their needs. We provide one simple business insurance solution that is easy to understand, adaptable, and designed to cover South African business owners who fall within a low-risk category. Our solution is ideal for professionals, businesses in the hospitality sector, retailers, restaurants, photographers, offices, and mobile businesses.
We also have profound respect for the work that bus and coach operators do by carrying our country’s most precious cargo… our people! Which is why we asked ourselves: “How can we help you?” It is not just a matter of getting a vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible, but the responsibility to act immediately in the case of emergencies weighs heavily on all parties involved. This is a comprehensive insurance solution for all types of bus operators to overcome the risk they face in the passenger transport industry.
FEMININE ENERGY IN OUR BUSINESS
We believe that women infuse the business world with a gentler and heart-centred energy. It is not only something that the business world desperately needs but also society and the world at large. We also constantly strive to embody the feminine qualities of compassion, kindness, and friendliness.
DOING GOOD
A good dose of love is always part and parcel of everything we do. So, living from the heart is a way of being at Ibiliti. Every client is treated with the utmost respect, understanding, and empathy. When it comes to our communities, we make differences in small ways but with big hearts.
IN CLOSING
Doing business in South Africa has its challenges, but at Ibiliti, we have always found a way to make it work and turn grey situations into colourful events. You should definitely try it too!
IBILITI CONTACT
PHONE 010 590 5511
POSTAL ADDRESS Postnet Suite 984, Private Bag X153, Bryanston, 2021
PHYSICAL ADDRESS Unit 9 The Straight Ave, Pine Slopes, Sandton, 2194
