General Manager – Underwriting & Reinsurance at Old Mutual Kenya

Job Summary

• The General Manager – Underwriting & Reinsurance, oversees the company’s technical results. This will cut across Underwriting management, Reinsurance management, Customer service and general departmental operations.
• The role sets and enforces underwriting strategy, pricing and risk appetite across all non-life classes, and designs and places a reinsurance programme that protects capital and earnings at an efficient cost. Oversee retention of the business and ensure renewal budget, specialty and facultative budget is achieved.
• As an ExCo member, the role shapes company strategy and ensures profitable growth stays within the Board-approved risk appetite, Group technical standards, and the requirements of the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) under the Insurance Act (Cap 487).

Key Task & Responsibilities

Strategy and executive leadership (15%).

• Contribute to company strategy as an ExCo member and translate it into a three-year underwriting and reinsurance plan.
• Define target portfolio mix by class, channel and segment, with growth and profitability targets for each.
• Lead the technical input into the annual business plan, budget and capital plan.
• Represent underwriting and reinsurance at Board committee meetings. 

Underwriting management (25%)

• Set the underwriting policy, guidelines and risk appetite for every class, and keep them current.
• Oversee acceptance of large, complex and non-standard risks within delegated authority.
• Maintain a tiered authority framework for underwriters, brokers, agents and bancassurance partners, with regular audit of its use.
• Drive portfolio remediation: re-price, re-underwrite or exit loss-making segments and accounts.
• Ensure accurate risk surveys, risk engineering and loss-prevention support for commercial and corporate clients.

Pricing and portfolio performance (15%)

• Own technical pricing and rating models for all classes, working with Actuarial.
• Monitor loss ratios, combined ratios, rate adequacy and premium leakage monthly, and act on adverse trends.
• Work with Claims on claims-cost insight, reserving trends and fraud patterns that affect pricing.
• Approve new products and product changes, including filing with the IRA where required.

Reinsurance (25%)

• Design the annual reinsurance programme (treaty and facultative) to fit risk appetite, capital and Group guidelines.
• Lead renewal negotiations with brokers, reinsurers and Group reinsurance, and secure Board approval of the programme.
• Ensure compliance with statutory cessions and local-placement rules, and file treaty arrangements with the IRA on time.
• Manage reinsurer security: counterparty ratings, concentration limits and credit exposure.
• Oversee reinsurance accounting, bordereaux, recoveries and reconciliation with Finance, keeping reinsurance debtors within target.
• Model catastrophe and accumulation exposure (such as flood, political violence and aggregates) and buy protection to match.

 Risk, compliance and governance (10%)

• Keep underwriting and reinsurance within IRA requirements, Group standards and internal policy.
• Support risk-based capital, IFRS 17 and ORSA processes with accurate technical data and assumptions.
• Maintain underwriting risk registers, controls and audit action plans, closing findings on time.
• Uphold Treating Customers Fairly, AML/CFT and sanctions screening in the underwriting process.

People and capability (10%)

• Lead, develop and retain a high-performing technical team, with clear succession for each key role.
• Build technical depth through professional qualifications (CII, IIK), training and structured delegated-authority growth.
• Champion data, automation and digital underwriting tools that improve speed, accuracy and customer experience.
• Champion Old Mutual’s purpose, values, and victory condition across the organization, shaping culture and behavior.

Skills & Competencies

• People management – manage staff and provide leadership to deliver results.
• Manages Complexity – Handle complex and demanding challenges.
• Builds Effective Teams – Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.
• Ensures Accountability – Holding self and others accountable for meeting commitments.
• Business Insight – Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization’s goals.
• Strategic Vision – Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
• Drives Results – Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Customer Focus – Provides cautious, timely and helpful service to encourage client loyalty.
• Engage & Inspire – Creating a climate in which people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.
• Cultivates Innovation – Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
• Develop Talent – Developing people to meet both their career goals and the organization’s goals.
• Technical capabilities. providing guidance and making informed decisions on complex and technical matters.

Knowledge & Experience

• Good knowledge in all General insurance products.
• Good technical knowledge in underwriting and Reinsurance.
• Good communication skills.
• Current in political and social affairs.
• Computer literate.
• Diplomacy and tact.
• Honesty and Integrity.
• Good assessment and analytical skills.
• Ability to interact at all levels.

 Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• MBA degree (Added advantage).
• ACII.
• 10 years’ experience,5 in Top Management.