Guardrisk’s Financial Director, Lourens Botha, will take over the reigns as CEO in September 2023, when Herman Schoeman retires after more than two decades at the helm of South Africa’s leading cell captive insurer. 

Botha joined Guardrisk as Financial Director in 2008 and was a member of the executive team that steered the Group through a shareholder change in 2014, when Momentum Metropolitan Holdings (known then as MMI Holdings) acquired the business for R1.6 billion – the shareholder’s value has since grown to R4.6 billion. 

With more than 20 years’ experience in the financial and insurance sectors, Botha is well-known and respected in the industry. His qualifications include a BCompt Hons, Chartered Accountant (SA) and Chartered Management Accountant; and he recently completed his Advanced Management and Leadership programme at the University of Oxford.

Botha was appointed after a thorough selection process between a shortlist of candidates, representing a diverse group of internal and external candidates. 

Congratulating his successor, Schoeman said, “This is a great outcome for the business. Lourens knows the business inside out and there is no doubt that he is the right man to steer it to greater heights in the future”. 

“I am excited to be heading the incredible Guardrisk team as we enter the next chapter of the Guardrisk story, with our Guardrisk General Insurance and LAUNCHPAD initiatives leading the way,” said Botha, adding that he is “humbled by the appointment”. 

Guardrisk General Insurance spearheads Guardrisk’s foray into the conventional corporate and commercial, and specialist lines insurance space; while LAUNCHPAD enables insurtech scale-ups that solve specific service or core processes in insurance value chain; or providing end-to-end specialised insurance products.

Botha’s appointment comes into effect on 1 September 2023 when Schoeman will step down as CEO.