Santam Names Curt Meyer to Lead Pan-Africa Expansion

In Short

• Santam appointed Curt Meyer as Executive Head of Pan-Africa and International in Santam Specialist Solutions.
• The new role is focused on growth outside South Africa, including parts of Africa, the Middle East, India, and South-East Asia.
• Santam says it wants international operations to contribute 30% of total GWP growth by 2030.

What Happened

Santam has created a new senior role to push its expansion beyond South Africa. Curt Meyer has been appointed Executive Head of Pan-Africa and International within the specialist business unit.

The unit, Santam Specialist Solutions, handles more complex insurance lines like construction, engineering, marine, and corporate property. These are often used by larger firms, brokers, and cross-border projects.

Santam said the role will focus on diversification and growth in selected Pan-African and international markets. The company highlighted the Middle East, India, and South-East Asia as priority regions.

Meyer has more than 20 years of insurance experience. He previously led Mirabilis Engineering Insurance Specialists, which was Santam’s construction and engineering insurance division, before it was merged into the group. Most recently, he ran corporate property, construction and engineering, and marine within Santam Specialist Solutions.

He also pointed to supporting Santam’s GIFT City office in India and work through its collaboration with Sanlam and Allianz.

Why It Matters

For African insurers, growth outside the home market often depends on specialist products and partnerships, not mass retail insurance. This appointment signals Santam is prioritising cross-border corporate risk coverage, which can follow African companies as they expand.

Santam’s interim results for the period ended 30 June 2026 showed outside-South-Africa gross written premium growth contributed 23% of total GWP, up from 20% a year earlier. GWP is the total value of insurance premiums written before deductions, which is a common way insurers track top-line growth.

If Santam hits its 2030 target, it could reshape how the group allocates capital and talent across Africa and into Asian markets.