Business Unit Head: Affinity - Johannesburg, South Africa

Business Unit Head: Affinity - Johannesburg, South Africa

Business Unit Head - Affinity

Aon South Africa is seeking a Business Unit Head - Affinity, working on a hybrid schedule, from our Head Office in Sandton.

The Business Unit Head Affinity leads all aspects of the Affinity Personal Lines business unit in South Africa. This includes developing and implementing the growth strategy, managing the business unit P&L, and delivering outstanding client experience across all channels and partners. The role provides inclusive leadership to multi-disciplinary teams, coordinates product, binder, and sales activities, and serves as FAIS Key Individual responsible for regulatory compliance, risk management, and strong operating controls.

Aon is in the business of better decisions

At Aon, we build decisions for the better to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world.

As an organization, we are united through trust as one inclusive team, and we are passionate about helping our colleagues and clients succeed.

What the day will look like:

Strategy, Growth and Profit & Loss / Financial Ownership

Manage the Affinity Personal Lines strategy and business plan for South Africa, aligned to Aons EMEA and global strategy.

Take complete responsibility for the business unit's Profit & Loss (P&L), encompassing revenue growth, profitability, and expense control.

Manage the annual budget preparation for the business unit (revenue, expense and headcount planning).

Provide strategic direction and oversight for sales activity within the unit; set sales targets, supervise pipeline and performance, and drive corrective actions where required.

Monitor financial performance against budget and forecasts, taking proactive action to protect profitability and support balanced growth.

Identify and complete growth opportunities (e.g. new partners/programmes, crosssell/upsell, digital distribution, whitelabel partnerships).

Manage portfolio performance, including loss ratios, retention and insurer panel strategy.

Client Leadership

Act as senior sponsor for key Affinity partners and programmes. Ensure Aon Client Leadership standards are applied. These include client planning, clear value articulation, proactive jeopardy management, and support for Growth Enablement on bids and proposals.

Overall responsible for developing approaches to maintaining client satisfaction and ongoing relationships for Affinity Personal Lines clients.

Set and maintain minimum operating standards, client service standards and complainthandling processes that deliver consistently positive client outcomes.

Build and implement retention initiatives, using data, analytics and client feedback to reduce churn and improve happiness.

Leveraging Risk Capital, Human Capital and Operating Model

Work across Aons Risk Capital and Human Capital capabilities to bring coordinated solutions to large partners where relevant.

Promote crosssolution collaboration and increased product penetration within existing partner relationships.

Work alongside Aon Business Services and other shared service functions to develop and consistently refine an efficient, scalable operating model and product set for Affinity Personal Lines.

Use Aon Business Services (ABS) tools, analytics and automation to enhance service quality, lower cost to serve and improve both client and colleague experience.

Ensure systems, processes, minimum operating controls and data are robust across the value chain (quotetobind, policy administration, claims, reporting and partner governance).

People Leadership and Culture

Lead, grow, and keep a strong Affinity Personal Lines team. This team includes about seven managers and 85 colleagues across branches. They work in client service and retention, product, operations, reporting, and support roles.

Set clear goals and expectations. Provide ongoing mentoring and development to foster a high-performance, inclusive culture aligned with Aons values (collaboration, inclusion, client-focused approach, and continuous improvement).

Conduct quarterly 4x4 checkins and ongoing talent management, ensuring colleagues understand how their work links to business outcomes.

Ensure effective succession planning, talent growth, and bench strength within the business unit.

Market and Product Leadership

Direct product and proposition strategy for Affinity Personal Lines (e.g. motor, home, device, travel and niche products), guided by client insights, data and market trends.

Coordinate product development and changes, including underwriting criteria, ensuring products remain commercially viable, compliant and aligned with client needs.

Stay close to competitor activity, market dynamics and digital trends, and translate insight into new propositions, partnerships and distribution models (including digital and embedded/affinity channels).

Skills and experience that will lead to success:

Qualifications

• Matric (Grade 12).
• Relevant financial-focused bachelors degree (e.g. Accounting, Insurance, Economics, Risk Management or similar).
• MBA or similar postgraduate qualification preferred.
• Must be registered as a Representative with the FSCA.
• Must meet the eligibility requirements to be approved as a Key Individual in terms of the FAIS Act.
• Registration as an Associate with the IISA (or dedication to acquire within an agreed timeframe).

Knowledge

• Extensive familiarity with the South African and international short term insurance markets.
• Comprehensive understanding and strategic perspective on the short term insurance sector, particularly personal lines / affinity / partnerships.
• Comprehensive knowledge and extensive strategic and operational insight into the intermediary / broker business environment.
• Solid understanding of legislative and regulatory requirements in the short term insurance sector and intermediary setting, including FAIS, FICA, Treating Customers Fairly, and the Conduct of Financial Institutions Bill when relevant.
• Strong commercial, analytical and negotiation capability; adept at using data and analytics to inform strategy and decisions.

Skills and Attributes

• Strong analytical skills with proven problem solving and decision making capability.
• Personal and interpersonal presence with the ability to engage credibly at all levels, including with C suite executives and external partners.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including strong presentation and influencing skills.
• Strategic problem solver with the ability to translate strategy into actionable plans and measurable outcomes.
• Collaborative, inclusive leadership style with high emotional intelligence and resilience.

Experience

• Significant background in personal lines / affinity / bancassurance / partnership distribution in the short term insurance sector.
• Established track record in P&L oversight for a large portfolio or business unit, encompassing accountability for growth, profitability, and capital/resource management.
• Strong track record of building and managing senior external relationships (insurers, partners and, where relevant, regulators).
• Demonstrated experience working effectively in a matrix and/or global organisation, ideally within Aon or a comparable broker/insurer.
• Proven experience as an inclusive people leader of multi disciplinary teams (e.g. sales, underwriting, product, operations, analytics).

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