Meet Alexander Forbes new chief executive

JOHANNESBURG – Financial advisory firm Alexander Forbes on Monday said it had appointed outgoing Sanlam executive Dawie de Villiers as group chief executive and a director from November 1, less than a week after announcing it had fired Andrew Darfoor due to loss of confidence and trust.

Dawie holds a BSc Actuarial Science and has completed the Advanced Management Programme, at the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD). He is also a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa.

Dawie joined Sanlam in 1993 and rapidly progressed into senior leadership and executive positions in various Sanlam business units, broadening his business acumen, while gaining an in-depth knowledge of the technicalities and markets served by each of these units.

Earlier on Monday, financial services group Sanlam said de Villiers was stepping down as chief executive of Sanlam Employee Benefits from October 31 “to pursue another growth opportunity in the industry”.

“Dawie has a wealth of experience in the employee benefits and investment management industry and believes that the employee benefits industry can have a huge influence in South Africa by really changing people’s lives through enabling financial peace of mind,” Alexander Forbes said in its own announcement.

It said Marilyn Ramplin would remain interim group chief executive until October 31.

African News Agency (ANA), BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE