Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
Generic
Bernard Mather

Bernard Mather

Regional Manager
Discovery

Summary

Dynamic Regional Manager with a proven track record at Old Mutual Insure, excelling in sales and marketing strategies. Expert in operational management and business development, driving significant growth in broker portfolios. Adept at fostering team collaboration and achieving targets, while ensuring compliance and enhancing service delivery.

Overview

19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Language

Work History

Regional Manager

Old Mutual Insure
01.2024 - Current

Overview:
Leads a team of 20 professionals responsible for servicing a portfolio of 900 insurance brokers across South Africa with a portfolio value of 500 million.

Key Responsibilities:
Leadership:
• Align team objectives with organizational goals, fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and trust.
• Motivate team members to maintain high morale and recognized outstanding performance.
• Involve team members in decision-making processes to enhance collaboration.

Broker Relations:
• Achieve growth targets by identifying innovative sales opportunities and potential cross-selling initiatives.
• Conducted comprehensive reviews of quotations and conversion ratios to inform strategic decision-making.
• Collaborated with brokers to leverage strengths and drive business growth.
• Engaged in ongoing research to align services with market needs and broker feedback.

Financial Management:
• Oversee departmental budget, managing expenditures and leave balances effectively.
• Administer bonus allocations based on performance metrics.
Operational Excellence:
• Develop and monitor employee performance contracts, conducting regular performance discussions.
• Analyse operational data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Facilitate virtual meetings with brokers to enhance engagement and service delivery.


Continuous Improvement:
• Ensure compliance with statutory and legislative requirements to enhance customer satisfaction.
• Identify cost-effective solutions and operational efficiencies.

Service Delivery:
• Maintain high standards of service quality, adhering to organizational policies and procedures.
• Develop productive relationships with key stakeholders to meet service delivery goals.
• Contribute to the creation of new standards and control systems to ensure consistent service excellence.

Compliance
Drive the operation and progress of compliance efforts for Broker; Together with Group Compliance, implement all necessary actions to ensure achievement of the compliance framework objectives and effective compliance programme; Understand and interpret Regulatory Market Conduct, customer related legislation and good practice and formulate plans to ensure that Broker Services and Outsourced Business meet their compliance obligations; Stay abreast of legislative developments and implement recommendations as per Group Compliance standards or tailor make solutions appropriate for the business. Maintain relationships with the business areas, internal and external audit and other related compliance risk management functions; Provide guidance to business units on specific provisions of the applicable acts and communicate new regulatory requirements and risk where necessary.

Manager

Old Mutual Insure
11.2020 - 12.2023

Overview:
Leads a team of 12 professionals responsible for servicing a portfolio of 850 insurance brokers across South Africa. Manages a diverse team comprising 12 Senior Sales Consultants, each overseeing a portfolio of 75 brokers with an average annual premium of 20 million rand per individual.


Leadership:
• Align team objectives with organizational goals, fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and trust.
• Motivate team members to maintain high morale and recognized outstanding performance.
• Involve team members in decision-making processes to enhance collaboration.

Broker Relations:
• Achieve growth targets by identifying innovative sales opportunities and potential cross-selling initiatives.
• Conducted comprehensive reviews of quotations and conversion ratios to inform strategic decision-making.
• Collaborated with brokers to leverage strengths and drive business growth.
• Engaged in ongoing research to align services with market needs and broker feedback.


Financial Management:
• Oversee departmental budget, managing expenditures and leave balances effectively.
• Administer bonus allocations based on performance metrics.


Operational Excellence:
• Develop and monitor employee performance contracts, conducting regular performance discussions.
• Analyse operational data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Facilitate virtual meetings with brokers to enhance engagement and service delivery.


Continuous Improvement:
• Ensure compliance with statutory and legislative requirements to enhance customer satisfaction.
• Identify cost-effective solutions and operational efficiencies.


Service Delivery:
• Maintain high standards of service quality, adhering to organizational policies and procedures.
• Develop productive relationships with key stakeholders to meet service delivery goals.
• Contribute to the creation of new standards and control systems to ensure consistent service excellence.

Senior Portfolio Manager

Old Mutual Insure
07.2019 - 10.2020

Overview:
Managed and expanded a diverse portfolio of broker business, ensuring exceptional service delivery while implementing aggressive sales strategies and fostering long-term relationships to enhance profitability and organisational growth.


Key Responsibilities:
Broker and Intermediary Relations:
• Built and maintained strong relationships with brokers and intermediaries to proactively meet growth targets.
• Identified innovative sales strategies to maximize broker solution opportunities across all products.
• Explored cross-selling and up-selling opportunities to drive revenue growth.
• Sourced and engaged new intermediaries and identified business opportunities, including book takeovers.
• Reviewed large quotations and analyzed conversion ratios to inform strategic discussions and updates.
• Provided insights and recommendations to brokers based on performance analysis and market trends.


Prior Roles

Old Mutual IWyze & Telesure Group Services
06.2006 - 06.2019

September 2017 to June 2019
Team Leader: Claims & Quality Assurance
Old Mutual iWyze


July 2014 to August 2017
Team Manager: Claims
Telesure Group Services


June 2006 to June 2014
Various contact centre and claims roles with Telesure

Education

BBA - Business Administration And Management

Milpark Business School
Johannesburg, South Africa
04.2001 -

PGDIP Business Administration (NQF 8) - Business Administration And Management

University of The Witwatersrand
Johannesburg, South Africa
04.2001 -

Higher Certificate in Short Term Insurance (NQF 5) - Insurance And Risk Management

Milpark Business School
Johannesburg, South Africa
04.2001 -

Fais Accredited / RE 5 - Insurance

Moonstone
Johannesburg, South Africa
04.2001 -

Skills

  • Sales and marketing strategies
  • Operational management
  • Business development and planning
  • Sales planning
  • Budgeting

Timeline

Regional Manager

Old Mutual Insure
01.2024 - Current

Manager

Old Mutual Insure
11.2020 - 12.2023

Senior Portfolio Manager

Old Mutual Insure
07.2019 - 10.2020

Prior Roles

Old Mutual IWyze & Telesure Group Services
06.2006 - 06.2019

BBA - Business Administration And Management

Milpark Business School
04.2001 -

PGDIP Business Administration (NQF 8) - Business Administration And Management

University of The Witwatersrand
04.2001 -

Higher Certificate in Short Term Insurance (NQF 5) - Insurance And Risk Management

Milpark Business School
04.2001 -

Fais Accredited / RE 5 - Insurance

Moonstone
04.2001 -
Bernard MatherRegional Manager