Lockton Brokers SA
27 January 2021GIB
25 May 2021South African born insurance broker, Risk Benefit Solutions, was started in 1998 as a one man show by Michael Peterson and has since grown to become the sixth largest insurance broker in South Africa.
With over R80bn in assets insured, RBS’ risk partnership offering spans the breadth of personal, commercial, corporate incl. construction, marine and litigation insurance to life and medical insurance.
Leveraging her extensive 32 years’ experience in insurance, Annelie Smith was brought on to develop the corporate division of RBS in 2013. She now serves as Head of Corporate and Specialist markets at RBS as well as Vice-Chairman of the Board at the Worldwide Insurance Network Group (WING).
Her relationship with Fulcrum Premium Finance spans over 20 years and is one she describes as being built on a level of trust, expertise and service that is unparalleled in South Africa’s Premium Finance industry.
“My goal in life is that my clients pay less by reducing their expenses by providing optimal cost solutions. The tendency in the local insurance market is that insurers increase premium costs when quoting on a monthly basis, as opposed to an annual basis where premium is received upfront which allows insurers to improve their financials by earning investment income on bigger premiums over an extended period. This is where premium finance enters the picture as it functions as a very low interest rate loan that is cheaper than both the conventional bank as well as the additional costs charged by insurers on a monthly insurance contract,” says Smith.
“This frees up cash flow for our clients, who can invest this into their operations, while also allowing them to receive their VAT Tax refunds upfront. This benefit is in addition to not losing out on their cover if they miss a monthly payment. It’s a win-win scenario, all round”.
“In the insurance world, trust is imperative to any successful business relationship. I cannot place business with a company that I do not trust. The trust that I have built up with Fulcrum over many years goes beyond their excellent service. Fulcrums’ commitment to provide high level of support and assistance falls in line with their strong belief in their values. This is critically important for us to provide an extra-ordinary solution to our clients”.
“Their level of experience enables them to understand, and adapt, to client’s needs quickly and effectively. You have people who work for the company that are extremely client focused, not just to the broker, but also to the end client and this truly sets them apart.”
“Apart from their trust and values, Fulcrum is prepared to work with all stakeholders to get an optimal solution.”
– RBS Insurance, Annelie Smith
“Ultimately, RBS is a people’s broker, we are on the ground and engage closely with our clients in a risk partnership, rather than merely a transactional relationship. We like to align with similar people and businesses”.
This makes Fulcrum an ideal company to align our own vision and commitment with, to enable us to provide an extra-ordinary service to our clients.”