Regional General Manager(Financial Advisers):RA SanlamConnect Intermediaries EastCoast Region

Date: 31 Mar 2025

Location: Umhlanga, KwaZulu Natal

Who are we?

SanlamConnect is dedicated to supporting, growing and empowering clients with affordable, easy and suitable solutions, primarily through face-to-face intermediary channels, but also directly. We have approximately 2,400 Sanlam Financial advisers and 2,000 supporting independent brokers, all dedicated to meet the financial needs of our clients. Our vision: We aspire to be the best at building enduring relationships by connecting clients with Sanlam. We create sustainable value by attracting new clients, supporting ongoing client engagement and providing adaptive solutions designed to answer life's financial questions. ULTIMATELY, WE EMPOWER PEOPLE TO BE FINANCIALLY CONFIDENT, SECURE AND PROSPEROUS.

What will you do?

Undertake regional leadership for the Adviser Business:

• Analyse the regional market changes, competitors, risks, opportunities and threats and create contingency plans for these in order to protect and grow market share.

• Serve on the regional Exco and contribute to the profitability and success of the region with respect to attainment of business plans, decision making, operations, sales, compliance and customer service.

• Drive a culture of high performance within the region through present and courageous leadership.

Tactically execute the regional sales strategy through sales management:

• Ensure the regional strategy is understood and partner with sales management to formulate the regional business plan.

• Ensure Business Managers and Enterprise Business Managers effectively drive and attain sales targets across different product lines, market segments, Leads and Campaigns as well as retention of business.

• Ensure and drive the attainment of Financial Adviser manpower targets together with Business Managers, Enterprise Business Manager and Recruitment & Selection Consultants in the region.

• Work with the Business Managers, Enterprise Business Manager and specialist resources to identify, support and develop strategies that penetrate new worksites or market segments.

• Initiate, drive and promote various sales incentive competitions in support of sales to encourage sales.

• Monitor and track MIS/reporting and undertake corrective actions if required regarding the effectiveness of the strategy execution.

• Re-enforce how the different Financial Adviser distribution models need to work collaboratively to achieve the regional strategy and that processes and communication within the region and between teams support this.

• Obtain regular feedback and updates from sales management and teams on actual sales performance in comparison to the target. Report analysis to Regional Exco.

Ensure tactical integration of specialist and support resources within the region:

• Work closely with support and specialist resources within the region and Head Office to ensure these are aligned to the achievement of the regional strategy. Ensure that the sales management teams effectively utilize these resources.

Monitor regional expense budgets and profitability:

• The Regional General Manager is to monitor and report on expenses and profitability.

Ensure risk management and compliance within the region (including Key Individual):

• Demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of all relevant regulatory and legislative laws/rules/frameworks applicable to doing business compliantly.

• Drive ongoing awareness and education of compliance within the region.

• Working closely with the Compliance Department/Officer, establish and implement compliance metrics/measures, structures, monitoring and reporting.

• Evaluate and resolve 'escalated' client/broker complaints by collaboration with the Compliance Department by following the prescribed process, undertaking client/intermediary contact and decision making.

• Identify areas of risk within the region and ensure there are appropriate management processes, monitoring, reporting and corrective actions in place to minimise or eliminate these.

Build and develop relationships, networks and new markets:

• Work closely with the Regional Marketing Manager, Business Managers, Enterprise Business Managers and different support resources to identify high impact clients, associations and worksites/companies (public and private sector) to approach and build relationships with.

• Partner with the Regional Executive to attend and host selected client engagement opportunities in order to market Sanlam.

• Look for opportunities to penetrate less utilized market segments within the region. Formulate creative value propositions and strategies to gain access to, and contract clients/leads working in these markets.

People Management:

• Ensure that high potential talent is sourced and selected into the region to support the vision and talent succession needs.

• Embrace transformation in the region. Promote and communicate transformation as a key strategy within the region and support initiatives to achieve DTI targets.

• Align HC practices and decisions within the province, with respect to recruitment and promotion of staff, to support transformation targets.

• Ensure all direct reports have development plans, discussions and are suitably trained for their positions.

• Undertake performance management and performance discussions with all direct reports.

• Undertake staff career development and talent retention strategies.

What will make you successful in this role?

Qualification and Experience:

• Sound Financial Services experience at a senior level within the corporate environment. Sales and Distribution exposure. (10+ years)

• Sound management and leadership experience. (10+ years)

• Business, Legal or Commercial Degree/MBA

• CFP

• KI.

Knowledge and skills:
Business:

• Broad and significant Financial Services Industry knowledge/understanding.

• Financial Services Product Knowledge (Sanlam and competitors).

• Profitability/Value of New Business (VNB).

• Distribution Strategy and Models.

• Financial and budget/expense management.

• Corporate governance/risk management.

• Marketing and sales.

• Business planning, strategy planning and execution.

• Market and client segmentation knowledge.

• Relevant regulatory legislation and compliance knowledge within Financial Services/KI.

• Good general legal technical knowledge.

• Leadership and management principles and governance.

Personal:

• Sales and target driven.

• Partnership and relationship builder.

• Leadership abilities (vision, courage, values, ethics, connecting with people).

• High energy levels and action orientation with tenacity.

• Able to operate, challenge and influence at a strategic/tactical level.

• Socially confident and skilled to communicate well.

• Able to inspire and motivate others into action.

• Results orientation (sales/target focused).

• Influencing abilities.

• Networking and natural relationship builder.

• Cultivates Innovation.

• Client Focus.

• Drives Results.

• Collaborates.

• Flexibility and Adaptability.

• Business Insight.

• Financial Acumen.

• Decision quality.

• Drives engagement.

• Organisational Savvy.

Process for application:

• If you meet the above criteria, and you are interested in applying for this role, please submit your CV.

• The closing date for applications is 07 April 2025.

The recruiter reserves the right to withdraw the advertisement prior to the closing date or to allow further applications to be submitted after the closing date indicated.

Turnaround times:
The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers.

Our aim is to help you build a successful career with us:
We're all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future, your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its business clusters – Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Emerging Markets, Sanlam Investments, Sanlam Corporate Santam, Miway, as well as the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.

The Sanlam Group is committed to transformation and embracing diversity and our employment equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse workplace with employment equity as a key goal to create an inclusive workforce, representative of the demographics of our society as well as people with disabilities.