Q & A CREDIT GUARANTEE INSURANCE CORPORATION( CGIC)
Are there any key lessons from your tenure at CGIC that have shaped your leadership approach?
One of the most valuable lessons I’ ve learned is that culture is the true driver of consistent performance, but that on its own, culture is not enough – it must be intentionally directed and aligned with the key behaviours that promote high performance. Without that alignment, even the strongest culture can produce unintended outcomes.
I have also come to appreciate that leadership is about influencing human behaviour – the human beings who make up our organisation, such as staff, stakeholders, brokers and clients.
People naturally seek a sense of belonging. When they feel their contributions are valued, it builds trust and engagement, and that strengthens the culture even further. In any business, when individuals are given genuine opportunities to contribute they tend to go beyond fulfilling a duty; they bring creativity, purpose and pride to their work. There is a significant difference between doing something out of obligation and doing it because you’ re invested in the outcome. Ultimately, contribution enables individuals to express their value without the need to constantly prove themselves. When people operate from that place of trust and purpose, the organisation thrives, not just in performance, but in unity and sustainability.
How have your experiences in debt restructuring and business rescue influenced your risk strategy?
My experience in debt restructuring and business rescue has taught me that behind every distressed balance sheet is a business with people, potential, and often, a path to recovery if risk is understood and managed with foresight rather than fear. Without exposing our competitive advantage, being human forms the core of our risk management strategy and it’ s influenced by our learnings in debt restructuring and business rescue.
What are the steps CGIC is taking to make trade credit insurance more accessible to African SMEs?
At CGIC, we recognise that many African SMEs are not just looking for products, they are looking for solutions that help their businesses thrive. In many communities across the continent people are focused on earning enough to survive. Talking to them about complex financial products doesn’ t always resonate because their immediate concern isn’ t insurance, it’ s sustainability. However, when the conversation shifts towards how trade credit insurance can help them grow their businesses, access new markets, and increase profitability, the dialogue changes entirely. It becomes a partnership rather than a product pitch. To make trade credit insurance more
Balancing strong credit risk controls while simultaneously enabling business growth is at the heart of what we do at CGIC.
As CEO, what are your immediate priorities for the company’ s growth and direction?
My immediate priority is to position CGIC as a trusted catalyst for secure and inclusive trade across Africa. This means ensuring that credit protection is accessible, simple, and relevant, enabling businesses of all sizes to trade with confidence – locally, and beyond our borders. At the heart of our strategy is growth with purpose, driving sustainable business expansion, supporting job creation and strengthening value chains.
SA PROFILE www. saprofilemagazine. co. za
23