GRLD26-Speakers

Guardrisk Leader Day 2026
Tues, 4 Aug 2026 | @Sandton Hotel

SPEAKERS

Lourens Botha
Chief Executive Officer

Lourens is a chartered accountant specialising in insurance and risk management. After completing his articles, he spent 10 years at the FSB, initially as a forensic investigator focusing on all aspects of non-banking financial institutions. He later moved to the insurance division, where he served as Head of Financial Supervision for insurance companies in South Africa. He then joined Absa as Chief Risk Officer for its non-banking financial services division. Lourens joined Guardrisk as Financial Director in 2008 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2023.

Xolani Nxanga
Managing Executive: Microinsurance

Xolani is the Managing Executive responsible for Guardrisk’s Microinsurance Cell Captive business. He also leads Guardrisk’s InsurTech and Transformation initiatives. Xolani has over 25 years’ experience in banking and insurance. He joined Guardrisk in 2020. Prior to this, he worked for the Liberty Group, where he served as Director: Short-Term Insurance. He has also served on Liberty’s boards in Africa and on the divisional executive committees of two JSE-listed banks.

Richard Eales
Managing Executive: Non-Life

Richard has worked in the financial services industry since 1997. He joined Guardrisk in 2002 and is responsible for the Non-Life business. He was instrumental in the establishment of Guardrisk General Insurance (GGI). His areas of expertise include alternative risk transfer solutions and mining risks, with a particular focus on environmental rehabilitation risks.

Francois Schaap
Managing Executive: Guardrisk Life

Francois joined Guardrisk in 1999 and was instrumental in the establishment of Guardrisk Life. His expertise lies in alternative risk transfer solutions within the life and employee benefits space. He has assisted large employers and retirement funds in tailoring and funding their own risk benefit solutions.

André Jansen van Vuuren
Chief Financial Officer

André is a qualified actuary with over 27 years’ experience in the insurance industry. He joined Guardrisk in 2011. His roots are firmly set on a technical basis of actuarial science spanning life and non-life insurance. He is experienced at leading teams to execute operational plans in pursuit of strategic outcomes with a track record of successes at Guardrisk on strategic projects with examples covering capital requirement regime changes and M&A activity. He enjoys time with his family and all form of ball sports coupled with outdoor life and activity.

Johan Barnard
MD: Momentum Short-Term Insurance | Namibia

Johan has cultivated a diverse career marked by notable achievements in both sport and business. Initially making his mark as a Flanker in rugby, he played for both South-West Africa/Namibia and the Western Province. He attended Stellenbosch University when decided to move to Windhoek to play rugby. In 1988, Johan made his foray into the short-term insurance sector, where he swiftly demonstrated his entrepreneurial flair. His strategic vision and leadership abilities have been pivotal in establishing five insurance companies, spreading his influence across Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. At the heart of Johan's accomplishments is his fundamental belief in the principle of "people first," whether dealing with clients or employees. This ethos has been crucial to his success and serves as a testament to his holistic approach to leadership and management. Johan's diverse experience and steadfast commitment to putting people first make him an exemplary leader whose contributions have been significant across multiple sectors.

Yolanda Toy
Human Capital Head

Yolanda joined Guardrisk in 2015 after 17 years in the financial services and industries. Her expertise lies in unpacking the strategic levels of the HR value chain, with emphasis on employee wellness and engagement. Her passion is supporting the human factor in the company and at the same time, shaping employer brand and culture.

Mark Joubert (MC)
Head: Guardrisk General Insurance

Mark has been with Guardrisk for over 13 years, following seven years at PwC, where he served as a senior manager on the Guardrisk and Momentum audits. He joined Guardrisk in 2013 within the cell captive division. Following the establishment of Guardrisk General Insurance (GGI), Mark initially served as Deputy Head and later became Head of the division. He attributes the success of GGI to his team and looks forward to many more years of strong growth.