Our people

Andre van der Merwe worked at Munich Re, Glenrand MIB and Mutual and Federal before he joined Etana Insurance in 2008, heading up the company’s Corporate Centre of Excellence (COE).

“I underwrite risks with major values as well as international exposure,” says Andre.

Etana’s corporate team began their operations in July 2008, and the COE has grown substantially over the last three-and-a-half years. During this time, Etana has positioned itself as a serious market within this sector, and Andre believes that their current business strategy of being predominantly a follow market in this sector will enhance the growth of Etana’s corporate offering.

“Our COE currently consists of four Etanans, but more team mates will join us during the first quarter of 2012. We will place a major focus on businesses from the rest of Africa, investing time and resources in this area. As with the commercial insurance market, competition is extremely fierce and capacity is in abundance. The corporate team is confident of our position and the resources we have in place needed to ensure we make it through these challenging economic times.”

Any free time that Andre manages to find is spent with family and friends.

“I also enjoy reading, travelling, seeing new places, playing Wii television games with my son, barbies with my daughter and listening to my wife’s advice on how to become an adult before I turn 40. Free time is basically for anything that does not look, smell, taste or sound like insurance.”

In 2003, Andre and his wife moved up to Johannesburg from Stellenbosch, and he says the “City of Gold” has been good to him and his family. Andre’s wife has a PhD in plant biotechnology and, in his words she “basically messes around with the genes of plants”. She is currently taking care of their seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son at home and is thus not working. Andre professes that he is still the smartest one in the family.

“My favourite RED item is a bikini on a restless supermodel. I really enjoy a 300g rump steak, medium rare with chips and hold back the vegetables. In terms of insurance stories, I firmly believe what happens on tour, stays on tour. Now that I have completed this profile piece I feel emotionally drained and ask that you now go away and leave me to my work,” jokes Andre.