De Beers Insurance Manager

About De Beers

Founded in 1888, De Beers is a leading international diamond group whose expertise spans diamond discovery, sourcing, grading and luxury jewellery. With deep roots in southern Africa and a global presence, the group brings together scientific knowledge, technical precision and creative craftsmanship. As an employer, De Beers offers career paths across mining, engineering, gemmology, jewellery design, retail and corporate functions. Its multidisciplinary environment connects the origins of natural diamonds with their transformation into exceptional creations. Professionals join a business where heritage meets innovation, and where provenance, responsible practices and evolving consumer expectations are central to the future of the diamond industry.

De Beers seeks an Insurance Manager to lead its global insurance strategy, risk financing, programmes and claims across mining, diamond operations, transportation, retail and corporate activities. The role is based in Johannesburg, has global scope and involves travel to corporate and operational locations as required; it coordinates business-unit representatives and external providers, with any direct-report responsibilities and delegated financial authorities as defined. During the first 12 months, priorities include completing the global renewal, establishing governance and reporting, improving claims oversight, implementing priority loss-prevention actions and delivering a captive feasibility assessment and recommendation.

Role & Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the Group’s global insurance strategy and risk-financing framework.
• Define the Group’s risk appetite for insured and retained risks; recommend deductibles, self-insured retentions, limits, insurer panels and alternative risk-financing arrangements.
• Design, procure and maintain insurance programmes for mining and operational assets, capital projects and construction, mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial activities, and emerging and strategic risks.
• Maintain coverage for material exposures, including property damage and business interruption, construction, liability, marine cargo and specie, cyber, directors’ and officers’ liability, crime, environmental liability, political violence and terrorism, and other relevant specialist risks.
• Ensure statutory, contractual and regulatory insurance requirements are met across jurisdictions in which De Beers operates.
• Lead insurance market engagements, renewals and placements to secure appropriate coverage and competitive pricing.
• Monitor global insurance-market trends, capacity, pricing and coverage developments to identify opportunities and emerging threats.
• Provide insurance due diligence and transaction support for acquisitions, divestments, restructurings, joint ventures and strategic projects.
• Establish insurance governance for non-government joint ventures and partnerships, aligning with partners, financing requirements and shareholder obligations.
• Build institutional insurance knowledge within the Group and develop sustainable management processes that reduce reliance on external advisers.
• Review insurance arrangements for cost-effective improvements and innovative risk-financing solutions; challenge programme structures and recommend ways to improve coverage, reduce total cost of risk and increase operational efficiency.
• Explore alternative risk-transfer mechanisms and emerging insurance products, and benchmark programmes against industry best practice and leading mining-sector standards.
• Oversee administrative processes and controls supporting effective insurance-programme operations.
• Manage policy documentation, endorsements, declarations, asset schedules and underwriting data accurately and on time.
• Establish and maintain governance frameworks, reporting mechanisms and internal controls for insurance programmes.
• Manage insurance budgets, premium forecasts, allocations and accruals; monitor broker remuneration, premium taxes and expenditure against approved budgets.
• Coordinate with Finance, Tax and external audit on insurance accounting, claims receivables, provisions, disclosures and supporting evidence.
• Maintain compliance with local admitted-policy requirements, licensing, sanctions, anti-bribery, premium-tax, data-protection and document-retention obligations across relevant jurisdictions.
• Own insurance exposure, policy and claims data, systems and records, including data-quality controls, access governance and reporting automation.
• Coordinate annual renewals and ensure insurers and brokers receive high-quality submission information.
• Lead the Group’s response to major loss events and significant or complex claims, coordinating insurers, brokers, loss adjusters, legal advisers and operational stakeholders to maximise recovery, preserve evidence and minimise business disruption.
• Develop and maintain effective Group claims-management processes, with appropriate notification, documentation and recovery procedures.
• Monitor claims performance and ensure timely settlement in accordance with policy terms and conditions; identify trends and lessons learned, and recommend risk-mitigation measures.
• Establish and coordinate a network of insurance coordinators and subject-matter experts across operations, projects, finance, legal, security, supply chain and procurement to ensure accurate underwriting and claims information is available throughout the year.
• Build and maintain working relationships with business-unit leaders, project teams and Group functions.
• Provide expert insurance advice and support to operational, project and corporate teams.
• Review insurance, indemnity, limitation-of-liability, waiver and evidence-of-insurance provisions in material customer, supplier, logistics, construction, financing and joint-venture agreements.
• Maintain relationships with insurers, brokers, reinsurers, loss adjusters, legal advisers and other external stakeholders.
• Own the broker relationship and independently challenge broker recommendations on programme structure, insurer selection, coverage terms and placement strategies.
• Stay informed about business developments, strategic initiatives and risk exposures to advise proactively on insurance implications.
• Communicate insurance requirements, programme performance and key developments to senior management.
• Align insurance arrangements and incident-response protocols with crisis management, business continuity, disaster recovery, security and operational teams.
• Assess the feasibility, benefits and business case for a Group captive insurance company, including potential structures, domiciles, governance requirements and financial implications.
• Lead implementation if the Group decides to establish a captive insurance vehicle, and manage interactions with captive managers, regulators, actuaries and reinsurers where applicable.
• Prepare and present insurance and claims reports for senior management, executive committees and governance forums.
• Monitor total cost of risk, insurance spend and claims-recovery performance; support enterprise risk management with insurance expertise and risk-financing insights.
• Develop and maintain insurance-related KPIs and management information, tracking renewal delivery, premium versus budget, claims recovery and ageing, uninsured exposures, closure of risk-engineering actions and stakeholder service levels.
• Deliver insurance separation readiness, including transfer or replacement of policies, data, systems and services; define transitional service requirements and confirm responsibility for legacy and stranded liabilities.
• During the first 12 months, complete the global renewal, establish the target governance and reporting model, improve claims oversight, implement priority loss-prevention actions, and deliver the captive feasibility assessment and recommendation.
• Coordinate business-unit insurance representatives and external service providers; direct-report responsibilities and delegated financial authorities apply as defined.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Risk Management, Insurance, Finance, Law, Commerce or a related field.
• A professional insurance qualification such as ACII, FCII or IRMSA certification, or equivalent, is preferred; equivalent senior-level experience in complex multinational insurance may be considered.
• Extensive experience managing complex multinational insurance programmes.
• Experience leading corporate insurance, risk financing or risk management in a complex multinational organisation, with accountability for material decisions and outcomes.
• Experience managing large-scale multinational insurance programmes in mining, resources, energy, infrastructure or other asset-intensive industries.
• Experience managing high-value, geographically diverse insurance programmes with complex operational, project, liability and supply-chain exposures exceeding US$1 billion.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating with global insurers and insurance brokers.
• Strong knowledge of multinational insurance programme structures, local admitted requirements, fronting arrangements, reinsurance structures and cross-border insurance regulations.
• A proven track record managing significant and complex property-damage, business-interruption and liability claims.
• Experience supporting capital projects, acquisitions and major corporate transactions.
• Experience evaluating or managing captive insurance structures is highly advantageous.
• Experience developing relationships with senior and executive management.
• Experience in mining, natural resources, energy, logistics, commodity trading, luxury goods or similar sectors is desirable.

Skills

Experience

15+ years leading corporate insurance, risk financing or risk management in a complex multinational organisation, with demonstrated accountability for material decisions and outcomes; extensive experience managing complex multinational insurance programmes.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Risk Management, Insurance, Finance, Law, Commerce or a related field. A professional insurance qualification such as ACII, FCII, IRMSA certification or equivalent is preferred.

Culture

De Beers’ workplace culture combines the technical expertise of the diamond industry with the craftsmanship and client focus of luxury jewellery, bringing together diverse disciplines across an international business. Its professional environment emphasises collaboration, safety and responsible sourcing, with a shared commitment to protecting the integrity of natural diamonds from origin to finished creation.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.