The Head of Legal and Compliance is a member of the Group Executive Committee (Exco) and reports operationally and administratively to the Group Chief Executive Officer. Consistent with the independence required of a statutory control function under the GOI framework and King IV governance principles, the incumbent also has a direct reporting line to the Board discharged through the Audit, Risk and/or Social and Ethics Committees for matters concerning the compliance risk management framework, material compliance breaches, and the independence and resourcing of the Compliance Function.
This dual-reporting structure is intended to preserve the Head of Compliance Function’s ability to escalate concerns independently of executive management, while ensuring the function remains embedded in, and responsive to, the day-to-day needs of the business.
Key responsibilities:
- Legal Advisory and Corporate Legal Services including Legal outsourcing strategy
- Commercial deal structuring and advisory
- Regulatory Relationship Management
- Financial Crime Compliance (AML/CFT and Sanctions)
- Data Privacy and Information Governance
- Corporate Governance Support
- Litigation, Dispute Resolution and Complaints
- People Leadership and Culture
- Governance and regulatory relationships
Requirements
Education & Experience
- LLB (or equivalent recognised law degree) is required; admission as an Attorney or Advocate of the High Court of South Africa is strongly preferred.
- A postgraduate qualification or recognised certification in compliance management (e.g. Compliance Institute of South Africa – CPrac(SA) / CGRC designation) is strongly preferred, or a commitment to obtain this within an agreed period.
- Company Secretarial or governance qualification (e.g. Chartered Governance Institute / CGISA) advantageous, particularly where the role combines company secretarial duties.
- A minimum of 8–10 years’ post-qualification experience in legal, compliance, risk or governance roles within the South African financial services or insurance sector spanning both Life and non-Life Insurance, of which at least 5 years should be in a senior leadership or Head of Function role.