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Camargue invests in industry development with University of Witwatersrand scholarship

Specialist underwriting insurance firm Camargue has confirmed that it will once again invest in the development of the industry by awarding a scholarship to a University of Witwatersrand’s School of Economics & Business Science student.  This year top Honours student Stephanie Fienberg is the deserving recipient of the scholarship valued at R20 000.  While Camargue has committed to awarding another scholarship also valued at R20 000, at the point of selecting the potential candidate, no other student met the qualification requirements.  Should this change during the course of the year, Camargue will honour its commitment and award the second scholarship.

Camargue will also be sponsoring three course prizes valued at R5 000 each for the best students in the Advanced Specialised Liabilities; Non-Professional Liabilities (a new course dealing, inter alia, with Public Liability, Products Liability, Defective Workmanship and Umbrella Policies); and Advanced Insurance and Risk Management courses. To stand a chance of winning a course prize, students must achieve a minimum result of 65% in the course in question.

Camargue is passionate about people development and lives and breathes its “The Power of Knowledge” payoff line.  Over and above its financial investment in the Wits scholarships and prizes, it also offers internships and off- and on-site training through its Liability Academy for Brokers (LAB).

Camargue Financial & Professional Lines Director, Ana Mullins, herself a Wits Graduate, an external examiner, and the person behind the Wits/Camargue relationship, says:  “If we want our industry to grow, we have an obligation to invest in our own resources and to employ graduates to ensure new blood and a richer pool of professional and well qualified insurance practitioners; this in turn will ensure our industry image is elevated to the professional status it deserves.”

Over the last five years, the Camargue relationship with Wits has become increasingly more entrenched with Mullins involved in course development and exam moderation.  As a result of this partnership, the university has this year agreed to offer the Non-Professional Liabilities course to meet the gap in this area of the insurance studies.  Mullins believes this will increase the size of the pool of niche insurance graduates which will serve the industry well.

“Our future strategy is to forge an even closer partnership with Wits than we currently enjoy. We will invite Wits students to visit our LAB where in-depth training will be offered on our products. Further to this, our cooperation agreement with Wits will include offering the services of our senior Camargue staff, as guest lecturers at Wits. With a passion for education ingrained in the Camargue team, there is no shortage of volunteers from the Camargue fold, all of whom are eager to give back and invest in the development of the talent soon to join the insurance world.”

With this hands on approach, Camargue is guaranteeing graduates have had practical exposure to the realities of the insurance world and ultimately are more highly qualified when they enter the workforce.

Mitch Marescia, managing director of Camargue Underwriting Managers, says that grooming young talent who will contribute positively to South Africa’s developing economy is at the centre of Camargue’s sustainability and social responsibility policies.  “With the launch of our LAB we are certain we will create new business opportunities for the market by empowering corporate and independent brokers to sell our niche insurance products.  Over time we hope the industry will join us in our empowerment efforts that we might partner for the greater good of the future of insurance in this country.”

Wanting to be intimately involved in the scholarship student’s progress, provisos have been put in place and the scholarship money will be paid out conditional to the course supervisor and Camargue’s satisfaction as to the student’s academic and research report progress.

Camargue Underwriting Managers is a specialist underwriting insurance firm with approved coverholder status at Lloyd’s of London and writes its business on behalf of Lloyds of London and M&F on a 50/50 coinsurance basis.

For more information on Camargue Underwriting Managers please visit www.camargueum.co.za or find us on Facebook.

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