Introduce yourself in few lines.
I was born in Niger and grew up in Niamey, Bonn, Washington DC, New York, France and now live in the UK. After a Master's degree and an MBA in risk management, I held various positions with insurers and brokerage firms, first with Groupama, then with SPB and finally with Cunningham-Lindsey. I then joined AIG, in risk management for captive programs in Paris, then in London, as Network Partner Relationship Manager. My last position before joining OLEA was Multinational Network Manager - Middle East and Africa for QBE London. My experience of the London market (volume of business generated, variety of risks and international scope) undoubtedly shaped my approach and vision of insurance and especially reinsurance. As a Franco-Nigerian, Africa is an integral part of my values and upbringing. So, my aim has always been to add value to the continent.
How did you join OLEA ?
I met Olivier Dubois in 2008, during my professional thesis on the development of insurance companies in West Africa, and we've kept in touch since then. It is interesting to note that I have " met " OLEA since its creation, first in Marrakech (FANAF 2017), Kigali (FANAF 2018), Marseille (AMRAE 2018) and finally Deauville (AMRAE 2019). It was at AMRAE 2019 that Olivier Dubois, Olivier Canuel and I began to build a project together, finding the Managing Director for our future entity in Niger and defining my role within the Group. The OLEA project appealed to me right from the start and, above all, I've always believed in it. OLEA embodied everything I aspired to: proximity, innovation, entrepreneurship and dynamism.
What courses would you recommend to young people wishing to enter the insurance industry?
There are more and more schools specializing in insurance. I went to ESA (Ecole Supérieure des Assurances), which I recommend. Their curriculum is adapted to life and non-life studies. I would recommend an alternance course. It allows a person to learn theory and at the same time put their knowledge into practice. A Bachelor's degree gives a very good foundation and can be supplemented by a Master's degree, or you can go to a school leading to a specialized diploma. From there, you have a very broad vision and can decide to add skills according to your aspirations. Personally, I did an MBA because I wanted to have skills in risk management.
What are the Group's reinsurance challenges?
For a broker, reinsurance is essential in our role of advising and managing risk for our customers. When we are a direct broker, finding and developing tailor-made solutions, we need to be able to reassure our customers about the "security" behind these proposals. It is therefore essential to be able to control the underwriting process, from start to end. Reassurance enables our customers to undertake projects with a safety net, knowing that we have controlled both the front-end and the back-end. The fact that we can control, structure and choose rated or unrated reinsurers depending on the project, allows us to respect aspects such as lender-financed projects, or to balance security and premium rates. It is also an additional financial gain for the Group, increasing our influence on the market and our relationship with it.
