S ALAMA appoints new CEO to d riv e growth

DUB Ai:islamicarabinsurancecompany(salama), the UAE’S largest Sharia’h Compliant Takaful solutions provider announced the appointment of Walter Jopp as Chief Executive Officer, following approval of the Central Bank of the UAE.

Having spent over 25 years in the insurance industry across global markets, Walter brings a wealth of experience to the role. He previously served as CEO of Middle East at Zurich International Life, where he led and managed operations in key regional markets, furthered digitisation of Zurich’s offering and grew profitability by 30% over his four-year tenure to make it one of the most profitable branches of a global insurer in the UAE. Under his leadership, the company’s GWC grew by over 40% and Zurich launched the region’s first compulsory employee benefits plan (DEWS) for over 20k employees of the DIFC while entering and strengthening relationships with international banks and partners.

Walter’s extensive distribution experience, customer insight and local market knowledge will be a great asset to SALAMA. His skills will be instrumental in preparing the company for the next phase in its successful growth trajectory, maintaining its position as a leader in the UAE Takaful industry for over 43 years.

SALAMA has established a reputation for providing customer-centric product offerings and technology-enabled solutions to wider segments of UAE market, and Walter’s experience of spearheading digital transformation initiatives and improving operational efficiencies will optimize SALAMA’S ongoing digital transformation and strategic growth plans.