Yes, you can fall in love with insurance law
Mulalo Moroe is the head of corporate legal services at Santam
Tell me about the work you do and your main tasks.
The corporate legal services team is responsible for ensuring that the Santam group’s strategy is underpinned and supported by a sound legal framework and that all legal risks are identified and appropriately managed.
How did you end up doing this work?
I started my career at Norton Rose Fulbright in the insurance litigation team — that was my “baptism” into the legal sector after completing an LLB at the University of Pretoria. It was during these formative years that I fell in love with the complexity and nuances of insurance law.
In 2014, I was appointed as regional counsel: Africa and company secretary at Swiss Re Africa. A few years later, I was appointed as the group legal and compliance director at Kenya-based financial services company Britam Holdings and relocated to Nairobi with my family. A year ago, I returned to South Africa and joined Santam.
As a woman in a leadership role, have you suffered from impostor syndrome?
I have experienced impostor syndrome along the way and still do to some extent. When I relocated to Kenya, I was not familiar with the region’s corporate culture. I knew that the role, especially in a foreign country, may come with unique challenges. However, through commitment and dedication, I was determined to persevere so that I could conquer any potential setbacks that may have arisen while in Kenya.
There were days when it felt like my fear would overcome my drive to succeed, but I did it anyway.
I firmly believed that I could achieve anything I put my mind to. Over time, the fact that I kept going despite being afraid helped me to move past those feelings of self-doubt and to grow as a leader. Courage has been and continues to be the antidote to my impostor syndrome.
What do you think makes you a good leader?
I think good leaders have three main traits — integrity, servant leadership and a keen interest to develop their team. My career growth has allowed me to hone all three.
First, integrity means consistently being authentic in who you are, whether people are watching or not. It also means doing what you say you will do. This in turn fosters a sense of trustworthiness.
The second trait is servant leadership. When you become a leader, it stops being about you. You need to be prepared to take the fall when things go wrong and to give away the praise when things go right. To embody this philosophy you need to be willing to support and grow your team.
The third trait is the personal and professional development of your team. Every person in your team is an individual, with a unique set of desires, needs, circumstances, skills and abilities. To truly invest in each person’s professional development journey, I believe as a leader one needs to gain a deep understanding of these unique aspects of who they are and use that as a foundation to help them become the best versions of themselves.
What did you want to be as a child?
A doctor, actually, mainly because it was my parents’ desired profession for me. Unfortunately, I discovered that I couldn’t stand the sight of blood, so that took medicine out of the running. My brother studied law and encouraged me to give it a try.
What mistake at work has taught you an important lesson that you still apply?
That first impressions are not always accurate. There are so many nuances surrounding meeting someone for the first time that you could get the wrong impression of them. I’ve now learnt to always give people a second and possibly third chance.
What advice do you have for the matriculants of 2023?
It doesn’t matter what background you come from, never give up on your dreams. You can achieve anything you set your mind to if you work hard and believe in yourself.