Marelise Avenant

Experience

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  Real People Group

  Feb 2005 - Oct 2014

  Compliance Advisor | Group Responsibility

  Position Overview:Acted as Compliance Officer for the newly established compliance function within a financial services group, focusing on lending and insurance, specifically supporting the Real People Assurance Company.Duties & Responsibilities:• Risk Management: Developed and implemented compliance risk management plans, controls, and processes.• Legal & Compliance Support: Addressed legal and compliance queries from assurance, lending, and insurance divisions.• Training & Compliance Management: Delivered FICA training and managed the compliance diary.• Regulatory Reporting: Conducted regulatory reporting to FSB and NCR, including reporting of cash transactions exceeding thresholds.• Contractual Management: Oversaw the Group’s contractual covenants with its funders. Show less

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  Discovery Limited

  Oct 2014 - now

  Position Overview:I managed and oversaw compliance risk for the Individual Life and Employee Benefits divisions at Discovery Life, a leading life insurer with over 600,000 individual policyholders and 3,000 schemes. My role involved close collaboration with top management, staff, and regulatory bodies, as well as overseeing the work of two direct reports.Duties & Responsibilities:• Team Management: Direct management and support of two compliance officers.• Staff Empowerment: Empowered a staff member to qualify for promotion.• Role Definition: Defined roles and responsibilities for first-line and second-line compliance.• Framework Review: Reviewed and provided guidance on Claims and Complaints Frameworks (Group and Individual Life).• Monitoring Oversight: Oversaw the Monitoring Plan for the Insurance Compliance Team.• Market Conduct: Managed successful Market Conduct visits by the FSCA.• Project Assistance: Assisted Discovery Health with projects related to primary healthcare insurance products. Show less Position Overview:Working closely with business to identify and manage compliance risk and assisting business with all aspects of operational compliance and the design and implementation of controls and processes.Duties & Responsibilities:• Regulatory Guidance: Provided expert advice and interpretation on regulatory compliance, controls, and processes to line and executive management; navigated the business through regulatory changes.• Compliance Risk Management: Developed compliance risk management plans, controls, and processes in accordance with legislation.• Manual Update: Rewrote the Compliance Manual, incorporating updated and new processes and procedures.• Audit & Risk Management: Conducted audit testing, risk assessments, and root cause analyses; implemented corrective actions and prepared for regulatory audits.• Training & Mentorship: Supported the regulatory training team in implementing training programs, including preparation of materials and assessments; mentored and trained two junior compliance team members.• Project Management: Managed end-to-end projects, including business initiatives and the POPI (Protection of Personal Information) project.• Research & Analysis: Conducted research and trend analysis to stay current with processes, methodologies, and best practices.• Reporting & Presentation: Prepared and presented compliance reports to the Customer Conduct Forum; monitored Key Fairness Indicators.• Regulatory Submission: Submitted regulatory reports to FSB, NCR, and ASISA.• Committee Membership: Served on Discovery Life Management Committee, Claims Committee, and Complaints Committee. Show less

  • Compliance Manager

    Jan 2020 - now

  • Compliance Guidance Officer

    Oct 2014 - Jan 2020
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  Kaelo

  Sept 2021 - now

  Compliance Officer

  Position Overview:I work closely with business units to identify and manage compliance risks, providing support across all aspects of operational compliance, including designing, and implementing controls and processes. I also assist the business in its strategic move into the life insurance sector.Duties & Responsibilities:• Strategic Transition: Led the strategic move into the life insurance sector, ensuring successful due diligence and product approval with Guardrisk Life.• Process Development: Developed comprehensive business processes and policies for the new life insurance business.• Collateral Development: Created business collateral to support the new life insurance venture.• Regulatory Compliance: Embedded regulatory compliance standards within the new life insurance business framework.• Product Rollout: Facilitated the rollout of Dis-Chem Health Insurance and Gap Cover products.• Stakeholder Relations: Managed stakeholder relations with insurer partners and regulatory bodies.• Legal Review: Reviewed and drafted legal agreements to support business objectives.• Tender Oversight: Oversaw tender document evaluations for new business opportunities.• E-Signature Implementation: Led the implementation of a new e-signature solution, including negotiation and staff training.• Strategic Input: Provided strategic input for the future of Health Insurance, collaborating with the Head: Group Legal and Compliance.• Demarcation Renewal: Managed the Demarcation Renewal Application, ensuring regulatory alignment.• Data Protection: Launched a POPIA revision project to strengthen data protection practices.• Compliance Monitoring: Assisted Quality Assurance in monitoring compliance with regulatory obligations.• FAIS Compliance: Served as an Approved FAIS Compliance Officer and Key Individual, ensuring adherence to financial advisory standards. Show less