MOVING UP

John Kennedy appointed as new Head of Wealth Management at Citadel

Citadel, a leader in specialist wealth management with over 33 years of experience, announced the appointment of John Kennedy to Head of Wealth Management. Kennedy, who has spent 25 years at the company, now oversees a team of 60 wealth management professionals who provide expert advice to close to 11,000 clients and manage R430 billion in combined assets under management and advice.

Kennedy’s appointment comes at a time when wealth management is being shaped by increasingly global lifestyles, demographic shifts and rapid technological change.

Kennedy says the human side of wealth management has become even more important. “Financial decisions are deeply personal and emotional. In an increasingly complex world, one of the most valuable things we can do is listen carefully, understand where
an individual is in their life and help them maintain a long-term perspective.”

Katherine Barker | Proposition Executive Head | Effective 1 April 2026

Barker arrives with a very compelling resume. As founding CEO of Capitec Life, she built a fully licensed digital life insurer from a blank page, putting in place the governance, operating model and leadership capability that turned an idea into a market reality. Her track record of pioneering accessible, data-led insurance for underserved segments will help Old Mutual Life and Savings sharpen its proposition and broaden its reach. Her appointment signals a step-change in how the business will design and deliver customer solutions.

Malusi Ndlovu | Managing Director: Mass Foundation Cluster | Effective 1 July 2026

Ndlovu returns to Old Mutual with an expanded playbook forged at Absa, where he consolidated a major wealth business, rebuilt adviser productivity and constructed new distribution channels from scratch. Before that, at Old Mutual Corporate, he closed some of the largest and most complex employee benefits transactions in South Africa and spearheaded the acquisition and integration of the Remchannel business, outperforming its business case within two years. He takes the helm of the Mass and Foundation Cluster at a moment when unlocking long-term value in the mass market is central to the Group’s growth story.

Ethel Nyembe | Chief Product and Innovation Officer | Effective 1 January 2026

Nyembe has spent more than two decades at the intersection of banking, payments and product innovation at FNB and Standard Bank where she led insight-driven solutions across a global footprint. A founding member of Women in Payments Africa, she brings not just technical depth but genuine industry influence. At OM Bank, she will lead the work of building a digitally native, customer-first product suite that can differentiate the bank in a crowded market.perspective.”

Ancley Jacobs | Chief Growth Officer | Effective 1 May 2026

Jacobs is a proven growth architect. At Standard Bank he led product strategy for South Africa at scale; at FNB, where he spent 16 years, he served as CEO of Retail Transactional Banking, driving market-leading digital growth and customer acquisition across the retail segment. He now takes ownership of Marketing, Retail Sales, Strategic Partnerships, Home Loans and Business Banking at OM Bank. His appointment is a clear message that Old Mutual intends to compete and win in the banking space.

Mari Janzen | Chief Operating Officer | Effective June 2026

Janzen arrives from Hollard Insurance, where as Group COO, she oversaw a portfolio spanning IT, data and analytics, human capital and shared services. Before that, she held Joint CEO and COO roles at Regent Insurance, with additional experience at Telesure and Deloitte. She steps into a consolidated COO mandate covering IT, EPMO, Brand and Marketing, Customer Experience, Data and Analytics, Business Controls and Facilities; a structural move designed to drive the consistency and scalability that sustained high performance demands.

Suzette Schröder joining as Head of Business Proposition, Integration & Enablement

Schröder joins Consult’s leadership team with extensive experience in financial services, spanning sales, enablement and strategic delivery. She holds a BProc from the University of Pretoria and is a CFP® professional from the University of the Free State.

Most recently, she served as Head of Enablement at Stonehouse Capital, where she focused on aligning strategy, people and execution to support sustainable growth and adviser success. Over the course of her career, she has held several senior leadership roles, driving performance, leading high-impact teams and contributing to key strategic and transformation initiatives.

Julian Alben as General Manager: Central Region

Alben joins Consult with over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, with deep expertise across sales and distribution. His career spans both indirect and direct channels, including broker networks, agency and alternative distribution, across business insurance, retail affluent and emerging consumer markets, as well as bancassurance, life risk, investments and short term insurance.

He holds a BCom, BCom (Hons) and MCom in Business, and has earned several industry accolades. Alben is recognised as a driven, people-focused leader with a strong sense of accountability and a practical, hands-on approach to leading teams.

Janine Jacobs as Head of Best Practice – Benefit Consulting

Simeka has welcomed Janine Jacobs to its Board of Directors as a Director, effective 1 May 2026. This appointment highlights their ongoing focus on building strong leadership and developing talent from within the business.

Janine joined Simeka in 2020 as a Principal Benefit Consultant and is currently leading the Benefit Consulting Best Practice team. Janine obtained her BCom Honours in Economics from the University of the Western Cape in 2007 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning from the University of the Free State in 2009.  In 2020, she completed the Principal Officer certificate from Batseta. During her career, she had the privilege of exploring different roles and gaining valuable insights into various parts of the employee benefits industry.

De Wet Burger – Principal Benefit Consultant

Simeka Consultants and Actuaries welcomes De Wet Burger to the team as Principal Benefit Consultant, effective July 2026. His appointment further strengthens Simeka’s employee benefits consulting capability, bringing more than 18 years of experience in the financial services industry, deep actuarial expertise, and extensive knowledge of pension fund governance, regulation and compliance.

De Wet is a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa and holds an Honours degree in Mathematical Statistics from Stellenbosch University. Throughout his distinguished career, he has built a strong reputation in pension actuarial services and employee benefits consulting. As an approved statutory valuator for both defined benefit and defined contribution funds, as well as an approved FSCA pension fund liquidator, De Wet brings a wealth of technical expertise and practical experience that will further enhance the value and service Simeka delivers to its clients.

Thobela Mfeti appointed as Senior Investment Specialist at Sanlam Corporate

Thobela Mfeti has been appointed Senior Investment Specialist at Sanlam Corporate, bringing strong experience in investment research and portfolio analysis. She previously worked as a Manager Research Analyst at PPS Investments, where she evaluated investment strategies, led due diligence processes, and supported stakeholder engagement.

Mfeti holds a BCom Honours in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration, and has completed CFA Level I.

Judy Kobus appointed as CEO of RMB Corporate

Judy Kobus has been appointed CEO of Corporate at RMB, where she will lead the bank’s corporate client business and support its next phase of growth. She joined RMB in 2008 through the Class Of Programme and went on to lead Infrastructure Sector Solutions for six years, helping shift the business from a product-led to a more sector- and client-led model that doubled profit before tax.

She has a BCom and BCom Honours in Information Systems, plus a Master of Commerce in Business Management, completed with distinction.