Santam Syndicate 1918, part of Santam Group, Africa’s largest non-life insurer, has announced the appointment of Hina Shavdia as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
In her new role, Shavdia will report to Sam Geddes, CEO of the Syndicate, and will be based in London.
She brings more than two decades of global insurance and reinsurance transformation experience.
Shavdia joins the Syndicate from Volante Global, where she served as Group COO, leading the transformation of operations and shared services across the group and establishing and chairing an ExCo-sponsored Global Change Board to drive strategic change and accountability.
Prior to that, she spent over four years at AXIS Capital as Global Head of Business Change, where she built a global change capability, strengthening the organisation’s ability to deliver complex change and embed greater accountability for outcomes.
Shavdia’s appointment follows a number of recent leadership hires, including Sam Geddes as Chief Executive Officer, Nigel Tatlock as Head of Property, and Atang Matebesi as Chief Commercial Officer.
The Santam Syndicate officially opened for business on 1 January 2026 after receiving Lloyd’s final permission in December 2025.
Geddes commented, “Hina’s reputation as an outstanding leader, a builder of high functioning teams and her extensive industry expertise in managing insurance and wider financial services operations make her an invaluable addition to our senior leadership team. We are thrilled to welcome Hina to the Santam Syndicate leadership team and look forward to working with her.”
Shavdia added, “The Santam Syndicate has made significant progress since launching, and I am excited to join the team at such an important stage in its development. My focus will be on ensuring we have the right operating model, capabilities and foundations in place to support continued profitable growth. I look forward to working closely with Sam and the wider team to build on this strong foundation as we continue to grow our presence in the Lloyd’s market.”
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