The Modern Day Businesswoman with INSURETALK’s Keke Mohasi
‘Living in a home that doesn’t reflect who you are is like wearing someone else’s clothes’ — Christian Dior. I was immediately reminded of this as I walked into the home of Miss Keke Mohasi. With a bookshelf lined with financial magazines and the works of inspiring authors like Sheryl Sandberg, I immediately understood why she thinks the way that she does and why she has the rare ability to build such an innovative business.
Just at the age of 33, Keke has become the sweetheart of Lesotho’s insurance industry. She is the founder of INSURETALK and the editor-in-chief of insuredigest. Currently pursuing a Higher Certificate in Short-Term Insurance with Milpark Education, she’s a pioneer in Lesotho’s insurance industry. Daring, fearless and meticulous, she’s the very definition of the modern-day entrepreneur. She gives a lot of credit to reading, networking and mentorship. I sat down with her and eloquently, she talked to me about her career in insurance. Here’s my interview with her:
Q: Walk me through the journey that led you to INSURETALK
KM: In 2010, I studied Business Administration at TSIBA (Tertiary School in Business Administration) in Cape Town. The course structure was lectures integrated with internships to produce work-ready graduates and/or aspiring entrepreneurs. That’s where I feel like my career really took shape. In 2017, I came back home with the clarity that I wanted to serve people and for me, that meant becoming my own boss. However, I knew that it was important to get more corporate experience. That same year, I got my first job as a Customer Relations Consultant at Insurecare. I was later promoted to claims and then to underwriting.
Slowly, I began falling in love with the industry. I appreciated what it did for people, and how it reinstated people’s businesses. In 2019, I decided that I really wanted to have a strong voice in the industry so, I sought out a mentor, a decision that would later introduce me to reputable industry leaders and inspiring networks. In July 2020 I left Insurecare Insurance Brokers for TIB Insurance Brokers which is my current place of work. I manage in INSURETALK while working full-time.
Q: How do you get a mentor?
KM: Mentorship wasn’t alien to me. South Africa takes CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) very seriously so, during my time at TSIBA, we’d been allocated mentors. I approached one of the most respected people in the industry here and asked if he could be my mentor. He’d agreed and asked me about my expectations from our professional relationship. I drew up a draft of the vision I had for my career. He then gave me a briefing on what the industry looked like and what I needed to do to achieve my goals. He introduced me to industry material from other countries. If he was attending a free online conference, he’d send me the invitation and I’d tag along or he’d give me feedback on the ones that I couldn’t be a part of.
Q: How did INSURETALK come about?
KM: From so many networks of different insurance communities from around the world, one really stood out for me — iCAN (Insurance Cultural Awareness Network). I was inspired by their insurance awareness events, mentorship programmes, jobs, etc. I had an idea to do something similar for my community. I shared the idea with my mentor and in May 2020, during the national lockdown, INSURETALK was born and officially registered.
Q: How is your business structured?
KM: Our monthly insurance risk management newsletter, insuredigest was first published in January 2022. We’d drawn inspiration from other financial magazines; looked at how they were structured, their layouts, etc. The reception of the newsletter was unbelievable! People are still excited about it and we always get compliments and constructive criticism from the market. Sometimes the criticism is a little hurtful but I’ve learned how to cope with this really well.
Then there are Market Training workshops which happen once a month. This is where we invite experts in the industry. Say we find someone who’s an expert in climate risk. We may invite them to talk about how climate change impacts the insurance industry. The other component of the business is advertising.
We used to have an office space and a few staff members but because of a few business challenges, we had to downsize and work from home. At the moment I do almost everything myself but, I have an employee who handles administrative work. We also have an intern from Limkokwing University. Being a business that is mostly digital, we may not pay for print but we do invest a lot in the look of the website and the newsletter.
Q: When did you feel like INSURETALK was the real deal?
KM: In April of 2021, we had our first online market training workshop with the mission to broaden insurance awareness. We had underwriting fire policies, and claims, up to the consequences of missing a premium. We also really just wanted to bring the market together. It was exciting to see brokers, insurance companies, agents, banks, etc. on the same platform without talking about competition but about how to enhance each other’s experiences in the industry. Over 100 industry professionals joined and engaged. It was our very first training and it ran successfully for 2 days. We had great speakers and the workshop was free.
Q: What’s your typical INSURETALK workday like?
KM: Because I have a day job, I work on INSURETALK after 5 pm (after work). On the days that I happen to be on leave, however, how my day is structured depends on the time of the month. At the beginning of the month, for instance, my focus is more on creating content for the following month and usually, this means finding out what’s trending in our market. This I do first thing in the morning. Next, I’ll send emails inviting businesses to advertise with us. Then most of my afternoon is spent reading up on global trends, i.e., emerging risks and opportunities, and new innovations. Then I’ll look through our events calendar and end the day by overseeing invoicing.
Q: insuredigest is quite comprehensive. Walk me through the process of putting together a newsletter in preparation for issue.
KM: After researching trends in the market, we relate them to our local market. For instance, the content direction for this coming month of March — as Basotho celebrate King Moshoeshoe’s Day — will lean more towards the history of his leadership and how it has impacted our current leadership roles. We come up with different topics and send these to contributors. These contributors are usually industry professionals. We would ask them to share their opinion on certain topics and if they agree we would send them guidelines for the articles or for their contribution. When all articles have been received and fully edited, we submit the final draft to our graphic designer, who then prepares the layout and then the newsletter is ready for publishing.
Q: What has been the highlight of your career?
KM: The Women in Insurance Awards last year. It was an event aimed at shining the light on the usually underplayed contribution of women in the insurance industry. I'd approached our local insurance market to participate in various forms from nominations to sponsorship and they sponsored us with trophies and the success of the entire event. I recall our proposal being a little rough around the edges but the companies were kind enough and showed us a lot of support. They bought tickets not just for themselves but for their stakeholders as well and they sponsored us with trophies. We also had support from law firms and other companies that we work with. On the day of the event, people showed up, participated and were awarded for their hard work. The CEO of IISA (Insurance Institute of South Africa), Miss Thokozile Mahlangu (whom I’d met through networking), was one of the speakers at the event. The speeches people made, the turn-up, and the positive feedback we received afterwards, makes me confident that the event will definitely be coming back this year.
We had very little time for nominations, a situation which we hope to remedy this year. The event was a huge success but I must admit that I was a little overwhelmed by it. This time around I hope to execute it in a very healthy way, delegating more and not doing everything myself. I also wish to start planning on time.
Q: What’s next for INSURETALK?
First Thursdays will launch soon. It was inspired by the Cape Townian art culture. We’re going to customise this into an event on insurance and risk management. Our aim is to make these topics (insurance and risk management) a comfortable conversation to have. It will be an opportunity for businesses and corporate professionals to meet and talk about all things business and finance over a drink. I feel that we need more occasions like that in town. Another exciting project that we’re thinking about is partnering with our local institutions of higher learning to offer insurance education like the COP (Certificate of Proficiency in Insurance). We’re also looking into podcasts.
Keke’s Lifestyle
Q: Do you have any self-care habits that you use to keep you motivated?
Alone time without a cell phone, without a book and not thinking about anything.
Q: A book that you always go back to.
Living with Time to Think by Nancy Kline. It was a gift from the author. We met in Cape Town at one of her Time to Think retreats.
Q: What’s your favourite quality about yourself?
I like the humour that I always bring to a room.
Q: Do you have any hair-care products that you swear by? (She has beautiful hair)
Yes. I wash my hair with raw black soap and Conditioner for Sehlotho. I keep it moisturised with raw Shea Butter which is so good for my hairline.
Q: Tell me a secret.
I don’t watch TV. I really prefer radio and podcasts. Unlike television, they don’t require that I sit and do nothing else.
Giving one’s all to their day job while also growing a business this strong and solid doesn’t come without its challenges. Keke, however, has clarity of who and where she wants to be and I cannot wait to attend her First Thursdays, listen to her podcasts, and continue to be inspired by her dedication to excellence.
