Cape Town, 28 October 2026: The Sanlam Group today announced the appointment of three global partners to strengthen its brand and marketing capabilities as it pursues growth in South Africa and across several emerging markets. The group reaffirmed its ‘Vision 2030’ growth ambitions at a Capital Markets Day for investors last week.

Omnicom Advertising South Africa, WPP and Kantar will serve as strategic brand partners, working to bring the Sanlam brand together across all of its offerings. WPP’s work will be led by Landor in London and supported by sister agency Design Bridge and Partners in South Africa. The appointments follow that of Charl Bassil as Group Chief Brand and Marketing Officer and a member of the Sanlam Group Executive Committee earlier this year.

The investment in the Sanlam brand and ‘shopfront’ will support the Group’s One Sanlam strategic pillar – creating a simpler and more consistent experience for clients which combines offerings from across the Group's businesses.

The Group continues to build momentum across its key growth markets. In the first half of 2026, new business grew 22% to R224 billion on a comparable basis, while net client cash flows increased 64% to R78 billion, with growth across its African and Indian markets.

CEO of Sanlam, Paul Hanratty: “Sanlam has built a diversified financial services group with leading positions across multiple markets, serving millions of clients through a wide range of businesses and capabilities. As we continue to grow, we have the opportunity to make more of those strengths. That means not only expanding our business but ensuring that clients can more easily access the full value of what Sanlam offers.”

A South African marketer with extensive international experience, Bassil has held senior brand leadership roles at some of the world's most recognised organisations, including serving as the BBC's inaugural Chief Brand Officer, Global Chief Marketing Officer of Absolut Vodka and General Manager of Carling Black Label at SABMiller in South Africa.

CMO Bassil says clients don't think in terms of products, channels or organisational structures. “They think about their needs and the outcomes they want to achieve. It is critical that the experience of engaging with Sanlam becomes simpler, more connected and relevant.”

“Our new partners bring global expertise in creativity, strategic design and customer insight - combined with strong local capabilities that reflect Sanlam's commitment to transformation across its markets. Together we have some of the best expertise in the world, and their complimentary disciplines will be highly effective when interconnected.”

Omnicom Advertising, Sanlam's new strategic creative partner, has deep experience in building integrated brands across Africa, Asia and other growth markets. Its global network combines creative, media, data and technology expertise to help organisations strengthen their brands and drive growth across diverse markets.

Kantar will help the Group deepen its understanding of client needs and measure brand performance through research, analytics and client insight. WPP Design will lead strategic brand design, drawing on the expertise of Landor in London and sister company, Design Bridge and Partners in South Africa, to help create a design system that works consistently across physical and digital environments.

The investment supports Sanlam's purpose of empowering customers and communities to live with confidence by promoting financial inclusion, transformation and sustainable growth.

“Sanlam has one of the most established brands in financial services, built over more than a century. The opportunity now is to ensure that our reputation travels with the business as we grow and that the brand reflects the increasingly connected, client-focused and international organisation we are becoming,” concludes Bassil.