Legal & Company Secretarial Lead

Who we are:

Africa Specialty Risks (ASR) is enabling sustainable economic development by fulfilling unmet insurance needs. Our platform provides local underwriting expertise, an unparalleled distribution network and access to global capacity.

Founded in the heart of Africa and with offices across the continent and the Middle East, we provide regional market knowledge, data insights, and technical proficiency for capital partners who are looking to increase their presence in growth markets.

We also participate on each and every risk we underwrite with balance sheets in Bermuda, Mauritius and through Syndicate 2454 at Lloyd’s. ASR is committed to accelerating business growth by providing customised service and innovative insurance products to enable development.

Role Purpose: 

The role holder will provide Africa Specialty Risks (ASR)’s legal capability, Board and Committee governance, statutory compliance and entity-management discipline across relevant jurisdictions.

The role holder will act as a trusted adviser to senior leadership, working closely with the Head of Risk, Head of Compliance and Board and Committee stakeholders.

The role combines practical company secretarial delivery with broader legal judgement, including contractual review, regulatory change, governance frameworks and legal risk management.

Role Responsibilities:

Board & Committee Support

• Lead the planning and delivery of Board and Committee meetings, including agendas, papers, minutes, action logs and decision records.
• Manage governance standards, information flows, minute quality and follow-up of agreed actions.
• Run Board effectiveness reviews and deliver agreed governance improvements with relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain a clear governance calendar for meetings, filings, approvals, policy reviews and key statutory matters.
• Record Board and Committee decisions accurately and track agreed actions through to completion.
• Support Board member onboarding and training on governance, statutory and entity-specific requirements.
• Shape legal and governance priorities that support ASR’s business objectives, risk appetite and regulatory expectations.

• Advise management, Boards and Committees on decisions, delegated authorities, conflicts, records and governance standards.
• Coordinate Legal and Governance matters across Risk, Compliance, Finance, Underwriting and Claims, and with external advisers.
• Develop and maintain governance policies, procedures and terms of reference.

Legal, Contractual and Transaction Support

• Review legal documents and contractual frameworks, including service agreements, commercial contracts, memoranda of understanding and appointment letters.
• Provide legal input into reinsurance, insurance, Managing General Agent (MGA) and related distribution or partnership arrangements.
• Identify, assess and escalate legal, contractual and commercial risks from transactions, placements, partnerships and cross-border arrangements.
• Coordinate legal due diligence and support legal input on corporate, regulatory, institutional and strategic projects.

Regulatory, Compliance and Legal Risk

• Monitor legal, regulatory and governance changes and translate them into practical actions.
• Support compliance with applicable company law, insurance and reinsurance requirements, governance rules, statutory obligations and internal policies.
• Support Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter-Financing of Terrorism (CFT), sanctions, counterparty risk and due diligence processes with Compliance and business teams.
• Prepare, maintain and update procedures, controls and records to support a clear audit trail for legal, governance and statutory matters.

Entity Management and Statutory Records

• Maintain accurate records, including constitutional documents, statutory registers, share records, directors’ details, powers of attorney and delegated authority records.
• Manage statutory filings, regulatory notifications and corporate approvals across relevant jurisdictions, using local advisers where needed.
• Keep legal and governance records secure, organised and accessible                                                                 

Skills & Experience:

Essential:

• Experience in legal, governance, company secretarial, compliance or risk roles within financial services or another regulated environment.
• Broad knowledge of corporate governance, company law, statutory records and Board and Committee administration across ASR’s operating jurisdictions.
• Practical understanding of legal risk, regulatory change, contracts, due diligence and governance controls.
• Confident drafting clear Board, Committee, legal, governance and regulatory papers, minutes and action records.
• Comfortable using Microsoft 365, board portal software and appropriate AI-enabled tools for drafting, review, summarisation and governance administration.

Desirable:

• Experience in Insurance, Reinsurance, Lloyd’s, Managing General Agent (MGA), Underwriting, Claims or Risk Governance experience.
• Exposure to overseas corporate regimes, multi-jurisdictional governance or cross-border legal and regulatory matters.
• Exposure to Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter-Financing of Terrorism (CFT), Know Your Customer (KYC), Sanctions, Counterparty Risk, Data Protection or Solvency matters.
• Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), Chartered Governance Institute (CGI) or recognised equivalent qualification, or progress towards one.
• Experience working across multilingual environments.