Tony van Niekerk, Editor at COVER Publications
Simple Minds penned the lyrics to this song. Although a love song, it rings so true for me during this time. “Stay until your love is alive and kicking” is one of the main lines but soon followed by: “What you gonna do when things go wrong” and “What you gonna do when it all cracks up?”
These words epitomize where we are at in the world and more specifically in South Africa. We live in a time of unrivaled opportunity for self-expression, exploration and personal growth, all of which can be harnessed to add real value to everyone around us. Never have the uncertainty and volatility been more pronounced but, at the same time, never has the opportunity to manage and mitigate these risks and uncertainties been more available to everyone.
It is in our hands and, dare I say, our mandated mission, to use our knowledge and experience to do just that. As an industry, it is up to us to provide the tools and knowledge for mitigation and managing of risk, allowing everyone to take advantage of the myriad opportunities available to them.
The two features in our September issue clearly illustrates my comments. At Insurtech21 our round table participants stimulated discussions and revealed opportunities in our industry backed by the massive development in the technology environment. The bottom line is that everyone has access and everyone can compete, we just have to think again. Make sure you read this feature and watch the various recordings from the event.
Our second feature puts a damper on things by exploring the risks posed by rapid technological innovation and, especially a move to remote working. However, again, these risks have created opportunity for the industry and its various product, service and advice providers, to show their true value.
Think again
If you feel overwhelmed by the uncertainty and all the doom and gloom, think again and explore the opportunities available to you as a result of the challenging environment unfolding around us.
We certainly are alive and kicking!!