RESIGNATION OF MEDSCHEME HOLDINGS CEO AND APPOINTMENT OF NEW CEO

Johannesburg (17 January 2018) – AfroCentric Group announces the resignation of Mr Kevin Aron, the CEO of AfroCentric Group subsidiary, Medscheme. 

“After a career spanning just over two decades with the Group, Kevin has decided on a career change to pursue other interests. His departure is a sad loss to AfroCentric as he has played an immeasurable role in rebuilding Medscheme into the entity it is today. Kevin approached the Board in December 2017 to discuss his intention to resign and to take a break for a time before deciding on his future plans” says AfroCentric Group CEO, Antoine van Buuren.

Medscheme, established in 1971, is AfroCentric’s largest subsidiary, contributing in excess of 60% of Group revenues. Medscheme has operations in six countries on the African continent those being, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Botswana and Kenya.

Among Kevin’s many achievements, is the management role he played and the positive impact he made to the growth and reputation of Medscheme, today one of the leading players in healthcare, having a prominent and established client base, with over 3,5 million lives under administration. Apart from his many other accomplishments, under Kevin’s leadership, Medscheme received numerous top industry awards including Board of Healthcare Funders’ industry awards and PMR health awards.

“AfroCentric Group is grateful to Kevin for his immense contribution to the Group and wishes him every success in his future endeavours,” adds van Buuren. Aron will continue to consult to Medscheme until end March 2018.

Appointment of Anthony Pedersen as new Medscheme CEO

The new CEO of Medscheme is Anthony Pedersen, presently the Managing Director of Helios IT Solutions – a major subsidiary of the AfroCentric Group. Anthony Pederson is a Chartered Accountant and was previously General Manager of Momentum Health in Mauritius, where he was responsible for establishing their new insurance business.

He joined Medscheme in 2007, responsible for Medscheme’s international operations, thereafter promoted to serve as Chief Operations Officer of Medscheme and in 2016, Anthony was appointed to his current role as Managing Director of Helios IT Solutions.

“Pedersen has been a senior executive within the Group for the last 10 years. His mix of local and international experience, as well as his knowledge of all divisions of the business makes him an obvious choice for Medscheme CEO,” says van Buuren. “He has a tough act to follow, particularly given the challenges within the economy in general and the healthcare sector in particular”.

“Pedersen will bring stability and continuity to the business and the Board and we are very confident that Anthony will take Medscheme to greater heights,” concludes van Buuren. Pedersen assumes the role of CEO with immediate effect.

Leadership changes.

As part of the leadership changes, all information technology related departments will now fall under Vijay Pillay, Executive Director: Group Technology. Vijay’s expanded mandate is to consolidate our technology strategies and initiatives to give them focus and required momentum. An experienced IT specialist, Vijay has worked across numerous IT roles in various companies, including Spoornet Information Systems, Nedcor Technology and Operations division, Chief Information Officer for FNB Home Loans and the bank’s Direct Channels and Contact Centres.

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