Mário Mota Lemos

ENSA is one of the most important companies in the country. Employing around 500 workers and participating in society as a trainer, as a patron, as an anchor. ENSA celebrates its 45th anniversary with a backstory of resilience. And Mário Mota Lemos, a Kuíto native, who has not yet completed a year as president of the executive committee, represents a new era – young, technological, dynamic, with a vision of the future without taking his feet off the ground. The commemorative events are still a secret of the gods, but, for now, Mário tells us that the ENSA Foundation will go ahead in 2023.

When and in what circumstances did you arrive at ENSA?
In 1998, through a normal application process for hiring management staff. I can say that my working life came into being and developed within this company. 

Today you are one of the company’s historical executives, so young and already a CEO. What characteristics have brought you to this level?
In good times and not so good ones, I have always been at ENSA’s side. I took up the cudgels from day one, and I still do so today. It’s as simple as that. The rest of the journey is made by walking, with common sense and humility. 

You have been been ENSA’s chief executive officer for less than a year. But it will be in your "hands” that the company will celebrate its 45th anniversary, now, in 2023. You cannot talk about the history of Angola without talking about the history of ENSA...
This is true. ENSA’s history merges with the history of independent Angola. Since then, it has suffered the pains that the country has endured and has accompanied it in its conquests and victories. It is an iconic company that is very dear to Angolans. 

ENSA was founded, in a joint effort with the state, to unify and re-organise the activities, assets and responsibilities of all the insurers that were operating in Angola in the pre-independence phase. 45 years later, this is one of the most important companies in the country. Are resilience and hard work the key words?
Without a doubt. If merger and acquisition operations are complex today, imagine carrying out one of this magnitude 45 years ago in the context in which we were living. This challenge was inscribed in the genetics of the company which, since then, has known how to renew itself and innovate with hard work and persistence, whole always remaining faithful to its origins. 

«The company has known how to renew itself and innovate with hard work and persistence»

On the way to half a century of activity, the company already has a very important legacy in different areas, which go far beyond the insurance market. In job creation, in staff training, in heritage, in solidarity and also in art. The prestige of an institution is also measured by what it gives to society. ENSA does not live from profit alone...
ENSA has increased social responsibility due to its history and its important role in the Angolan business sector. You rightly mention the aspect of human capital. ENSA was, and still is, the main school for Angolan insurance, reinsurance professionals and pension fund managers. And many have gone on to contribute to the country’s other insurance companies. It is also a relevant driving force for corporate initiatives that go beyond its core activities. More than three decades ago, it founded the main event promoting Angolan art, the ENSAArte competition, which has already given and will still has much to give to the country, and it has always been on the side of sport supporting the national teams. These are just a few examples of what we have done over the past 45 years. 

What else can be expected from ENSA in the coming years, with regard to new consolidation and investment projects in the country?
ENSA is currently very focused on the digital transformation of the business and on improving the customer experience. We intend to bring new technological realities to the company, with major impacts on our organisation, but also on the way we relate with customers and the market. In a word: innovation. We are very committed to rethinking the reinsurance market and we are also going further in social responsibility: later this year we will go ahead with the ENSA Foundation. 

When it comes to human capital, what figures can ENSA present today?
We have a workforce of around 500 employees, which makes us one of the main employers in the country. But our focus is not on numbers. We want these employees to be among the most motivated and qualified in the insurance market, promoters of the transformation and innovation that the market needs.

«ENSA was, and still is, the main school for Angolan insurance, reinsurance professionals and pension fund managers»

Having overcome the challenges of the pandemic, the company has strengthened its leading position in the market and increased value for the Angolan state. How is the privatisation of ENSA progressing in all its aspects, namely on the stock exchange?
The privatisation of ENSA is a matter that, naturally, is in the hands of its shareholder, the state. The management team has been committed to assisting the shareholder in this process, in order to ensure that the operation is successful, regardless of the methodology deliberated by the shareholder and the phases in which the process is at. 

Last year’s results validate the growth expectations. Is the insurance market in Angola doing well and is it recommended for those with focused targets and well-defined strategies?
The growth confirms what we have been saying over the years. Insurance still has a low penetration rate in our market and much remains to be done around the opportunities it offers. One of the joint strategies of insurers, through their association ASAN, is to improve financial literacy so that the benefits of insurance and pension funds are evident to all.  

What activities does the company have in the pipeline for the commemoration of these 45 years?
We have several initiatives, which we would not like to reveal in full so that they may have a surprise effect. We will certainly celebrate with our workers, customers and other ENSA partners, but also with some cost restraint, since the global economic challenges advise some prudence. It is a special year for us.