OUTsurance, a leading short term insurance company, walked off with the CSI Champion of the Year award in the corporate category in the PetroSA Proudly South African Homegrown Awards held at a glittering ceremony on Saturday night (21 June) in Johannesburg.
OUTsurance Insurance impressed the Proudly South African judges with their culture of giving back to communities, in particular with their "Pointsmen Project", which assists the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Dept (JMPD) and SA motorists with 60 points people who direct traffic at high density traffic intersections. Approximately half of these "Traffic Angels" report to the same intersections on a daily basis while the rest are mobile, and therefore are deployed to where they are most needed. OUTsurance Head of Marketing Peter Cronje said its a win-win situation for all parties, "through this awesome initiative we have created jobs for previously unemployed youth, the motorists score from the easing in traffic congestion and we score as these guys are living billboards for our brand."
Cronje says being a Proudly South African member is more than just putting a logo on their advertising. "We are passionate about living and doing business in this country. OUTsurance's unique approach to insurance was born and bred in South Africa, our systems are all home grown, our business processes were developed in-house and all our management are South Africans."
The winners were chosen from Proudly SA members, nationally.
High profile guests that attended the event were Minister of Trade and Industry Mandisi Mpahlwa, Proudly South Africa Chairman and Advocate Daluxolo Mpofu and PetroSA Chairperson Dr Popo Molefe.
Winners were chosen by a panel of eight distinguished judges, representing business, trade unions, government and the community, who had the pleasure of deciding on the companies that excel in delivering the Proudly SA promise.
Proudly SA CEO Manana Moroka says the Homegrown Awards recognize innovation and excellence among our member companies, serving to further cultivate their competitive edge over their international counterparts by thinking globally, but offering local goods and services that provide a better import substitute. Our encouragement to the nation to "Buy Local" means that our members grow, more jobs are created and this adds to the general growth of our economy," she says. "We give equal credit and recognition to the contribution made by both corporate and SMMEs. Regardless of size, adherence to the Proudly SA campaign criteria is what matters."
Background: OUTsurance sells short-term insurance products, including household insurance, vehicle insurance, contents insurance, commercial insurance and business insurance. The company gained attention in the insurance market with its OUTbonus, rewarding clients with cash back in exchange for not having had to claim for specified time periods. It was also one of the first insurance companies to provide insurance quotes and contracts by phone.