OUR WINNING FORMULA

At Alpha Direct, we pride ourselves in the determination of our people to be different. To be better than the competition. To put our heart and soul into everything we do. Our goal is not just to impress our customers (although we love that part, too!) but also to impress ourselves, and impress each other. Every day, we yearn for that good feeling inside that you can only get if you truly know that you have done your best, given your all, and run down every lead to the bone.

So what does it really mean, to be part of this special group of individuals? What does it really feel like to be an Alpha? Well, here's what we think being an “ALPHA” means:

BEING COMPETITIVE : Alphas are in the game to win.

BEING FAIR : We want to win fair and square, and we want everyone else to win too.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX : We want to make everyone's life easier by finding innovative solutions to their everyday problems.

PLAYING AS A TEAM : The best ideas are those we all embrace.

GIVING IT YOUR ALL : All the time.

HAVING A BLAST : Life is short and every moment is precious. Alphas make life worth living by living in the moment.

BEING CARING : Every day is an opportunity for us to show we care. About our customers, about each other, about the world.

GIVING : Because the pleasure of giving can never be matched by getting.

BEING FEARLESS : Fear and self-doubt will never hold us back.

LOVING UNCONDITIONALLY : After all, what else is there to life?

BEING A STEWARD : We lead the way and live with the results, trying to leave everything better than it was.

HAVING INTEGRITY : Our word is all you need. Our honesty is all you will want.

So, when you're dealing with an Alpha, you can expect them to have the qualities we talk about above. Hopefully, working with us brings out the "Alpha" in you!

History & Culture

In May 2014, Alpha Direct was 'brought to life' by Arun P. lyer an American Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant, upon the granting of an insurance license by the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA) in Botswana. The company's business model is to offer value-for money Business and Personal insurance products directly to Batswana and Botswana businesses with the underlying premise "You could save 15% or more on your insurance".

Alpha Direct is an approved insurance company in terms of the Insurance Industry Act (CAP 46:02).

The work culture at Alpha Direct is one best described as "Work hard Play hard, every day". All Alphas are required to spend 20% of their time thinking about new ideas ("Me time") on what we as a company can do to better serve our clients. This results in powerful ideas that make your insurance costs cheaper, your service better, and your claims processing faster.

Alpha Direct also has a giving culture as part of it's DNA. All Alphas are required to spend 2 days of company paid time on philanthropic or social service causes each year. Alphas are also encouraged and motivated to engage in the local community as volunteers, leaders, and service people to help make the communities we serve better each day.

Finally, we are also about learning and constant self-improvement. All Alphas are entitled to an unlimited 100% sponsorship of their education related to insurance, for the duration of their tenure with the company. This ensures that we as an organization are constantly improving our knowledge and capabilities, while also enabling our team members to serve your needs better each day.

Key Personnel

Arun P. Iyer

- Chief Executive Officer

Arun built Astutant Group in Florida, USA from a standing start in 2004 to a multi-million U.S. dollar professional services business with 6 branch office locations and over 40 team members across the State of Florida. Astutant Group offered a diverse range of services including taxation, accounting, and insurance brokerage. Prior to forming Astutant Group, Arun founded a small internet company in his parent’s garage called Virtual Internet Africa that built Botswana’s most popular portal web site, Chatswana.com. Arun was 14 years old then. Arun has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Accountancy and is a U.S. Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.

Prathap Ganesharajah

- Chief Financial Officer

Prathap started his career working for Big4 accounting firms KPMG and Ernst & Young, before moving to Botswana to join PwC in their audit department, where he audited some of the leading insurance companies in Botswana. After a stint at PwC in the United States, he returned to Botswana and joined Nutri Feeds Botswana (the country’s largest animal feeds manufacturer) as its finance manager for 5 years. Prathap is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA, UK), a Fellow Member of the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants, and an Associate Member of Institute of Certified Management Accountants (CMA).

Paul Beka

- Operations Manager and Principal Officer

Mr Beka has 20 years’ experience in Insurance Operations Management at a Senior Management level. he holds an Advance Diploma In Insurance Management from the Insurance Institute of South Africa (IISA). He then continued his education with a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Practice from Henley Business School. He is a Fellow Member of the Insurance Institute of South Africa (FIISA).

Unami L.M Butale

- Human Resource Manager

Unami Butale is a Human Resources professional with over 10 years of experience within the Human Resources profession. After graduating with a degree in Human Resource Management from Tshwane University of Technology, he began his career in South Africa before returning home to Botswana, where he applied his trade at SIL Botswana for two years. He is one of the founding employees of Alpha Direct. He is a Certified Human Resource Professional for the South African Board of People Practice (SABPP). His areas of expertise include organizational culture and change, compensation, and performance management.

Mr Modise Mokgathong

- Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr Modise Mokgathong is the former Head of Security Services of Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTCL). Modise is a graduate of the University of Botswana where he graduated with Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics. He is a graduate of Management Development Programme at the University of Cape Town and Alumni of the University of Stellenbosch, where he completed Senior Management Development Programme. Mr Modise started his career as a graduate trainee with BTC in 1999 and steadily rose through the ranks over the next 20 years. As an entrepreneur he was was instrumental in the formation of BOTUSAFE Central Registry for the micro-lenders in Botswana. He is a former member of GRAPA (Global Revenue Assurance Professionals Association), FIINA(Forum for International Irregular Network Access). He is a member IoDSA (Institute of Directors Southern Africa).

The Alpha Direct Value Proposition

AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO LOOK AT INSURANCE

Through our call centre and our network of in-house agents, clients are able to talk directly to us without needing to go through a middleman. This means no insurance broker fees or commissions are charged and the savings are passed on to our clients in the form of a reduction or discount in their premium.

With our highly sophisticated underwriting systems, premiums are calculated according to a client's unique risk profile, meaning low-risk clients would not subsidise high-risk clients. So, if you're a low-risk client, you can get insured by Alpha Direct for much less than what you're currently paying somewhere else, and you will most likely save 15% or more on your insurance costs (Roughly 50% of Batswana will). We are the first insurance company in Botswana to implement individual underwriting.

Our insurance products are affordable, straight-forward and there are no hidden surprises.

Our short-term insurance clients can choose a fixed or percentage excess amount, irrespective of the value of their claim and their premiums are fixed for a full 12 months. This guarantees their peace of mind and that Alpha Direct will be there for them when they need us the most.