The Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana has awarded Chief Executive Officer of Activa International Insurance Ghana, Best Insurance CEO of the year, 2017.

The award was presented to Mr Solomon Lartey at EFG’s 8th Ghana Entrepreneur and Corporate Awards 2018 ceremony held at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, on Saturday, April 28, 2018.

Notable activities that lead to his nomination include the following:

• He led Activa International Insurance Ghana to become Insurance Company of the year. (Ghana Accountancy and Finance Awards 2017) and International Insurance Company of the year (Quality Service Excellence Awards 2017)

• Has grown the company’s Gross Written Premium by 35% in 2017

• He led Activa Foundation to donate medical equipment worth US$25,000 to the Children’s Block of the Korlebu Teaching Hospital. The Children’s Unit was relying on fluorescent tubes to treat jaundice in newly born babies. Activa donated six Phototherapy Units with a light metre to the Korlebu Teaching Hospital, in July 2017.

-Mr Lartey flanked by his colleagues Theo Oninku (Left) and Emmanuel Blankson (Right)

• Mr Lartey has led Activa to embark on a couple of social interventions beyond the above donation:

a. Activa has consistently sponsored the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) awards (5 years running) to bring insurance awareness to the sporting fraternity and lovers of sports.

b. Activa has consistently for 5 years running sponsored the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) awards to ensure Ghanaian industries are educated about the immense benefit of insurance beyond what the local insurance market offers. The company also offered free insurance packages to award winners to introduce them to the enormous benefits of certain classes of insurance business that hitherto were not offered on the Ghanaian market.

c. Activa has consistently for 4 years running supported the SME Ghana awards to bring insurance awareness to SMEs in Ghana. The company also made insurance packages available to award winners to help reduce their start-up costs.

Mr Lartey, a member of the Executive Committee of Group Activa is a Chartered Insurance Practitioner (UK), and also holds an MBA from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Arts (Hon) Degree from the University of Ghana and is a product of the Accra Academy.

He has worked in the London Market as a Claims Manager at Planet Accident Claims and as an insurance broker at Brooklands Financial Services Limited. He then proceeded to work as a Mortgage and Insurance Consultant at the Simple Group in Mitcham, Surrey, United Kingdom and later held the same position at Bryant and Menson UK Limited (an appointed representative for Mortgage Broking Services Limited in Manchester).

The Ghana Entrepreneurs and Corporate Executive Awards celebrate and recognise executives in the corporate sector who demonstrate excellence in their profession as well as show leadership and commitment in their respective organizations and to the existing corporate culture of diversity.

On his part, Mr Lartey said, as the saying goes ‘behind every successful man is a woman’ – but behind every successful CEO are three things: A good board, a good team and character.

He thanked his Board Chairman Mr Richard Lowe, the board, his management team and staff for pushing him to this level and dedicated the awards to his children.

Mr Lartey, who did not seem too surprised about the award said, once the awards had to be premised on insurance ‘service delivery’, he knew his company had the upper hand. This is because Activa Insurance is structured to provide similar world-class standards and insurance solutions to its numerous multinational and corporate clients just like what any world-class insurer e.g. Chubb, Zurich, AIG or HDI would provide for its clients anywhere in the world.

Notable award winners on the night included Group Chairman of McDan Group of Companies; Dr Daniel Mckorley, Overall Best Entrepreneur of the year, and Dr Felix Anyah, Chief Executive Officer Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Overall Best CEO of the Year (Public Sector), 2017.

Others were Mrs Patience Akyianu, MD, Barclays Bank Ghana, Madam Yolanda Cuba, CEO-Vodafone Ghana, Mr Gazi Azar, CEO-Azar Group, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom – Chairman Group Nduom and many others.