Portfolio profitability & pricing
Understand what's driving profitability — and what to change
Loss ratios · Rate adequacy · Portfolio mix · Underwriting actions
Complex problems.
Better decisions.
Actuarial, insurance and commercial expertise from a practitioner who has built businesses, put capital at risk and owned the outcome.
120% 65%
PORTFOLIO LOSS RATIO
18-month transformation
I don't just advise insurance businesses. I've built and run them.
CREDENTIALS / EVIDENCE
Evidence, not credentials.
13+ years
In actuarial consulting and insurance
8 years building and running insurance businesses
Direct exposure
To the economics of the insurance businesses I've run
Actuarial
Expertise applied to commercial decisions, not just models
End-to-end insurance experience
ProductPricingUnderwritingCapitalReinsuranceDistributionClaimsPortfolio
Most advisers arrive with a slide deck or a model.
I arrive with both — plus the scar tissue that only comes from running the business.
You work with me, not a pyramid of analysts.
Izak Mentz, Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (FASSA), Founder
Record / The founder
The person behind Leaf
Izak Mentz, FASSA
Actuary. Insurance executive. Business builder.
I build from the economics out.
I'm an actuary and insurance executive who has spent years making decisions where pricing, risk, capital and commercial reality collide.
I've built and managed insurance businesses, developed products, negotiated reinsurance, worked through underwriting and claims problems, and turned actuarial models into operating businesses.
The result is a consulting practice built around a simple principle: good analysis is only useful if it leads to a better decision.
From inside the business, I put capital at risk, carried the downside and was accountable for the commercial outcome.
Start a conversationANALYSIS / PROBLEMS I SOLVE
The problems worth bringing me in for
Four problems, deliberately. Strategy, growth, transformation and operating models sit within these where they matter.
Building or fixing an insurance business
Build, restructure or repair the economics of an insurance business
Product development · Cell captives · Underwriting framework · Distribution · Claims
Product & insurtech economics
Turn complex insurance ideas into products that work commercially at scale
Business cases · Unit economics · Go-to-market · Turning models into live products · Technical communication
Capital, reinsurance & risk decisions
Make better decisions about capital, risk transfer and the trade-offs between growth and profitability.
Reinsurance structures · Capital allocation · Scenario analysis · Commercial risk trade-offs
Making complexity understandable
Technical expertise only creates value when it can be understood and acted on. I translate complex actuarial, insurance and financial concepts into clear, commercially useful propositions, content and communications.
Small by design.
Senior by default.
Leaf is deliberately small.
I take on a limited number of engagements where senior-level judgement can make a meaningful difference. You work directly with me — from the first conversation through to the final decision.
There is no hand-off to a junior team and no large consulting structure between the problem and the person solving it.
- Senior involvement
- Direct access to experienced actuarial and insurance expertise.
- Commercial focus
- The objective isn't a report. It's a better business decision.
- Independent thinking
- I'm not tied to a standardised methodology or a one-size-fits-all answer.
- Practical execution
- Where needed, I stay involved beyond the analysis and into implementation.
Senior involvement · Commercial focus · Independent thinking · Practical execution
WHO I WORK WITH
Who I work with
I work with businesses where insurance, actuarial analysis and commercial decision-making intersect.
Insurers & Reinsurers
Portfolio profitability, pricing, product and risk decisions.
Cell owners & insurance businesses
Building, restructuring and scaling insurance operations.
Underwriting Management Agencies & Brokers
Underwriting strategy, pricing, portfolio performance and growth.
Insurtechs & financial businesses
Turning insurance concepts into commercially viable products and propositions.
Methodology / The three stages
From diagnosis to decision
- Ch. 01
Understand
Find what is actually driving the result
Portfolio data, economics, assumptions, incentives and constraints
- Ch. 02
Model
Test the decisions available to management
Pricing, underwriting, capital, reinsurance, product and distribution options
- Ch. 03
Execute
Turn the chosen option into something that works
Implementation, operating changes, governance and measurement
Ways to work together
Three ways in
- 01
Portfolio diagnostic
Fixed scope. A decision, not a report.
- Who it's for
- Insurers, cell owners and underwriting managers who need to know what is really driving a portfolio's result before they decide what to change.
- What you get
- A fixed-scope diagnostic of the portfolio's economics, ending in a decision paper for the ExCo or Board with the options and my recommendation.
- Typical duration
- 4–6 weeks
- 02
Advisory retainer
Senior counsel, on call.
- Who it's for
- Founders, boards and ExCos who want an experienced actuarial and commercial voice in the room as decisions come up.
- What you get
- Ongoing senior actuarial and commercial counsel, directly from me, on pricing, capital, reinsurance, distribution and growth decisions.
- Typical duration
- Ongoing, reviewed every six months
- 03
Build & implement
Hands-on, from design to go-live.
- Who it's for
- Owners and investors who are launching or restructuring an insurance business or cell.
- What you get
- Hands-on involvement through the build: product, pricing, underwriting framework, reinsurance, distribution and claims, until it runs.
- Typical duration
- Typically 3–12 months, depending on scope
WORK / SELECTED WORK
Three engagements
PORTFOLIO PROFITABILITY
Turning actuarial analysis into portfolio profitability.
Cell Captive
Turning an existing lending business into an insurance revenue stream.
Insurtech
Turning insurance distribution into a fully digital, self-service platform.
Record / What people say
In their words
I've always been impressed by Izak's diligence, work ethic and depth of thinking. He works through complex problems, challenges assumptions and brings clarity to important decisions, combining strong technical knowledge with a practical, commercial mindset. I would highly recommend him to any business looking for thoughtful, well-considered advice.
Insights / Notes from practice
Recent thinking
- Insurance technology
We built a short-term insurance admin system. It was not fun. (Part 1)
- Actuarial strategy
When actuarial models become a strategic asset for a UMA
- Cell captives
The economics of a profitable cell captive
- Distribution
Why insurance distribution is changing
Have a difficult decision?
Bring me the problem.
If the economics aren't working, the strategy isn't clear, or the numbers don't tell the whole story, I'll help you work out what the business should actually do.
Start a conversation