Rachel 'Lase - Samuel

Strategy and Digital Transformation professional with 5+ years of experience across insurance, reinsurance, business development, operations, process improvement and technology-enabled transformation. Experienced in analysing business processes, gathering and documenting requirements, coordinating cross-functional stakeholders, evaluating technology solutions, supporting system integrations, developing management dashboards, and improving operational workflows. Currently transitioning into Product Management, supported by formal Product Management training and a capstone project focused on developing a teenage-centred educational application.

Brings a strong understanding of business problems, stakeholder needs, technology implementation, data-driven decision-making and process optimisation, with particular experience working across business and technology teams.

Strategy and Digital Transformation Analyst at Continental Reinsurance (2024-03 – Present)

• Map and document AS-IS business processes across Underwriting, Claims, Technical Accounts and IT to identify opportunities for digitisation and operational improvement.
• Support the evaluation of technology and AI solutions by coordinating stakeholder engagement sessions, gathering feedback and presenting observations and recommendations to senior management.
• Develop executive performance dashboards in Power BI to improve visibility of operational and production metrics and support data-driven decision-making.
• Design workflow automation using Microsoft Power Automate to support task creation and tracking between Outlook and Microsoft Teams.
• Review business and integration requirements relating to SICS and Microsoft Power Apps solutions, considering technical feasibility and alignment with business needs.
• Gather and document business requirements and supporting information for an in-house automation solution for bank statement uploads into SAGE, with the objective of reducing manual processing.
• Develop business cases for enterprise technology solutions, including ERP and business intelligence platforms, to support stakeholder decision-making and budget approval.
• Design and analyse IT adoption surveys to understand technology usage and identify opportunities to improve application utilisation and user engagement.
• Support organisation-wide Digital Awareness Sessions focused on improving technology adoption and digital awareness.
• Coordinate strategic initiatives through activity tracking, stakeholder engagement and executive reporting.
• Contribute to the development of the organisation's five-year strategic plan by supporting alignment between operational priorities and long-term business objectives.
• Support the definition of departmental KPIs across Technical, Actuarial, Underwriting, Claims and Finance functions, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives.

Senior Business Development Manager – Anglophone West Africa at Continental Reinsurance (2021-03 – 2024-02)

• Developed a market expansion business case for Ghana, targeting 15% premium income growth through strategic market positioning and increased regional coverage.
• Standardised and documented business development processes to improve operational continuity, team efficiency and scalability.
• Analysed client engagement history and developed targeted follow-up strategies, contributing to a 96% client retention rate.
• Managed facultative renewal follow-ups, contributing to a 2% improvement in renewal performance and revenue retention.
• Worked with Underwriting, Claims and Technical teams to resolve client issues and maintain effective communication throughout the process.
• Co-delivered product training sessions for clients on newly introduced product lines, supporting customer understanding and product adoption.
• Supported business development activities across Anglophone West African markets through client engagement, market analysis and relationship management.

Operations Lead – RSA Validation Project at AXA Mansard Pensions (2019-12 – 2020-02)

• Co-recruited and led an ad-hoc validation team responsible for high-volume RSA verification within defined project timelines.
• Designed and monitored daily performance targets to track team productivity and project progress.
• Coordinated with cross-functional stakeholders to secure resources and operational support required for project delivery.
• Reviewed completed RSA records as part of quality assurance activities, maintaining a 0% error rate across verified accounts.
• Produced weekly performance and financial reports covering validation volumes, project expenses and staff compensation for management visibility.
• Exceeded the project target by 33%, validating 20,000 RSA holders against a target of 15,000 through structured workflows and team coordination.

Operations Analyst – Internship at AXA Mansard Pensions (2019-04 – 2019-06)

• Analysed operational data and errors using Microsoft Excel to identify patterns and recommend process improvements.
• Verified approximately 500 RSA holders' details weekly to support data accuracy and seamless payout processes.
• Assisted with biometric uploads, data capture, data clean-up and archiving to maintain database integrity.
• Maintained operational records, forms, logs and reports to support audit and compliance requirements.

Curriculum and Operations Coordinator (NYSC) at Winterville School (2019-06 – 2020-05)

• Supported the development of course objectives, curriculum structures and learning pathways.
• Planned and delivered lessons based on defined curriculum requirements and learning objectives.
• Prepared learning materials and organised activities to support student engagement.
• Maintained attendance and operational records and prepared lesson plans, assignments, classwork and examinations.

MBA in Advanced AI and The Future of Automation – Nexford University (2021 – 2021)

B.Sc in Actuarial Science – University of Lagos (2018 – 2018)