Izak Smit, CEO of PPS, on how to lead an impactful company

Izak Smit is the Group Chief Executive Officer at PPS, one of South Africa’s last remaining mutual insurance companies. He completed a BCom Honours in Economics at UP and holds a Diploma in Strategy and Innovation from the University of Oxford. He is a proud Tuks alum and sits on the Faculty Advisory Board of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS). On this episode, he speaks to us about: Why he believes that he already has his dream job. How to build and strengthen culture in a company. Why the model of mutual insurance works well. How to move beyond simplistic work/life balance.  Why he is so proud to be a UP graduate. Find us at www.up.ac.za/leadup – click on LeadUP Podcast. To listen, you can stream, download and subscribe online or on your favourite podcast app, or find us on YouTube.  Help us grow by rating and reviewing the show! New episodes drop on the last Tuesday of May, July, September and November 2025.  LeadUP is a production of the University of Pretoria’s Alumni Office. Our host is Lennox Wasara, and our team includes Elna Schütz, Duané Kitching and Samantha Castle. Our technical engineers are Meropa Communications, with language and marketing services by Brightlight SA Communications.