Donato Laboke has been appointed the Sanlam Head Marketing and Channel Development East Africa effective 1st January 2021.
He has held the position in an acting capacity since 1st May 2020. In his new capacity, Laboke is tasked with leading the Sanlam Pan Africa regional marketing and channel development strategy within East Africa.
Donato was previously the General Manager- Marketing and Brand at Sanlam General Insurance Uganda, a function he will continue to oversee as he takes on new responsibilities in the region.
With over 12 years work experience, Donato has expertise in business, marketing & communication strategy development, sales management, brand & product development, Social & market research in vast sectors.
As the ISO 9001:2008 & 2015 Management Representative, he has over the years developed practical knowledge in service quality assurance. He says, he is a believer in a “balanced approach that is pegged on a target segment-based model and a favourable marketing budget efficiency to sustain business growth.”
Amongst his achievements, is the successful management of merger communications of the Lion Assurance Company and Sanlam brands following the merger and acquisition of Lion, by Sanlam Emerging Markets.
Prior to Sanlam, he worked as the Marketing & Strategy Manager at Lion Assurance Company, where he championed several strategic growth programs that saw Lion Assurance reposition in the market with a more appealing brand offering. He also led the development and launch of new insurance products such as ‘Kungula Agri-insurance’ which has since then evolved to a national Agriculture insurance scheme and in the microinsurance space, he led the development & launch of a first of its kind a Boda-Boda Rider Personal Accident insurance offering that has since benefited over 13,000 riders among other products.
Before joining the insurance sector, he held various roles at Fireworks Advertising (U) Ltd & ZK Advertising which marked his inauguration to advertising. While in advertising, he managed accounts like Pepsi (Crown Beverages Ltd), Centenary Bank, National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Vision Group Uganda, Uganda Insurers Association (UIA), Uganda Communication Commission (UCC), Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), Celtel Uganda, Post Bank Uganda, among others.
Donato is also zealous about continuous learning and development; so is a Learning-facilitator at the Insurance Training College (ITC) Uganda and a Business coach on the MBA-Strategic management program at EMAS Business School (Russia).
Besides work and academia, he keeps a good balance with his social interests; as an eminent motorcycle rider; he is currently a Leisure, Touring and Road Safety Commission member at the Federation of International Motorsport (FIM) Africa. He actively served as the President Uganda Bikers Association- a charity non-profit motorcycle owners association from 2010 to 2019 and in 2016 he was Profiled in – NewVision ‘Top 40 Men Under 40’.
Donato is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM-UK) where he attained a Professional Diploma in Marketing, an Alumni of the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB-ED) where he graduated and attained the Director Award for ‘Best Student’ at the Sanlam Senior Leadership Program. Donato has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from EMAS Business School a leading strategy business school in Russia, it is at the same business school (EMAS) that he is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree. Donato has a Bachelor of Entrepreneurship and Business Management from Makerere University Business School (MUBS).