ABOUT US

Data Symphony was started by a group of competent senior specialists from different professions with the intention of bringing together experienced professionals and industry leading software to create more business value faster than what is possible with conventional methods typically used in insurance and banking.

Inspiration for our name, Data Symphony

Our name was inspired by a symphony orchestra where many professionals work together to come up with an awe inspiring work of art in the form of beautiful music. Such an event tells a story of what can be achieved by building on the vision of a composer and bringing together professionals with years of experience, the best instruments and excellent leadership and guidance from the conductor.

Software journey

Our software journey started in 2013 after one of the founders was inspired by how much more advanced software tools were being used by the big tech world relative to what he was working on during his day job at one of the top insurers in Africa. He decided that he is up for the challenge to try and build a bridge between the best software tools published by big technology companies and what was required in actuarial valuations, pricing, experience investigations etc. The key seemed to be scalable and fast data manipulation (extract, transform, load or ETL), actuarial projections which is a form of ETL and having a fully auditable process.

We later realised that it is also critical to provide end-to-end automation and faster analysis and visualisation capabilities. A lot of effort has been spent to come up with an appropriate technology stack, the basis of each being open source projects supported by most of the big technology companies. The vision here is to build on the shoulders of tech giants and remaining up-to-date with the best tools available in the industry.

The software has been set up to be modular given that some clients would only be interested in some of the components (i.e. ETL capabilities, projection capabilities, automation capabilities and analysis and visualisation capabilities).

Service level agreement for our software

Our intended market has IT governance policies which requires enterprise service level agreements (SLAs) to be in place . We provide a service level agreement (SLA) under which we support each of the applications that we provide. The SLA has been set up to also allow agreed alterations made by clients to be supported.

Our Vision, Mission & Values

Vision

Our vision is to be a premier data solution and talent company that provides value beyond boundaries. We aim to disrupt the status quo in data manipulation and modelling software solutions and also in the quality of services provided.

Mission

Our mission can be summarised by:

  1. Building an advanced data manipulation (ETL) and modelling software toolset that is 4IReady by leveraging tools of technology giants.
  2. Sourcing and growing the best talent available in the industry.
  3. Partnering with industry leaders and creating win-win situations.
  4. Making a positive socio-economic impact.

Values

Our values include:

  1. Integrity
  2. Transparency
  3. Humility
  4. Excellence
  5. Ownership
  6. Fairness
  7. Continual improvement
  8. Collaboration and partnerships

Our Team

Johann Van Rooyen
CEO, Director, FASSA

I believe the highest privilege in life is to find and execute your calling with faith that you will grow into the person required for this calling.

I believe that cultivating a team with a growth mindset and focusing on the long term is critical on the road to sustainable success.

Chandré Pelser
Director, FASSA, CERA

Its all about expanding your value add in life…

Pieter Janse van Rensburg
CTO, Actuarial Specialist

I am interested in utilizing big data technologies and machine learning techniques to transform raw data into meaningful and useful information to enable more effective insights and decision-making

Craig Basson
Actuarial Specialist

Look up on a starry night and bear witness to unlimited potential.

Wilna Jansen Van Rensburg
Business Intelligence

My objective is to grow in the skill of assisting business managers with decision making using business intelligence as a supporting tool.  I believe close collaboration between BI analysts and Business can give business the leading edge

Meyr Kruger
FASSA

Being an actuary is a privilege, and I want to use it to make a difference in the lives of South Africans

Danél Pelser
People Operations Manager

A good life depends on the strength of our relationships with family, friends, neighbours and colleagues.  My passion is bringing work and relationships together and creating a strong, healthy and ethical work environment.

Hilde-Mari Van Rooyen
Client Relationship Manager, MCom Economics

I have a passion for helping to optimise the efficiency of resources with the end goal of achieving the best and most fair outcomes for everyone involved

Kudzai Chingovo
Actuarial Specialist

I enjoy working with people as well as value the input and diversity in ideas that comes with group work.