COPE Expands into North Africa with Appointment of Malek Smaili
Cyprus Operational & Professional Enterprises (COPE)—a rapidly growing investment group specializing in insurance and reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and operational management—has appointed Malek Smaili as Regional Director for North Africa, effective 1 June 2025. Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Nicosia, the group already serves clients in Cyprus and Lebanon. Smaili’s arrival signals the group’s intent to accelerate its footprint from Morocco to Egypt and capture an underserved, fast-growing market segment.
COPE Sees North Africa as a Timely Opportunity for Complex Risk Solutions
A convergence of macro-trends makes North Africa one of the most attractive frontiers for intermediaries that combine global reach with local insight:
Regulation modernization: Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt are adopting stricter solvency rules and aligning with IFRS 17, creating demand for technical guidance that preserves profitability.
Climate and catastrophe risk: Droughts, flash floods, and seismic activity are driving the need for sophisticated risk-transfer vehicles and catastrophe reinsurance.
Infrastructure boom: Renewable-energy projects, port expansions, and trans-Maghreb transport corridors require multi-year insurance and reinsurance programs beyond the scope of many local agents.
Low penetration, growing awareness: Regional insurance penetration lags the global average, so even incremental growth translates into significant premium gains.
By placing a seasoned executive on the ground, the group aims to turn these macro-drivers into sustainable revenue while tailoring solutions to each country’s regulatory and cultural context.
COPE Relies on Malek Smaili’s Credentials for Regional Impact
Academic foundation
Smaili holds a master’s degree in Risk Management, Insurance, and Reinsurance from the École Supérieure de Commerce, giving him deep proficiency in underwriting, actuarial modeling, and treaty design.
Professional trajectory
Aon Tunisia (2007 – 2014): Started as Account Executive and rose to Senior Account Executive, coordinating cross-border placements and facultative treaties.
At-Takafulia (2014 – 2020): Served as Technical Director for reinsurance and non-life lines—motor, industrial risks, and marine transport—melding actuarial analytics with product modernization.
ASTREE (2020 – 2025): Became Reinsurance Director, managing proportional and excess-of-loss programs that protected the balance sheet during pandemic volatility while cultivating ties with top reinsurers in London, Zurich, and the Gulf.
This 18-year blend of brokerage, underwriting, and C-suite experience provides the group with the relationships and credibility needed to gain early momentum across North-African jurisdictions.
COPE’s Three-Pillar Business Model Drives Differentiation
Insurance and reinsurance brokerage spanning commercial, specialty, and personal lines.
Risk-management consulting that aligns coverage with emerging exposures and supports carriers in meeting capital-adequacy requirements.
Operational support ranging from captive administration and claims oversight to back-office technology deployment.
The group believes this end-to-end model removes friction that can arise when placement and advisory services are split among multiple vendors—a benefit it plans to replicate in North Africa.
COPE Sets Four Near-Term Priorities for Its New Regional Director
Boost reinsurance capacity
Secure multi-year treaty partnerships with global markets, offering North-African cedants cost-effective protection for high-severity classes such as property-catastrophe and motor, while expanding capacity for renewable-energy and cyber risks.Scale advisory services
Launch a Tunis-based risk-consulting practice delivering enterprise-risk audits, solvency-capital modeling, and IFRS 17 training to help carriers comply with new regulations without stalling growth.Launch a digital placement platform
Localize COPE’s e-placement portal in French and Arabic to automate facultative submissions, speed quote turnarounds, and provide regulators with a transparent audit trail.Build a talent pipeline
Partner with regional universities to sponsor internships that produce bilingual professionals versed in local regulation and international best practices, easing the Maghreb’s talent shortage in actuarial and reinsurance disciplines.
COPE’s Competitive Edge in a Crowded Landscape
Multinational brokers such as Aon and Marsh have long operated in North Africa, but COPE intends to capture market share by emphasizing:
Boutique agility: Decision cycles measured in days, not weeks.
Integrated services: Placement, consulting, and operational management under one roof.
Local ownership mindset: Leadership rooted in the region, fostering cultural fluency and regulatory trust.
COPE’s Milestones to Watch
Q3 2025: Opening of a Tunis hub to serve francophone North Africa.
Q4 2025: Launch of the Arabic/French version of the digital placement portal.
Q1 2026: Signing of the first multi-line treaty providing aggregate capacity across motor, engineering, and energy classes.
Q2 2026: Hosting of the inaugural North-African Risk Forum for regulators, insurers, and reinsurers.
Each milestone will strengthen COPE’s regional footprint and deliver added value to insurers, reinsurers, and large commercial buyers.
What Clients Can Expect from COPE’s Expansion
Expanded market access to London, Zurich, and GCC reinsurers previously out of reach.
Sharper pricing discipline through global data analytics, curbing overpayment for treaty capacity.
Innovative products such as parametric drought covers, cyber endorsements for fintech firms, and hybrid political-risk solutions for cross-border infrastructure.
Operational efficiency thanks to digital tools that reduce administrative drag, shorten policy-issuance times, and provide transparent claims tracking.
COPE’s Strategic Appointment Marks a Transformational Moment
By naming Malek Smaili as Regional Director, COPE is anchoring a purposeful expansion into a region poised for rapid insurance growth. Smaili’s technical expertise and local credibility position COPE to convert North Africa’s macro-opportunity into measurable success. As regional regulators modernize and corporations seek robust risk-transfer mechanisms, COPE is primed to emerge as the intermediary of choice—translating potential into sustainable, long-term growth.
