Santam Insurance

It baffles me how many engineers are highly qualified… 2-3 degrees and 3 certifications. Plus, many years of technical experience. But they still approach the job market like it’s 2015. Most are still waiting for a company to advertise a role called “Engineer” before they move. Meanwhile, the market has already shifted. Every industry right now is under extreme pressure from AI. I mean all industries. Banks. Insurance. Mining. Retail. Logistics. Manufacturing. Healthcare. FMCG, you name them… Executives are asking the same question….How do we use AI meaningfully in our business? And here’s the truth….AI alone is useless without structured thinking. Before any company automates anything, someone must first… - identify the business constraint, - understand the process, - analyze the system, - find where value is leaking, - map dependencies, - simplify complexity, - and redesign the flow of work. That is engineering thinking. The opportunity is no longer only inside plants, factories, and heavy industry. The opportunity is in solving operational problems across the entire economy. Companies do not only need people who can “use AI.” They need people who can THINK through systems while using AI as a tool. And engineers are naturally wired for this. The problem is many engineers are still searching for traditional engineering titles instead of searching for business problems that need engineering minds. An engineer who understands systems, process flow, constraints, optimization, analysis, and decision-making can learn almost any tool. But AI cannot replace original thinking from someone who understands how real systems behave. This is the shift. The engineers who recognize it early will not struggle to find opportunities. They will position themselves where the future is already moving.

A water pump can fail for two completely different reasons…. One, because it is broken. Two, because it was installed in the wrong system. From the outside, both situations look the same…poor output, pressure, frustration, underperformance. That’s what many engineers are experiencing in their careers. So they keep trying to “fix themselves” with more certifications, more experience, more sacrifice… without questioning whether the environment itself no longer rewards their thinking. Engineering was never just about plants and factories. It was always about solving complex systems problems. And today, some of the biggest system problems exist inside corporate operations. The strange part is many engineers are still searching for “engineering titles”… while companies are desperately searching for engineering minds hidden in unfamiliar job titles. Upgrade your search.

Why are engineers still standing in front of equipment 12 hours a day… in a world where AI, automation and digital systems are literally changing how every business operates? Something is not adding up. We have people with strong analytical thinking, problem solving ability, systems and process understanding… but most of that thinking is still locked inside plant rooms, shifts, and reactive production firefighting. Meanwhile outside those gates, businesses are struggling with something completely different. They are trying to implement AI. They are trying to automate decisions. They are trying to connect data across systems. They are trying to reduce human dependency in repetitive processes. And they are failing… because the thinking is missing. That thinking is exactly what engineers already have. But here is the gap, most engineers still see their value as “operating and maintaining equipment.” While the real demand is shifting toward designing, improving, and stabilizing systems that include AI, data, automation and process intelligence in all industries. And that is a very different game. Because in that world, you are not just reacting to breakdowns. You are asking... Why is this process unstable in the first place? Why are we still making decisions manually? Why is data not flowing properly between systems? Why are we still dependent on human memory instead of system logic? Those are engineering questions. Just in a different environment. And the truth is this....companies do not have enough people with this mindset. They have software teams. They have consultants. They have vendors. But they don’t have enough people who understand operations deeply enough to actually bridge the gap between physical systems, business processes, and digital intelligence. That is where engineers should be moving. Not away from engineering. But into a broader version of engineering. Because if your entire skillset is only used when something breaks, you are limiting yourself to a reactive role in a world that is becoming predictive. And that’s the shift. From maintaining & running equipment…to shaping how intelligent process systems actually run businesses.

A chemical engineering holder can spend 10 years trying to become “more employable” in a shrinking crowd… while companies outside the plant are starving for the exact same thinking skills. Think about cupcakes. If you sell cupcakes in a place where nobody is hungry, it doesn’t matter how good they taste. But if you take those same cupcakes to a crowd that is starving… people buy immediately. And if they taste good? They come back again and again. That’s what many engineers miss about their careers. We were trained to sell our skills almost exclusively to heavy industries… plants, factories, production lines, shutdowns, control rooms. And those environments still matter. But the biggest hunger for engineering thinking has quietly shifted. Today’s businesses are drowning in.. - broken processes - inefficiency - data overload - poor systems - operational chaos - failed transformation projects Corporate businesses. Tech businesses. Financial services. Consulting. Operations strategy. Automation. AI transformation. That’s where the starving crowd is now. The strange part is most engineers are still standing in the same corner of the market… competing to sell analytical thinking to places that already have thousands of engineers. Meanwhile, other industries are desperately searching for people who can: - solve root causes - think systematically - optimise complexity - improve operations - make decisions using data In other words… They are searching for engineers. Not necessarily by title But by mindset. Your degree may have started in manufacturing. But your thinking does not belong there forever.

Engineers know preventive maintenance better than self maintenance. The machine vibrates heavily once….everyone panics. An engineer says…I haven’t rested properly in 8 months. Everyone says …“That’s work.” Interesting. Engineering wasn’t supposed to be like that plant professionals…

So many intelligent engineers are sitting in plants, mines, factories, and control rooms…waiting for one day to finally have balance, flexibility, peace, or time with family. Yet the same problem-solving skills used to optimise processes can also optimise careers. The question is not can you escape the environment? But rather…. Have you realised your skills are transferable? Engineering is bigger than the plant. What if your next role doesn’t require steel toes, standby weekends, or 3am callouts? Most engineers were never taught this… Your degree trained you to solve technical problems but nobody taught you how to design a life.

Last week the Geneva Association, a global think tank of insurance companies, hosted in Paris, the 2026 meeting of Chief Communication Officers from the industry. Fellow professionals, engaged and listened to presentations on "Future-Ready Insurance Communications: Leading in an AI-Infused Era". AI is and will continue to impact the Corporate Communications field in ways we never imagined.

Ohh Italy you owe me nothing. What an amazing week we’ve had. Walking around Rome for kilometres and seeing all the sites, visiting Florence and the Ferragamo museum and factory. Graduating and connecting with an international community of scholars. My heart is full, my wallet is empty but the experience will stay with me forever. Grazie Unimarconi an endless gratitude to Eaton Business School . This has been more than graduating it’s been the experience of a lifetime

I am looking forward to the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) Congress. Will you be there?