Former Springbok Flip van der Merwe Joins Previsico to Drive South African Flood Tech Expansion

Previsico, the UK flood intelligence company built on peer-reviewed research from Loughborough University, has appointed former Springbok lock Flip van der Merwe as a growth consultant to support its strategy and business development in South Africa.

The appointment follows Previsico's recent expansion into Africa, with South Africa as its first market on the continent, backed by a grant from the InsuResilience Investment Fund, managed by Blue Orchard Finance Ltd. Phase 1 delivered deployments in Durban; phase 2 is now extending coverage to the Cape, Johannesburg, and other high-risk areas ahead of a planned national scale-up.

With global flood-related losses projected to reach $850 billion annually by 2050, Previsico's proprietary live hydrodynamic modelling combines high-resolution LiDAR, drainage network data, land use mapping, and real-time weather inputs, validated by an IoT sensor network, to deliver property-level flood warnings up to 48 hours in advance.

The technology is already used by insurers including Zurich and Liberty, brokers including Marsh and Lockton, and around 200 corporates worldwide.

“Flip brings high-performance discipline, strategic thinking, and a genuine network across South African business and sport. He's exactly the right kind of business partner as we build trust with insurers, brokers, and institutions in this market,” said Craig Deacon, CFO of Previsico.

“Growing up in South Africa, I’ve seen what flooding does to communities and businesses that don’t get enough warning. I’m proud to help bring Previsico’s technology to the market at a critical time the country needs it most,” said Flip van der Merwe.

Van der Merwe won 36 caps for the Springboks between 2010 and 2015, playing for the Free State Cheetahs, the Bulls, and France's Clermont, and has since built a career in business consulting, including as managing partner at Level6 Consulting in Biarritz, France.

Previsico is an operational flood forecasting company built on 25 years of research, with operations spanning the UK, Europe, and the Americas. Its technology enables early alerting and property-level monitoring designed to support flood cost mitigation, giving businesses, insurers, and communities the ability to act before floodwater strikes.