DIRECTORS LIABILITY INSURANCE
Leadership
Protection
Every decision you make as a director or key decision maker is open to scrutiny. That’s not a reason to lead cautiously, it’s a reason to lead with the right protection behind you.
Shareholders, regulators, employees, creditors, competitors. The list of people who can bring a claim against you personally has never been longer. Some claims are legitimate. Many are opportunistic. All of them are expensive. And the cost lands on you, not just the company.
The Risk You Carry
Your personal assets are on the line every time you lead.
When a claim is brought against a director or key decision maker, it’s brought against the individual. Legal defence alone can run into the hundreds of thousands. If damages are awarded, they can be recovered from your personal savings, your investments, your home, your retirement fund, everything you’ve built outside the boardroom.
Regulators are more aggressive than they used to be. Shareholders are more litigious. And what qualifies as a ‘wrongful act’ has never been interpreted more broadly.
01
A restructure that costs jobs
Employment decisions and workforce changes are frequently disputed and can trigger personal claims.
02
A disclosure that came late
Regulatory reporting obligations carry strict timelines. Delays can become grounds for action.
03
An acquisition that didn’t perform
Shareholder litigation often follows strategic decisions that don’t deliver expected returns.
04
An employment decision that was disputed
Terminations, promotions, and HR decisions can expose directors to personal liability claims.
“Even a groundless claim against a director can take years to resolve and cost a fortune to defend. The personal exposure is real and most executives underestimate it.”
How We Protect You
Our Directors Liability policy covers the full spectrum of personal exposure that comes with board-level and executive responsibility. We don’t offer a generic product. We offer cover structured around how claims actually unfold and what it genuinely costs to defend them.
Because understanding your cover matters as much as having it, we’ve written the policy in plain language. Full protection, without the complexity.”
❌ WITHOUT DLI COVER
Fund your own legal defence — costs regularly exceed R500,000 before a verdict
Proceedings can last years, pausing your career
Reputations take a hit before any outcome is reached
Families carry the weight of personal financial exposure
✔ WITH DLI COVER
Fund your own legal defence — costs regularly exceed R500,000 before a verdict
Proceedings can last years, pausing your career
Reputations take a hit before any outcome is reached
Families carry the weight of personal financial exposure
Why this Matters to Your Organisation
Strong boards attract strong leaders. But only when those leaders are protected.
Experienced directors and executives will not take board seats that leave them personally exposed. Directors Liability cover isn’t a luxury, it’s a governance responsibility. Organisations that provide it attract better leadership, make bolder decisions, and signal to investors and regulators that they take governance seriously.
Don’t let the fear of personal liability define how you lead. Talk to us today and we’ll structure cover around the reality of your role.
Why Leppard
Specialists in directors liability insurance
Most insurers treat DLI as one line among many. We’ve built a specialist team around it – underwriters who understand how boards actually operate, how regulators actually behave, and how claims against directors actually unfold.
Written for how claims work
Our policy is structured around the real sequence of a DLI claim – from notification through investigation, defence, and resolution – not around what sounds comprehensive on a summary page.
Plain language policy
We’ve deliberately written our DLI policy in plain language. Understanding your cover matters as much as having it – and we don’t hide behind complexity.
Full spectrum of cover
From current and retired directors to senior employees, and family members – our policy covers the full range of individuals exposed by their association with a board.
A governance signal
Providing DLI cover tells your directors, investors, and regulators something important: that your organisation takes governance seriously enough to protect the people responsible for it.
Good governance starts with protecting the people responsible for it. If your organisation doesn’t yet offer DLI cover, now is the right time to change that.
The question isn’t whether your decisions will ever be challenged. It’s whether you’ll be covered when they are.
