Ruben Els
Ruben Els is Director of Operational Risk Services at Riskonet in South Africa. With more than 25 years of fire and risk consulting experience, he has spent the past decade specializing in the design and management of operational risk control programs for large multinational insurance clients. He is a registered Fire Protection Systems Practitioner with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and is qualified to design, inspect and commission sprinkler systems.
Based in South Africa, Ruben works with clients across sectors including food and beverage, poultry, paper and packaging, milling and refinery, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, agriculture, hospitality and warehousing and logistics. He supports organizations in establishing compliant fire protection systems, conducting regulatory assessments, investigating incidents and developing emergency preparedness programs. Ruben also delivers workshops and training sessions on risk control and emergency planning, using real case studies to show how quickly situations can escalate without proper preparedness.
Education
- Associate Diploma in Fire Technology – South African Emergency Services Institute
- Fire Protection Systems Practitioner – Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA)
- Ambulance Emergency Attendant (Level 6)
Expertise
Within Riskonet, Ruben focuses on operational risk assessments, fire investigations and the development of risk control standards. He advises on fire protection systems, fire detection and gas suppression systems, means of escape and emergency planning. He supports insurance clients with underwriting surveys, post-loss incident investigations and regulatory compliance assessments. In addition, he delivers fire safety training and provides consultancy in environmental risk management.