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Bryan Habana
Bryan Gary Habana, a former South African rugby union player from Johannesburg, Gauteng, named after Manchester United legends: Bryan Robson and Gary Bailey, he initially aspired to be a footballer but shifted his focus to rugby after witnessing the Springboks 1995 Rugby World Cup victory. He began his professional career with the Golden Lions and made his international debut against England in 2004, scoring a try with his first touch.
With 124 test caps behind his name, he became one of the game's most esteemed wingers, playing a pivotal role in the Boks 2007 Rugby World Cup win, equalling Jonah Lomus try record and earning the 2007 IRB Player of the Year award. Throughout his career, he secured titles for teams like the Blue Bulls, Western Province, and Toulon.
Bryan is also recognized for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of the Bryan Habana Foundation in 2015 and his induction into the Laureus Academy in 2020, reflecting his commitment to giving back to society.
Speakers
Palesa Dube
Dube achieved a significant career milestone when she was appointed the FPI’s Financial Planner of the Year for 2022, while she was a director and wealth manager at Wealth Creed. She recently joined Centillion Wealth Advisory in the same capacity. She has been working in the financial sector for close to two decades and built-up extensive experience at renowned institutions such as Citadel and Absa Wealth. Her academic prowess is reflected in her qualifications, including a BCom degree in investment management from the University of Johannesburg, a postgraduate diploma in financial planning and an advanced diploma in estate and trust administration from the University of the Free State. She is also a member of the FPIs Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee.
David Kop
Kop is a former Director of the FPI where he served as the Head of Policy, dealing with regulatory engagement. During his 25-year-long career he has fulfilled many roles. Including a tied financial adviser, para planner and lecturer as well as owning his own financial planning business. He is now co-founder of FI Consult – a consulting business for financial planning businesses. It was on the path to becoming a chartered accountant when he began his love affair with financial services and switched his study pathway to pursue the respected CFP designation, by obtaining the postgraduate diploma in financial planning law from the University of Free State.
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Muvhango Lukhaimane
Lukhaimane is South Africa’s fifth Pension Funds Adjudicator and was appointed to the role in 2013. She possesses a wealth of experience as a seasoned lawyer, and has been employed within the pension funds industry and in human resources. She obtained a B.Iuris degree from the University of Venda, followed by an LLB degree from the University of Pretoria. Through part-time studies she obtained a Master of Laws degree. She also obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies from Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College (now MANCOSA) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning from the University of Free State. She also completed her MBA through Wits Business School.
Paul Nixon
Nixon has studied both client and adviser investment behaviour for over 20 years with stints at various local insurers and Barclays Bank in London. Paul began his career in neuromarketing, and “atmospherics” establishing links between smell and behaviour and later entered behavioural sciences in a financial context. He holds an MBA (with distinction) from Edinburgh Business School and recently completed a master's degree (with distinction) at Stellenbosch University. His research paper on risk behaviour using machine learning was published in the international Journal of Behavioural and Experimental Finance. He is now a PhD candidate and a registered member of the Swiss-based Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists.
Workshops
Workshops
Unlocking growth with a Discretionary Fund Manager: The strategic edge for IFAs
Step into the pivotal role of DFMs—the backstage maestros orchestrating the symphony of investment management. Our DFM offering is meticulously designed to transform your IFA practice into a powerhouse of strategic growth and client satisfaction. We’ll delve into several key areas:
1. Assisting you tackle some of the greatest challenges facing your practice.
2. Constructing investment portfolios for your practice.
3. Unpacking the intricacies of ESG considerations, private markets as well as offshore investments and how we will make these more accessible.
Investment Solutions by Alexforbes—rooted in a legacy of institutional excellence—is now tailored for the retail space to empower IFAs.
Gain a competitive edge to make your greatest impact yet. Embrace advice-lead growth with Investment Solutions by Alexforbes.
Workshop Objective: Gain insights into how Investment Solutions by Alexforbes can help catapult your IFA practice to new growth heights by firmly embracing your advice centred model.
Company Profile: Investment Solutions by Alexforbes is a newly established division of Alexforbes, South Africa’s leading investments multi-manager, entering the Discretionary Fund Management (DFM) market. This initiative is designed to assist Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) by providing a comprehensive suite of investment capabilities. These include access to comprehensive investment manager research, specialised multi-managed investment portfolios, and previously inaccessible asset classes like hedge funds, private markets and infrastructure investments. This is all supported by a strategic partnership with Mercer, a global investment manager that offers world-class insights and research . covering more than 11,000 global strategies.
Investment Solutions stands out for its independence within Alexforbes, ensuring unbiased and objective solutions for IFAs. The Investment Solutions brand enables Alexforbes to leverages its scale, experience, and expertise to offer IFAs and their clients robust investment solutions that promise significant diversification and performance opportunities, aligning with the group’s strategy to be a trusted partner for IFAs.
Speakers
Fay Khan
Senior Discretionary Fund Management Specialist, Investment Solutions by Alexforbes
Fay joined Alexforbes on 1 May 2023, initially as a Senior Technical Marketing Specialist before transitioning to her current role as a Senior Discretionary Fund Management Specialist with Investment Solutions by Alexforbes.
With over 16 years of experience, Fay has honed her expertise primarily within the Asset Management industry. Her career journey includes roles as an equity analyst, multi-manager research analyst, and DFM portfolio manager at institutions such as Sanlam Investments, Glacier by Sanlam, and PPS Investments. Notably, she played a pivotal role in refining investment-related processes and launching a DFM at PPS Investments from 2017 to 2020.
Before joining Alexforbes, Fay served as an Investment Specialist at Allan Gray for nearly two years, focusing on client servicing within the retail intermediary advice sector. Her latest appointment at Alexforbes is the culmination of her diverse skill set acquired over 16 years in the retirement and savings industry in South Africa.
Passionate about translating propositions into impactful enhancements for intermediary practices, Fay is committed to delivering prosperous outcomes for compulsory and discretionary savings clients.
Fay holds a Bachelor of Business Science (B Bus Sci) Finance Honours degree from the University of Cape Town. She has completed Level 1 of the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) through the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute and the Executive Development Program (EDP) at Wits Business School in 2023.
Nadir Thorkan
Senior Discretionary Fund Management Specialist
Nadir Thokan, Senior Discretionary Fund Management (DFM) Specialist, was appointed to this role in March 2024. Previously, he served as the Head of Investment Consulting Strategy at Alexforbes starting in October 2022, overseeing the research and best practice division. His expertise spans various areas, including formulating default investment strategies and adapting to legislative changes affecting investment tactics. Nadir's insights assist advisers in optimising the use of different investment products for both mandatory and optional investments. As an integral member of the Investment Solutions Discretionary Fund Management team at Alexforbes, Nadir plays a key role in integrating best investment practices into advisory services.
Before joining Alexforbes, Nadir spent two years at SEI Investments, advising South African clients on investment allocations across regional and global multi-managed portfolios. He led client presentations, pitched to new clients, and specialised in managing investment strategies for SEI's global factor allocation equity funds. Nadir also developed the first dedicated South African retail market strategy for SEI and engaged with various financial entities.
Nadir's journey in the investment industry began at 27four Investment Managers, where he excelled over nine years. Starting as an investment analyst, he progressed to become an investment strategist and eventually Chief Investment Officer, managing domestic and global portfolios worth approximately R30 billion. His leadership led to the recognition of multiple unit trust portfolios with prestigious awards for risk-adjusted performance, including the Raging Bull and Morningstar awards. During his tenure at 27four, Nadir immersed himself in the DFM and independent financial advisor value chain. He played a critical role in driving the retail business strategy and participated in the acquisition of Pioneer Financial Planning. As a board member of the acquired entity, Nadir was responsible for developing investment strategies and solutions for advisors at Pioneer Financial Planning.
Nadir holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).
Investing for Income: Harnessing High Yield Credit in Volatile Times
Investing for Income: Harnessing High Yield Credit in Volatile Times, aims to provide insight into utilising high yield credit as a strategic investment tool for maximising income during periods of market volatility. It covers the risk-return profile of high yield credit, how risk is managed and compensated for, the attractive and diverse opportunities across this investable universe. A comparative analysis of high yield and traditional fixed income assets over the investment cycle will also be demonstrated.
Workshop Objective: To give potential clients an insight into what we believe is a good risk adjusted proposition for generating income.
Company Profile: ALUWANI Capital Partners is an independent investment management business that aims to make a lasting impact in South Africa and the rest of the African continent. We are registered with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and are an Authorised Financial Services Provider in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS).
Speakers
Conrad Wood
Head of Fixed Income Strategies
Conrad is a founding member and the Head of Fixed Income Strategies at ALUWANI Capital Partners. With over 20 years of experience in the field, Conrad has been instrumental in overseeing the Fixed Income team, encompassing portfolio management, research, execution, new business development, and client relationships.
Prior to his leadership roles, Conrad spent 12 years of his career as a Fixed Income analyst and Portfolio Manager, gaining valuable insights and expertise in investment strategies and market dynamics.
Representatives
Monica Jaglal
Co-Portfolio Manager/Senior Credit Analyst
Monica is the Co-Portfolio Manager alongside Conrad Wood for the dedicated credit portfolios at ALUWANI. She has 14 years of experience in the investment sector, with a background in both credit and equity, having spent 3 years as an equity analyst before transitioning to credit in 2013. With a tenure dating back to the inception of ALUWANI, Monica has been an integral part of the credit team, initially starting as a Senior Credit Analyst then assuming the role of co-portfolio manager for the last 5 years.
Riad Daniels
Head of Product Management
Riad is the Head of Product Management at ALUWANI Capital Partners, with over 27 years industry experience. Throughout his career, Riad has held diverse roles across the investment value chain. These roles have encompassed areas such as Investment and Performance Analysis, Portfolio Management, Financial Management, Management Accounting, Investment Consulting, and Project Management.He serves as a Director and Lead for the Association of Professional Fund Investors (APFI) in South Africa and a Trustee of the Khanyisa Trust.
Valuation Disparity in Global Markets & the Value of Being Contrarian
Contrarius is a bottom-up, valuation-based, contrarian active manager taking advantage of opportunities in global markets. Our presentation outlines the application of the key components of our investment philosophy, and demonstrates how the current disparity in the market creates opportunities across both growth and value-oriented areas. Our very different portfolio offers investors an opportunity to invest in a Fund which is truly different from conventional offerings. Our presentation also demonstrates how the consistent application of our bottom-up, contrarian investment philosophy has taken advantage of disparity over time resulting in a fund that has meaningfully outperformed the benchmark MSCI World Index, the average manager, the MSCI World Value Index and the MSCI World Growth Index since its inception on 1 January 2009.
Workshop Objectives: To introduce delegates to Contrarius’ contrarian investment philosophy which has meaningfully outperformed the MSCI World, MSCI Growth and MSCI Value indices, and the average manager, since its inception on 1/1/2009.
Company Profile: Contrarius’ objective is to create long-term wealth for our investors through superior long-term investment performance. Our portfolios are typically very different from our peers demonstrating our contrarian approach.
Our largest fund, Contrarius Global Equity Fund, has meaningfully outperformed the benchmark MSCI World Index, the average manager, the MSCI World Value Index and the MSCI World Growth Index since its inception on 1 January 2009.
We believe that long-term performance is driven by the consistent application of a sound investment philosophy. The key characteristics of our investment philosophy are that it is contrarian, valuation based, long-term and based on proprietary fundamental research. For more information, visit www.contrarius.com.
Contrarius offers a global equity and global balanced strategy available to South African investors through:
- Contrarius ICAV, an Irish UCITS approved for marketing in South Africa
- BCI Contrarius rand-based feeder funds
Speakers
Simon Raubenheimer
Director
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Simon joined Contrarius in March 2019. He has over 16 years’ previous investment experience with Allan Gray Ltd. From 2008-2018, Simon co-managed Allan Gray’s equity and balanced composites which included the largest equity and largest mutual fund in South Africa. Simon also co-launched and managed the Allan Gray Global Frontier Equity Fund. He has a BCom (Econometrics) and BCom (Honours) (Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management). Simon is a CFA charterholder.
Representatives
Heaton Van der Linde
Director
Heaton joined the Contrarius Group in March 2009. He is a director and employee of Contrarius Investment Services (South Africa) (Pty) Limited, the Representative Office of Contrarius funds approved for marketing in South Africa. He previously had 11 years’ experience at Allan Gray Limited ("AGL"), the largest privately owned investment management firm in South Africa whose clients comprise both institutional investors and individuals. He holds a Bachelor of Business Science (Finance) degree from the University of Cape Town, is a Chartered Accountant (SA) and a CFA charterholder.
Finding brass amid the muck – building equity portfolios in SA
Investec Investment Management has funds with track records going back over 15 years. Collectively we manage over R250bn across asset classes and regions and have 25 funds available. This presentation will provide an overview of our fund management process with a particular focus on two top performing local equity funds. The SA economic backdrop has been weak for some time, leading to weak and volatile local equity returns. However, there have been several notable exceptions – companies that have managed to earn returns on capital above their cost of capital even though the cost of capital has been prohibitive. We expect an even greater dispersion ahead and will highlight what we consider to be the key themes over the coming years in the local market.
Workshop Objective: We will introduce you to two key decision makers within Investec Investment Management and provide insight into our equity selection process with a particular emphasis on discovering unique opportunities in under researched parts of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Company Profile: Founded in 1974 in South Africa, Investec is an international financial services group with a strong focus on asset management, wealth management, and specialist banking. Listed at the London Stock Exchange as well as at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, is the largest private client manager in South Africa.
Investec Investment Management, the investment management arm of Investec Wealth and Investment International, has a proven track record of successfully managing funds across multiple jurisdictions including South Africa, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Guernsey. Our team of highly skilled professionals possess extensive experience and expertise in navigating the complexities of fund management regulations and ensuring compliance at all times.
Speakers
Chris Holdsworth
Chief Investment Strategist
Chris has 17 years of industry experience, having served as a quantitative analyst and investment strategist. He was the Head of Research at Investec Institutional Securities for 2 years. Currently, Chris chairs the Global Investment Strategy group and the South African Asset Allocation committee, in addition to being a member of the Global Asset Allocation committee. He holds an MSc in Mathematical Statistics and is a CFA charter holder.
Barry Shamley
Fund Manager
Barry is the manager of the Investec BCI Dynamic Equity fund which he has managed since inception. He is passionate about sustainability and was instrumental in the creation of the Investec Global Sustainable Equity fund which he co-manages. He is also a member of the Investec group ESG Executive Committee.
Barry Shamley started his career at Investec in 1996 before moving to Oryx Investment Management in 2006 where he co-managed its award-winning flagship fund. He rejoined Investec in 2010. Barry obtained a B.A. from the University of Witwatersrand and a BComm (Hons), Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town. More recently he completed the CFA certificates in ESG, Climate & Investing and Impact Investing.
Representatives
Ebeth van Heerden
Head of Distribution
Ebeth has worked in the financial services industry since 2003 and gained valuable experience across the various areas of distribution, having represented both platforms and asset managers, independent financial advisors, discretionary fund managers and bulk dealers. She grew her career with Stanlib, Allan Gray and most recently Schroders, before joining Investec Investment Management in 2021. She heads a team with a deep sense of responsibility and purpose to fulfil investors’ commitment: stewarding the changing futures for generations and helping people build better futures. Ebeth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences and a post graduate in Financial Planning from the University of Stellenbosch.
Three reasons to be positive about global real estate
During 2022 and 2023, macro factors - primarily interest rates – were the dominant drivers of the real estate market with investors largely overlooking the sector’s strong fundamentals (except for offices).
2023 concluded on a high note for listed real estate, with the momentum continuing into 2024 after central banks indicated the end of rate hikes. Historically, the period following the peak of interest rates has been supportive of listed real estate performance (although this is not guaranteed).
This comes against a backdrop of low global real estate supply across nearly all sub-sectors while structural trends such as rising urbanisation and digitisation, ageing populations and “generation rent” continue to compound demand.
In our view, the combination of these three factors, amongst others, makes the outlook for global real estate more favourable.
Workshop Objective: To understand the role sustainable cities have to play in addressing climate change, how the macro environment has shifted in favour of listed real estate, and the benefits of using a data-driven investment process.
Company Profile: As a global asset and wealth manager, Schroders delivers a broad range of investments designed to meet the diverse needs of institutions, intermediaries and high net worth individuals.
For over 200 years we have built principled partnerships with our clients, putting them at the centre of everything we do. They trust us to deliver sustainable returns through times of economic prosperity and of uncertainty.
We are a global business, managed locally. Our international presence supports us in understanding the needs of our clients and delivering them the right expertise from across the business.
As an active investment manager we believe that we have an important role to play in driving better outcomes for our clients and society as a whole. We bring together people and data to identify the trends that will shape the prosperity of individuals, businesses and future generations.
Speakers
Tom Walker
Co-Head of Global Listed Real Assets Investment
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Tom Walker is responsible for the investment strategy of various property-related investment funds at Schroders. He joined Schroders in 2014 and is based in London. Prior to working for Schroders, Tom was Deputy Head of Global Listed Real Estate at AMP Capital from 2005 to 2014, which involved responsibilities for investment, team management and client relationships. Before this, he worked in the valuation, funds management, and advisory departments at Jones Lang LaSalle from 1999 to 2005, located in both London and Sydney. Qualifications: Graduate Diploma in Real Estate from London South Bank University; MRICS; BA in Politics from University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Representatives
Kondi Nkosi
Country Head – South Africa
Kondi is the Schroders South Africa Country Head, based in Johannesburg. He is responsible for providing the strategic leadership for the business and also oversees the institutional business development strategy. He joined Schroders in 2018, bringing with him extensive experience in dealing with large institutional investors (including retirement funds, multi-managers and insurance companies) from both investment consulting and asset management perspectives. Qualifications: Masters in Finance and Economics (West Texas A&M University); Bachelor of Commerce (University of Cape Town).Email: Kondi.nkosi@schroders.com
Philip Robotham
Head of SA Wealth – Client Group
Philip relocated from London to Cape Town in 2020 with his family to take up responsibility for managing client relationships across the Western Cape and has subsequently taken over responsibility for the retail / intermediary wealth business nationwide. Philip joined Schroders in 2007 and has held multiple positions within distribution. These have involved managing the largest intermediary clients and distribution partners in the UK, as well as trade & professional bodies, life companies and ex-patriate clients across Europe.Email: Philip.robotham@schroders.com