Top priorities all set for new man on the block

Newly appointed STANLIB CEO, Seelan Gobalsamy, was with the Liberty Group for over three years, running the Liberty Corporate business before joining as asset manager. He had great success with a notable achievement being the R6 bn he brought into the Stable Growth Fund.

Gobalsamy qualified as a CA in East London, and after running a niche insurer, Prosperity, joined Old Mutual Employee Benefits as Finance Director. He became Head of Old Mutual Actuaries and Consultants before becoming Head of Old Mutual Corporate.

“I have joined STANLIB at a time when the investment team is stable and committed to delivering on the investment promise to our customers. I am excited to be part of a team who believes in investment excellence and who wants to make a difference in people’s lives”, says Seelan.

Building dominance in Africa

STANLIB’s vision is to be a leader in asset management in South Africa, as well as in the other emerging markets in which it operates. One of Gobalsamy’s aims is to continue building dominance in Africa. STANLIB currently has a physical presence in Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland, Kenya, Namibia and Uganda. “We are committed to achieving our vision by leveraging the investment capabilities and back-office support of the South African business, while allowing the businesses to sustain their local relevance”, says Gobalsamy.

Key to this, says Gobalsamy, is ensuring the right infrastructure to support the business is in place, both locally and in Africa. “I will continue to implement the current STANLIB strategy. Our direction and vision isn’t changing. My priority is to continue identifying new growth opportunities and orientating STANLIB to capture these. We have ceased to be a South African company with an African presence, but rather an African company domiciled in South Africa”.

Alternative spaces an attraction

STANLIB is an industry stalwart in the fixed income, listed property and equity space, and is increasingly setting its sights on attracting assets in the alternatives space. Its alternative offering has expanded into Direct Property, Infrastructure, Passives and Private Equity.

Looking to the near future Seelan concludes, “One of my biggest priorities is to continue to attract third party assets. To do this, our performance needs to be strong, our investment proposition needs to be clear and our service needs to be excellent. I am passionate about delivering both investment and service excellence to the advisers who support us, and trust this will be evident in every interaction an adviser has with us moving forward.”