Top Investment Professional Appointed CIO of Lion of Africa Fund Managers

Financial services group, Lion of Africa, has appointed Liston Meintjes, one of South Africa’s top investment professionals as Chief Investment Officer of Lion of Africa Fund Managers.

Meintjes broad range of local and international experience has extended from managing investments at Old Mutual, Plexus, Tri-Linear and Metropolitan Asset Management. He also co-founded Foord and Meintjes. His experience spans the full range of investment products from equities and bonds through to property, derivatives and international investments. These have been directly, as a multi-manager and now, as a manager of managers. The latter he likens to the focus areas or ‘boutiques’ that he helped pioneer while at Metropolitan. With Lion of Africa, the difference, he says “is that now these boutiques do not all have to be under the same roof – making for a cost-effective solution and greater flexibility in the choice of managers for specialist products.”

“With distinctive product innovations already in the pipe-line coupled with Meintjes’ impeccable credentials, we are extremely enthused and excited about the future prospects for the group,” says Fred Robertson, chairman of Lion of Africa.

Meintjes joins Lion of Africa with the purpose of growing the already established fund management foundation, thereby enhancing the company’s full potential as an integrated Financial Services Provider.

Roberston says that the group’s enhanced asset management capability is part of Lion of Africa’s long-term strategy of being able to offer clients a range of wealth creation and protection solutions which include short and long-term insurance, employee benefits and funeral cover.

According to Nisaar Pangarker, the CEO of Lion of Africa Fund Managers, “Liston is well known in the industry not only for his track record but for his ability to creatively demystify investment concepts. His strong media presence coupled with regular commentary on a host of different investment issues together with participation in extensive road shows, has made him well known to the financial fraternity.”

Already, at Lion of Africa, he has shown the value that fund of funds managers and other fund selectors can derive from his spreadsheet approach. This approach aims to distill and present historical investment performance rather than churn the traditional unexciting tables that are usually presented.

In addition to his role of Chief Investment Officer, Meintjes’ responsibilities include the development and marketing of potential new products as well as supporting Lion of Africa’s newly established Employee Benefits division. He will directly undertake the management of two specialist funds that are awaiting their launch when regulatory approval is received.