Batseta honours retirement fund service provider excellence
: Imbasa Awards 2016.
The Batseta Council of Retirement Funds for South Africa is delighted to announce the winners of the 2016 Imbasa Yegolide Awards.
This year saw 22 Awards being made, to celebrate excellence among service providers to the retirement fund industry. In addition, seven member funds achieved recognition for their contribution to member education.
Batseta singles out two key criteria in assessing the quality of services: that service providers render services at a certain standard; and that member funds become actively involved in educating their members to be financially literate.
“But that is not all,” explains Anne-Marie D’Alton, Batseta CEO. “Running through all of this must be a common theme: that customers are always treated fairly. The fund member is at the heart of what we do, and putting members’ interests first is what we promote. So our expectation of our service providers is that service delivery incorporates the principles of TCF or Treating Customers Fairly. By the same token, funds have to incorporate members’ training and development needs.”
The Imbasa Yegolide Awards introduced a new category in 2016 – the Lifetime Achiever Award – and its inaugural winner was Thamsanqa Maxwell (Max) Maisela. Founder of the biggest and most successful black-owned employee benefits organisation, NBC, “Bra Max” was recognised for his ground-breaking contribution to the retirement industry. In the 1980s, he pioneered the concept of negotiated retirement funds with direct member representation on the board of trustees, a feature that was legislated in 1996 as a compulsory requirement for all registered South African retirement funds.
“This contribution, which we take for granted today, was the single most empowering influence of Bra Max as it levelled the playing fields where decisions were made” adds D’Alton. “He was also passionate about education. A number of programmes aimed at developing opportunities for black children and young black graduates from disadvantaged communities were developed, such as the Student Sponsorship Programme, his institution’s learner programme, Booksmart and the South African Actuarial Professionals. He gave selflessly and expected nothing in return.”
The winners of the 2016 Imbasa Yegolide Awards:
1. Risk Benefit Underwriter of the Year
MMI Group Limited
2. Custodian of the Year
Nedbank Investor Services
3. Equities Manager of the Year
Sanlam Investments
4. Manager of Managers of the Year
Old Mutual Multi-Managers
5. Emerging Asset Manager of the Year
Perpetua Investment Managers (Pty) Ltd
6. Alternative Asset Class Manager of the Year
No award made
7. Law Firm of the Year
Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group
8. Investment / Asset / Solutions Consultant of the Year
Selekane
9. Training Provider of the Year
Investment Consulting and Trustee Services
10. Overall Investment / Asset Manager of the Year
Sygnia Asset Management
11. Employee Benefits Administrator of the Year
Robson Savage
12. Employee Benefits Consultant of the Year
Alexander Forbes Financial Services Ltd
13. Transition Manager of the Year
No award made
14. Trust and Beneficiary Fund Administrator of the Year
Fairheads Benefit Services (Pty) Ltd
15. Tracing Agent of the Year
ICTS Tracing Services
16. Actuarial Firm of the Year
Alexander Forbes Financial Services Ltd
17. Bond Manager of the Year
Futuregrowth Asset Management
18. Balanced Fund Manager of the Year
Consilium Capital SA (Pty) Ltd
19. Technology Provider of the Year
10X Investments
20. Communications and Marketing Provider of the Year
Old Mutual Corporate
21. Responsible Investment Manager of the Year
No Award made
22. Responsible Investment Consultant of the Year
GraySwan Investments
Member Education Fund Challenge
1. Financial Control – Managing current expenditure
KZN Municipal Pension Fund
2. Financial Planning – Managing future income and expenditure
Liberty Defined Contribution Pension Fund and Liberty Provident Fund
3. Product Choice – Choosing the right financial product
PathCare Retirement Fund
4. Financial Knowledge and Understanding
Natal Joint Municipal Pension and Provident Fund
5. Special Recognition
Sanlam Umbrella Fund
Old Mutual SuperFund
Gijima Pension and Provident Funds
Lifetime Achiever Award
Thamsanqa Maxwell Maisela
