Morningstar Announces Agenda for Fifth Annual Morningstar Investment Conference South Africa

Pravin Gordhan, Former Finance Minister and Mcebisi Jonas, Former Deputy Finance Minister, to discuss the future of the South African economy.

Morningstar Research (Pty) Limited, a subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, has announced its programme for the fifth annual Morningstar Investment Conference to take place on 12 October 2017 at the Cape Town Century City Conference Centre. Pravin Gordhan, Former Finance Minister and Mcebisi Jonas, Former Deputy Finance Minister, will take to the stage for the opening session.

Every year, in 13 countries around the world, the Morningstar Investment Conference brings together local and international leaders, professional investors, academics, and financial regulators to share knowledge and ideas with the aim to ultimately benefit the end investors they serve. For the fifth year running, the Morningstar Investment Conference South Africa has gathered esteemed contributors from South Africa and further afield, and is expected to attract more than 300 professional advisers and wealth managers to the event.

Gordhan and Jonas’ opening session, “The South African Economy, Where We Are Headed,” is a joint interview to discuss the state of the South African economy and the external factors affecting the country’s economic future.

Morningstar’s Victoria Reuvers, Senior Portfolio Manager for Morningstar Investment Management in South Africa, will host a panel titled Captains of Industry with Dave Foord, Chief Investment Officer, Foord Asset Management; Sandy McGregor, Portfolio Manager, Allan Gray; and Louis Stassen, Founding Member and Former Chief Investment Officer, Coronation Asset Management. The panellists will discuss lessons learned throughout their investing careers, the current investment landscape, and challenges facing South African investment firms.

Other headlining presenters include:

Matthew Radgowski, Chief Operating Officer, Morningstar Investment Management Group on the tools advisers need to succeed in today's dynamic marketplace, and Morningstar's role in helping advisers and the investors they serve meet their objectives;

Jaco van der Walt, Head of Investment Management Office, FirstRand, on balancing the need for security and growth in investment portfolios and on serving clients with better business models and new ways of investing and engaging with clients;

Victoria Reuvers, Senior Portfolio Manager, Morningstar Investment Management Group, on Morningstar’s concept for a Discretionary Fund Management (DFM) due diligence process that can help advisers compare DFMs and identify weaknesses in those offerings;

Justice Malala, Political Analyst, Lefika Securities, who will lay out a framework for analysis of the South African political environment and draw scenarios for the next ten years; and

Simon Brazier, Co-Head of Quality, Investec Asset Management, who will consider what drives the long-term success of the world’s best companies.

“South Africa has developed a vibrant and sophisticated asset management industry but continues to be beset by political turbulence,” said Tal Nieburg, Managing Director for Morningstar in South Africa. “Our conference brings together leaders from these two key, yet different and overlapping environments, to help tackle some of the most important questions for investors in South Africa today. I look forward to welcoming delegates to our fifth annual conference.”