May 2026

Dear Colleagues

In May, a small word came up repeatedly as we worked on this month’s Newsflash: ask. Ask for the bursary. Ask for the internship. Ask the industry for training. Ask a stranger in Berlin how he built his career.

It’s not a complicated idea, but it’s one that requires courage – and it runs through everything the ASISA Academy does. We ask companies to host interns. We ask graduates to raise their hands for demanding programmes. We ask industry partners to invest in young people they haven’t met yet. And more often than not, they say yes.

This month’s edition celebrates some of the people and companies who said yes in May: the in-house training partners who keep coming back, the companies hosting and sponsoring IMACS@TSIBA students, and the programmes preparing to open their doors to a new cohort of applicants.

We also introduce you to Ruth Stoffberg, an IMACS@TSIBA alumnus who made it to Investment Operations Manager at Prowess Investment Managers by following one simple principle: ask anyway, even if your voice shakes.

Thank you for continuing to say yes to this work.

Warm regards,

Alicia Davids

Executive Director, ASISA Academy

May was a busy month for in-house training, with four companies engaging the Academy for tailored learning.

Sanlam Investments – Investment Induction

New staff members across various departments at Sanlam Investments attended an Investment Induction course presented in person at Sanlam. The sessions covered the savings and investment environment, investment governance, investment products, running an investment business, the major asset classes, and pricing and performance – a grounding in the industry for people who are new to it, or new to this corner of it.

This is a course the Academy delivers for Sanlam annually, and the relationship reflects exactly what long-term partnership looks like in practice.

Sanlam delegates who attended the Investment Induction sessions in May.

Ninety One – Investment Sprints

We delivered two full-day Investment Sprints for a group of Ninety One employees again, covering eight topics: introduction to the SA savings and investment sector; investment management business overview; investment products and structures; fundamentals of retirement funds and life insurance; fundamentals of equities portfolio management; fundamentals of equity operations; fundamentals of interest-bearing assets; and fundamentals of other asset classes.

Investment Sprints are short, punchy sessions designed to give teams focused learning they can apply immediately. They can be delivered online or in person, depending on your team’s preference – and Ninety One is one of a growing number of companies returning for them year after year.

Futuregrowth – UCT IMACS Short Course & CIS Blitzcamp

In February, a group of Futuregrowth staff attended the UCT Investment Management Administration & Client Servicing (IMACS) Short Course combined with the Collective Investment Schemes Blitzcamp here at the Academy. In May, we delivered the same programme to a second Futuregrowth group – six days of intensive training combining five days of the IMACS short course with a bespoke one-day CIS Blitzcamp.

The fact that Futuregrowth came back for a second group is its own endorsement.

Futuregrowth delegates who attended the UCT IMACS Short Course and CIS Blitzcamp in May.

Mazi Asset Management - Industry Overview Blitzcamps

We delivered the Financial Services Industry Overview Blitzcamp and the Investment Management Overview Blitzcamp for Mazi Asset Management. These sessions served as an introduction to Mazi Asset Management's three graduate employees who recently joined the organisation as Trainee Analysts to give them an overview of how the industry fits together, the main role players, the flow of funds through the industry, as well as typical products offered by the various businesses.

Graduate employees who attended the Industry Overview Blitzcamps that were delivered in May.

Prescient – retirement fund bespoke workshop

Earlier in May, we delivered a focused online workshop for the Prescient pension fund administrators representing different Prescient funds and products. The session covered retirement fund products, retirement rules by product, client options at retirement, commutations, tax implications, de minimis amounts and administrative procedures.

While a reasonable amount of work goes into the tailoring and preparation of bespoke requests like this, it is a good example of the Academy’s ability to convert our “off-the-shelf” content to customised content for a specific target audience.

The goal is the same: building knowledge that helps people do their jobs better.

Some of the delegates from Prescient who attended the online bespoke workshop.

UCT Collective Investment Schemes (CIS) Short Course

The online UCT CIS Short Course was delivered over nine mornings across three weeks to delegates from various organisations. The next run of the course takes place on 13–15, 20–22, and 27–29 October 2026.

Some of the delegates who attended the online UCT CIS Short Course that was delivered in May.

IMACS@TSIBA

The 2025/26 cohort of IMACS@TSIBA students is in the final stretch – completing academic coursework now and preparing for their compulsory four-month internships. Nine companies have stepped up to host a total of 21 students from this cohort (the largest number to date), and we’re grateful to each of them.

These companies aren’t just providing work experience – they’re interviewing and selecting students themselves, committing to young people who are still finishing their degrees. It’s a meaningful vote of confidence, and we thank them for it.

We also have sponsors who have provided internship stipends for four students, and we are currently looking for companies that would be willing to host a student from August to November, with the stipends covered by these sponsors.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship received for this cohort last year, the Academy also gets to offer the students a few sessions of industry readiness training during their July vacation before they commence their internships in August. Again, this is a first for this programme and we value the opportunity to help students put their best foot forward as brand ambassadors of both TSIBA Education and the ASISA Academy.

2026/27 Intake: thank you to our sponsors

Planning is already underway for the next intake, and we’re pleased to announce that the following companies have committed to sponsoring the academic component of the class of 2026/27.

Alumnus spotlight: Ruth Stoffberg

Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) Internship

Planning is underway for the 2027 IFA Internship cohort, and the application window for both IFA practices and graduates will open in mid-July.

The IFA Internship places black South African graduates at vetted IFA practices across the country for a 12-month immersive experience. The programme has a 10-year track record of exceptional outcomes: over 90% completion rates and strong employment rates at host practices or elsewhere in the industry. Supported by anchor sponsors Allan Gray, Coronation, Ninety One and M&G Investments, it’s one of the most impactful transformation initiatives in the independent financial advisory space.

Fezeka Graduate Programme

The application window for the next Fezeka cohort will also open in mid-July. The Fezeka Graduate Programme is a 19-month intensive programme specifically designed to increase the representation of black women in asset management. Participants complete rotations at leading asset management firms, receive ongoing mentorship and industry support, and work toward the CFA qualification.

The programme’s alumni speak for themselves: in 2024 and 2025, 100% of graduates were employed in the asset management industry.

We are delighted to welcome the incoming Alumni Committee for 2026 and to thank the outgoing committee for their dedication and service over the past year.

Three years ago, it occurred to me that we had a significant number of graduate programme alumni who were not just employed in the financial services industry as a result of the investments made in them by ASISA members, but who were now starting to occupy senior management roles.

This meant that they could potentially serve young, incoming graduates and undergraduates by serving as mentors and role models, and volunteering their time and expertise could be a means of paying it forward.

We then extended a call to our graduate programme alumni community and received an overwhelming positive response. Each year, the committee works with us in organising a few events that enable alumni to network with one another as well as engage around topics that are pertinent to their growth and development in their careers.

In May, the Academy delivered three single-fund Retirement Fund Trustee Education workshops for the following funds: Municipal Employees Pension Fund (MEPF), Bokamoso, Akani, and New Tyre Manufacturing Industry Provident Fund (NTMIPF).

The Academy, in partnership with the ASISA Foundation, delivers these workshops free of charge to South African retirement fund trustees. Sessions are registered with Batseta for CPD points and presented by experienced industry professionals. Workshops are also available to non-trustees at a fee of R2,125 excluding VAT.

New workshops have been scheduled for the next quarter.

For a complete overview of learning opportunities, please visit the 2026 ASISA Academy Learning Calendar.

Contact us:

• General enquiries: learn@asisaacademy.org.za
• CEO: adavids@asisaacademy.org.za

ASISA Academy – Building the talent pipeline for South Africa’s savings and investment industry