OPENING DOORS

Newsflash | August 2026

Dear Colleagues

August has been about transitions – from classroom to workplace, from programme to permanent role, from potential to opportunity realised.

Our 2025/26 IMACS@TSIBA cohort began their internships this month, stepping into host companies across the industry for four months of hands-on, practical experience. Meanwhile, the current Fezeka Graduate Programme cohort has just completed its 19-month journey, with several of our talented young women already securing roles at leading asset managers.

This month we also profile Sanlam Investments, a long-time Fezeka partner that helped lay the very foundations of the programme’s qualification, and hear from two Fezeka alumni who joined me at UCT to inspire the next generation of women in asset management at an ABSIP Women in Focus event.

None of this happens without the companies who open their doors – as hosts, sponsors, mentors and employers. Thank you for continuing to invest in South Africa’s young talent.

Warm regards,

Alicia Davids
CEO, ASISA Academy

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: SANLAM INVESTMENTS

Planting seeds now for the industry's future

When the Fezeka Graduate Programme was still taking shape, Sanlam Investments didn’t wait to be convinced. The asset manager worked closely with ASISA Academy, Joint Prosperity and around twenty other asset managers to help get the pilot programme off the ground.

“We saw ourselves as almost one of the anchor partners,” says Michael Brand, Head of Talent, Organisational Effectiveness and People Development at Sanlam Investments Group. While earlier ASISA Academy partnerships had focused on building a broader talent pipeline for the industry, Fezeka’s specific focus on bringing black women into investment careers struck Brand as a strategic imperative for the sector – one championed internally by Mike Arbuthnot, CEO of Catalyst Fund Managers, a Sanlam Investments subsidiary.

Sanlam Investments has since taken on four Fezeka graduates, including Coco-Chanel MacMinn and Moipone Pitso in the 2023 cohort, who are now working as analysts in the business. Laylaa Davids was employed in 2024, and this year, Patricia Mokoena (from the 2025/2026 cohort) will soon be joining the company for her placement.

Brand puts the programme’s success down to what he calls a “golden recipe”: finding the right candidate, pairing them with a mentor genuinely invested in developing young talent, and backing it all with superior training. Sanlam’s long-standing recruitment partnership with Joint Prosperity, and its rigorous use of psychometric assessments, has helped ensure the calibre of candidates entering the programme stays high, he says.

“They’re bright, they’re intelligent, they’re hungry to learn,” Brand says of the graduates who’ve come through. He describes the best candidates as striking a rare balance – humble enough to keep learning, ambitious enough to keep pushing – which he believes accelerates their growth.

It’s not an easy programme to undertake, he points out: alongside a full-time role, participants complete an NQF Level 7 postgraduate qualification and the CFA Level 1 exam, on top of the schooling and studies already behind them.

But it’s worth it – for participants and the industry in the long term. “If we don’t get involved now, we’ll still be talking about the same problem in 20 or 30 years,” says Brand. “At the end of the day, this is about growing talent for the industry as a whole.”

From the left: Coco-Chanel MacMinn, Moipone Pitso, Laylaa Davids, and Patricia Mokoena.

GRADUATE PROGRAMMES

Fezeka Graduate Programme

At the end of August, our current cohort of eight completed its 19-month programme – the first cohort to run for 19 months rather than 15, including three workplace rotations at three different asset managers.

While some grads are still in final interviews, we are delighted to share some of the appointments confirmed so far:

From the left: Andiswa Majola (Granate Asset Management), Admire Ramoshu (Vunani Securities), Bahati Hassan (Aeon Investment Management), and Patricia Mokoena (Sanlam Investments - ESG).

Fezeka Graduate Programme - 2027/2028

The Academy has received a vast number of applications for the next programme, and interviews will be commencing this month.

The Fezeka Graduate Programme addresses the chronic under-representation of black women in asset management, offering a structured pathway from university into the industry: rotations at leading asset management firms, support toward the CFA Level 1 qualification, dedicated mentorship, and a fellowship for the duration of the programme.

Partnership opportunities

We continue to call on industry for firm commitments for 2027 and 2028. Thank you to all the companies who have committed to this programme so far. 

Presenting to UCT ABSIP Women in Focus

Two Fezeka alumni returned to their alma mater this month to inspire the next generation. Alicia Davids presented at the UCT-ABSIP Women in Focus event, joined by Hlengiwe Maluleke, a trainee equity analyst at North Star Asset Management, and Thandeka Moyo, an investment research analyst at Riscura.

Davids spoke about what the Fezeka Graduate Programme offers and the career pathways it opens, while Maluleke and Moyo were interviewed by Melisa Ntobeko Sibanda, a final-year student and ABSIP UCT Events Director for 2026, as panellists about their experiences in the programme and how it prepared them for careers in asset management.

Thandeka Moyo from Riscura (left), a group of ABSIP UCT students who attended the event, pictured with Alicia Davids (centre), and Hlengiwe Maluleke from Northstar Asset Management (right).

IMACS@TSIBA Internship

Our 2025/26 IMACS@TSIBA cohort started their four-month internships on Monday, 3 August, after successfully completing all their third-year coursework – a requirement for progressing to this stage of the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Finance degree.

Some of the 2025/26 IMACS@TSIBA students at their workplaces. From top left, clockwise: Caydin Ackerman (ASISA Academy), Matthew Meyer, Nikita Grebe, Deniche Hildebrand (Allan Gray), Indiphile Qawukeni, Yamkela Konki (Ashburton), Caleb Cloete, Jaden Jansen (Coronation Fund Managers), Ashlyn Erispe, Victor Colsen (M&G Investments), Lulibo Magepheni, Hlumelo Siyo, Lukhanyiso Ngqula (Prescient), Meeka-eel Arendse, Kelsey Eberbach, Khanyisile Mntungani, Mu-eed Harris, Jé-Leigh Monteiro, Judy Barnardo (Sanlam Private Wealth), Joel Adriaanse, Maajidah Manuel, Jaydine Febric (Taquanta Asset Managers).

A big thank-you to the host companies who have opened their doors to give these students real workplace experience, and to the sponsors whose funding made it possible for the students to reach this point.

Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) Internship

We would like to congratulate the interns who are part of the 2026 Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) Internship cohort who recently passed their RE5 exams – a significant regulatory hurdle on the road to becoming a qualified financial advisor.

Some of the IFA interns from the 2026 cohort who passed their RE5 exams. From left: Mbalenhle Dube, Reabetsoe Ramaota, Tendani Nengovhela, Reamohetsoe Tsoeute, and Ditshwetso Mbele.

In the community: 43inSA Business Roundtable

Alicia Davids was among the presenters at the 43inSA Business Roundtable, a financial literacy event for undergraduate and postgraduate students hosted by Strate – South Africa’s principal central securities depository – in partnership with the Number 43 Foundation.

The foundation takes its name from 43 Trelawney Park, the Masilela family home where, in the wake of the 16 June 1976 uprising, the family took in around 30 – 40 young exiles who had nowhere else to go – on top of their own nine. Established in commemoration of that legacy, the foundation partnered with Strate to raise students’ awareness about how they could begin to participate in capital markets as young people about to launch their careers.

Davids’ talk focused on the importance of saving. Other topics of the day included: youth empowerment, why capital markets matter, financial education and an introduction to investing with a live demonstration by EasyEquities. Among the audience of more than 100 university graduates and undergraduates were a few of the ASISA Academy alumni from our IFA and Fezeka graduate programmes who attended the event.

Alicia Davids, ASISA Academy CEO, pictured above with Academy alumni.

Celebrating Money Smart Week by investing in the financial futures of young people

Money Smart Week South Africa (MSWSA) is a collaborative initiative of the National Consumer Financial Education Committee (NCFEC) that brings together organisations and individuals from across government, the financial sector, academia, civil society, consumer bodies, influencers and the media to promote financial literacy and consumer awareness. Since its inception in 2018, the campaign has provided South Africans with access to free, unbiased and non-commercial financial education initiatives aimed at empowering consumers to make informed financial decisions. The 2026 campaign theme is “Money Smart: The Power of Possible”. The theme highlights how financial literacy can help individuals and households unlock opportunities, improve financial wellbeing and build greater financial resilience.

As part of this initiative, the ASISA Academy Alumni Committee partnered with the University of the Western Cape (UWC) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, the UWC Investment Society, and TSIBA Business School to invest in the financial futures of young people. Through practical and engaging financial literacy sessions, alumni shared valuable insights with students preparing to enter the world of work. Discussions focused on key financial topics associated with earning a first salary, including understanding payslips and tax, budgeting, saving, investing, managing credit, and planning for retirement.

From left: Kamogelo Nkosi and Wandile Mhlanga presenting at UWC, and Financial Advisor Jared Muller presenting at TSIBA Business School. 

HELP US SERVE THE INDUSTRY BETTER

As we commence our planning and budgeting for 2027, we kindly ask you to complete a short survey (either the one for employees or the one for line managers, HR Business Partners, and Learning & Development Practitioners) that will help us establish what the industry needs from the ASISA Academy for the training and upskilling of employees working in the financial services industry. Please take this opportunity to tell us what you need!

LOOKING AHEAD

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.