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Michael Avery is a financial journalist and broadcaster with nearly two decade’s experience covering financial markets. First, with the late veteran financial columnist and publisher David Gleason, then for 9 years as the host of Classic Business on Classic FM and most recently broadcast on Fine Music Radio 101.3fm in the Western Cape.

Avery edits the country’s premier private equity publication, Catalyst, and his weekly Badger column in Business Day has earned Avery a reputation for hard hitting commentary on the political economy.

He has grown his online platform, Business Talk, on South Africa’s largest business news website, Businesstech.co.za, to over 5 million views since Covid.

Avery won the South African Radio Awards Best Podcast Award 2022 for his show Hot Business broadcast on Hot102.7fm.

He was the driving force behind the country’s first ever Water-Energy -Food nexus event, the SA Water, Energy & Food Forum (SAWEF).

He has also had forays into mass newspaper publishing with the now defunct Second Business and has a Dionysus like affection for all things grape.

Avery’s specialty is crafting and delivering B2B and B2C content in a compelling and insightful manner that has seen him carve out a niche in the business media landscape of South Africa.

Evan is a seasoned and well respected professional with extensive experience in the wealth management markets of Australia, the UK, and South Africa. His expertise primarily lies in distribution strategy within the independent advice sector. A graduate in Actuarial Studies and Mathematics from the University of New South Wales, Evan initially engaged with the Australian investment market before transitioning to the UK.

Since 2017, Evan has been at the helm of NMG Consulting’s studies in South Africa, concurrently maintaining a significant role in the UK business. He spearheads NMG’s Consulting, Insights, and Analytics divisions in South Africa, focusing on life insurance, wealth management, and asset management. Evan’s involvement also extends to the UK, where he contributes to strategy consulting, particularly around distribution strategy. His vast wealth of knowledge, coupled with a deep intrinsic understanding of the landscape, have made him a respected member of the investment community.

Evan’s comprehensive background positions him uniquely to address Alexforbes executives about the new discretionary fund manager (DFM) proposition, offering insights into how it’s designed to tackle the most pressing challenges faced by advisors today.

Viresh has over 16 years of experience in the financial services sector with leading companies such as Metropolitan Life and Sanlam. He started his career at Metropolitan Life in 2005 as Product Development Specialist, before joining Sanlam Group Risk, as a Risk Product Actuary. He subsequently occupied senior and executive roles at Sanlam Corporate with a focus on new business growth while participating in and leading various client-oriented strategic initiatives, until his appointment at Alexforbes. Viresh has also been a director of Simeka Health, Sanlam Health Solutions and Graviton Wealth. He is a past vice president of the Association of South African Black Actuarial Professionals (ASABA), a former member of the Council of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) and led the Sanlam Benchmark research and symposium process for the past 5 years.

John is the executive for Investments, Products and Enablement at Alexforbes. In this role he oversees the management of the Alexander Forbes Group’s solutions in line with the company’s approach of securing a lifetime of financial well-being for clients. He has over 20 years’ experience in employee benefits and asset management. John has consulted to a number of large clients as valuator, employee benefit consultant, investment consultant and portfolio manager. He was the national head of consulting strategy for many years before leading the Research & Product Development area in Alexander Forbes Financial Services. John is a fellow of both the Actuarial Society of South Africa (FASSA) and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (FFA). He is a member of the ASISA Strategy and Policy Advisory Committee, previous member of various industry bodies, including the Research Committee and Retirement Matters Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa, ASISA Retirement Standing Committee and ASISA Retirement Reform Committee.

Ann has been employed in senior roles at JP Morgan, Rand Merchant Bank and ABSA Asset Management and has more than 20 years’ experience in broad financial services industries. She has gained extensive experience within the Alexander Forbes Group as head of global manager research and as deputy chief investment officer, specialising in retail and institutional fund management, multi-management, por¬¬tfolio management, investment philosophies and due diligence across both global and local fund managers.

As an outstanding performer and top contributor to various companies.

Malcolm is a portfolio manager in the South African Rates team, with responsibility for a range of fixed income portfolios, including the Flexible Bond, Dynamic Bond and Diversified Income strategies as well as the Fixed Income hedge fund.

Prior to joining Ninety One in 2001, he worked for African Harvest Fund Managers and Old Mutual Asset Managers, as both a fixed interest trader and portfolio manager.

Malcolm graduated from Rhodes University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting, Business Administration and Commercial Law.

Victor has headed STANLIB’s Fixed Income team since November 2019, managing R280 billion in assets across different strategies at STANLIB. He was co-head of the Fixed Income franchise from 2016 to 2019. He is responsible for the overall strategy of the team and is a member of the STANLIB Investment Exco, which drives the overall strategy for the business.

After gaining experience as a bond market dealer with Nedbank Investment Bank, he joined STANLIB’s forerunner, Liberty Asset Management, in 2001, also as a bond dealer. He was promoted to head of bond and income funds in 2008, assuming full responsibility for the daily management of these funds.

He holds a BCom from the University of Cape Town, honours in econometrics from the University of Johannesburg, and has completed the Global Executive Development Programme (GEDP) offered by GIBS, an affiliate of the University of Pretoria. He has also completed the General Management Program (GMP) at Harvard Business School.

Victor is one of the top Fixed Income fund managers in the country, having won ABSIP Awards for fund management as well as Raging Bull Awards.

Rob Ansari is a Partner and the Head of Investments and Retirement, IMEA. He is based in Dubai and is responsible for setting and driving the Wealth strategy and initiatives, specifically the delivery of retirement services, investment consulting and investment solutions throughout the region.

Prior to joining Mercer, Rob was the Head of MSCI for the Middle East, responsible for all aspects of coverage and business strategy for the MSCI business.

Rob joined MSCI in 2005 as a member of the Client Coverage team in London. Given Rob’s background on the sell-side he initially served the UK Sell-side Banks and Broker community for MSCI as the Head of Index Sales for MSCI prior to his move to Dubai in 2012.

Nadir Thokan, Senior Discretionary Fund Management (DFM) Specialist, was appointed to this role in March 2024. Previously, he served as the Head of Investment Consulting Strategy at Alexforbes starting in October 2022, overseeing the research and best practice division. His expertise spans various areas, including formulating default investment strategies and adapting to legislative changes affecting investment tactics. Nadir's insights assist advisers in optimising the use of different investment products for both mandatory and optional investments. As an integral member of the Investment Solutions Discretionary Fund Management team at Alexforbes, Nadir plays a key role in integrating best investment practices into advisory services.

Before joining Alexforbes, Nadir spent two years at SEI Investments, advising South African clients on investment allocations across regional and global multi-managed portfolios. He led client presentations, pitched to new clients, and specialised in managing investment strategies for SEI's global factor allocation equity funds. Nadir also developed the first dedicated South African retail market strategy for SEI and engaged with various financial entities.

Nadir's journey in the investment industry began at 27four Investment Managers, where he excelled over nine years. Starting as an investment analyst, he progressed to become an investment strategist and eventually Chief Investment Officer, managing domestic and global portfolios worth approximately R30 billion. His leadership led to the recognition of multiple unit trust portfolios with prestigious awards for risk-adjusted performance, including the Raging Bull and Morningstar awards. During his tenure at 27four, Nadir immersed himself in the DFM and independent financial advisor value chain. He played a critical role in driving the retail business strategy and participated in the acquisition of Pioneer Financial Planning. As a board member of the acquired entity, Nadir was responsible for developing investment strategies and solutions for advisors at Pioneer Financial Planning.

Nadir holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).

Fay joined Alexforbes on 1 May 2023, initially as a Senior Technical Marketing Specialist before transitioning to her current role as a Senior Discretionary Fund Management Specialist with Investment Solutions by Alexforbes.

With over 16 years of experience, Fay has honed her expertise primarily within the Asset Management industry. Her career journey includes roles as an equity analyst, multi-manager research analyst, and DFM portfolio manager at institutions such as Sanlam Investments, Glacier by Sanlam, and PPS Investments. Notably, she played a pivotal role in refining investment-related processes and launching a DFM at PPS Investments from 2017 to 2020.

Before joining Alexforbes, Fay served as an Investment Specialist at Allan Gray for nearly two years, focusing on client servicing within the retail intermediary advice sector. Her latest appointment at Alexforbes is the culmination of her diverse skill set acquired over 16 years in the retirement and savings industry in South Africa.

Passionate about translating propositions into impactful enhancements for intermediary practices, Fay is committed to delivering prosperous outcomes for compulsory and discretionary savings clients.

Fay holds a Bachelor of Business Science (B Bus Sci) Finance Honours degree from the University of Cape Town. She has completed Level 1 of the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) through the CFA Institute and the Executive Development Program (EDP) at Wits Business School in 2023.