The FPI Professional’s Convention this year will highlight the importance of looking back at where we were before the global lockdown in 2020, while moving forward into a future filled with change, innovation and growth – hence aptly themed BACK TO THE FUTURE.
The way we view the future has changed since we have been experiencing a post-lockdown world. Things have become fundamentally different as we have witnessed the birth of a virtual world filled with automation, open AI and digital evolution in the financial planning space.
Liberty, 2022’s headline sponsor of the event, will be back again this year as the headline sponsor to bring you a memorable Professional’s Convention.
This 34th instalment of the Convention will be presented both virtually and face-to-face at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg on 14 and 15 November – giving the face-to-face delegates the opportunity to network and catch up on all the latest trends, while visiting the exhibitions and gaining insight into collaboration breakaway events. Those delegates who cannot be present in person will benefit from the innovation of a virtual walk-through environment while ensuring gamification lends to an entertaining experience.
The FPI’s impressive growth and undoubted relevance over the years as well as the quality of our certification and practice standards has ensured that the profession occupies its rightful place in a world where financial wellness has never been more important. As innovation in the space occurs, the latest global trends will be highlighted as international speakers, who will be presenting in-person, drive home topics of adaptation to ensure all convention goers gain insight into must-have adoption practices.
The speaker programme will delve into relevant topics aimed at empowering a forward-looking audience of dedicated financial professionals, including:
- The new knowledge domain regarding the psychology of financial planning
- How the future outlook of practice management and technology has changed
- “People” aspects such as succession planning and remuneration structures
- Cyber-security risks and social media strategies needed to grow a financial planning business
- Leading at the edge of chaos
- The future of financial planning
- The new Phygital advisor
- Holistic health for a financial planner
In keeping with the tradition of hosting the best local and international speakers on topics that add value to South Africa’s financial planners sector, the 2023 speaker lineup includes:
Dante De Gori, CFP®
Dante De Gori, CFP® is the CEO of the Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd (FPSB). Prior to this, he served as CEO of the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA). He is passionate about advancing the profession of financial planning and supporting CFP® professionals globally and will be sharing his thoughts on the Future of Financial Planning.
Mandy Wiener
Mandy Wiener is a prominent South African journalist and writer who will be addressing the topic of hope and prosperity for South Africa. She is the host of the Midday Report on Radio 702 and Cape Talk and is a regular columnist for News24.
Dr Charles Chaffin
Dr Charles Chaffin, covers a broad range of fields, from educational and cognitive psychology to financial planning. He is the author and lead editor of seven books on topics of financial planning and cognitive psychology. Chaffin has been developing and presenting new research that has direct impact on the practice of financial planning.
Emma Sadleir
Emma Sadleiris South Africa’s leading expert on social media law. Her company, The Digital Law Company, specialises in educating and advising corporates, employees, schools, parents, teachers and universities on the legal, disciplinary and reputational risks of social media. Sadlier and her team have collectively addressed hundreds of blue-chip corporate clients and over 200 000 learners across Africa and the UK through educational talks and presentations. She also teaches media law to journalists and lawyers and lectures on personal reputation management on various MBA programmes.
Brent Lindeque
Brent Lindeque is a South African entrepreneur, motivational speaker and social media influencer. He gained international attention in 2014 when he posted a video online of himself taking part in the “NekNomination” drinking game, but instead of drinking alcohol, he did a good deed for someone in need.
The video went viral and Lindeque used the attention to launch the #ChangeOneThing movement, which encourages people to make small positive changes in their lives that can have a big impact on their communities and the world. The success of #ChangeOneThing led to media attention from CNN, BBC and Oprah magazine. In 2018, he was named one of the top 100 most influential young South Africans by the Mail & Guardian newspaper and in 2022 his platform was featured on a list of world’s top 100 innovation success stories.
Lelané Bezuidenhout, CFP®
Lelané Bezuidenhout, CFP® is the CEO of the FPI. She has been involved in the financial services industry since 1999 and started at a large life insurer. It is in her dealings with compliance matters and consumer complaints that she took an interest in financial planning from a standard setting point of view. Over the years she studied as a working mom to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®. Bezuidenhout joined the FPI in 2014. In her current role as CEO, she continues to impact positively on the lives of all in serving the FPI’s vision of “professional financial planning and advice for all”.
Nici Macdonald, CFP®
Nici Macdonald, CFP® is the Head of Department: Certification at the FPI. She has a strong legal background and is passionate about the future of financial planning in South Africa. Macdonald has extensive experience in practice management within a financial services provider, specifically the operational support needed and procedures underpinning the financial planning advice process. Academically, Macdonald was involved with the University of the Free State in drafting material, setting examinations and lecturing for the Advanced Diploma in Estate and Trust Administration.
At Convention 2023, members will also be able to attend the FPI Awards Ceremony Gala Dinner on 15 November where the 2023 FPI Financial Planner of the Year Award winner will be crowned, as well as other awards such as Top Candidate of the Year, FPI Professional Practice of the Year and It Starts with Me awards.
Renate Jute, CFP®
Renate Jute has been actively involved in the financial services industry for over 20 years and entered the specialised fields of Trust Administration and Accounting in 2001. In 2017 she founded Noble Prosperity where her focus is on trusts, estates, the education of financial planners and accountants and the prosperity of business owners. She has a podcast called ‘Business Brainwaves’, hosts online Masterclasses to educate and empower the participants and writes a blog that keeps her readers up to date with trust and estate matters as well as fundamental business skills.
Panos Leledais
Panos Leledais has 24 years’ experience in the field since as a top awarded-winning insurance consultant and a TOT MDRT member. A pioneer in the insurance industry, and an insurance futurist, he is an expert in the topic of millennials and Gen z, digital transformation, internet marketing strategy, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and new cutting edge technologies in the insurance industry. He is an inventor of two innovative software for insurance need analysis, by implementing the science of risk management, artificial intelligence and extensive neuroscience research on risk perception and decision making. In 2020 he was honoured with the esteemed global award for ‘Top 25 InsurTech CEOs of 2020’. Additionally, he held the position of President at the Panhellenic Association of Insurance Consultants from 2015 to 2019.
Kirsty Scully, CFP®
Kirsty Scully, CFP® is the Chairperson-Elect of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa, and this keeps her at the forefront of legislative changes within the financial planning profession. In addition to this, Kirsty is a Senior Financial Planner at Core Wealth Advisory Services in Cape Town, working with high net-worth individuals, many of them visionary businesswomen, retired individuals and emerging entrepreneurs. With a track record as a financial planning professional that spans three decades, she gives pragmatic advice and approaches her client interactions on a detailed and highly professional basis. She is a public speaker on international radio and TV broadcasts and also author of the book Financial Planning Conversations. She was awarded the Financial Planning Institute’s Media Award for her immense contribution to financial planning through the media. Her achievements in the profession were also recognised when she was a finalist in the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa, Regional Business Achiever Awards.
Charlotte Kemp
Charlotte Kemp is the Futures Alchemist, a futurist keynote speaker who works with organisations to co-create preferred futures. She is a Past President of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa (PSASA), President of the Global Speakers Federation (GSF) and maintains membership of the Association of Professional Futurists (APF). Her early career was in financial services and she worked for a large national bank, international insurance company, boutique financial advisor and an innovative technology company who designed new platforms for maintaining many of the financial products that are common place in South Africa today. Charlotte is the author of a number of books, including Futures Alchemist and How to be the Conscious Futurist the World Needs Now.
Anton Swanepoel, CFP®
Anton Swanepoel, CFP®, is a practice management and compliance specialist with more than 33 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is the founder of Trusted Advisors (Pty), an independent training and consulting company. He is a former FPI Financial Planner of the year finalist, and he serves on a number of industry committees that aim to professionalise the financial planning industry. He is a former Chairperson of the Financial Intermediaries Association (FIA) Financial Planning Committee and a former Board member of the FIA. He also served on the Expert Panel that guided National Treasury on the Conduct of Financial Institutions Bill. Anton is the author and co-author of more than twenty books and industry manuals on leadership, ethics, trust, business management, financial planning, investment planning, and compliance. He is an accredited trainer on these topics and a regular speaker at financial planning seminars and conventions.
Joep Loots
Joep Loots is a Health and Fitness coach, helping people transform their health to transform their lives. With 40 years of experience in the high-performance sporting arena, he uses his skill and knowledge to inspire and teach transformational tools to embody optimal health, fitness and happiness. Joep is a former National Decathlon Champion and Record holder on five occasions and held the South African record for 25 years. Training for ten events simultaneously helped him become an expert in movement and when he retired from athletics, he dedicated 27 years to Stellenbosch and South Africa Athletics as a National and International coach. He coached and helped his athletes to achieve personal bests and reach their fullest potential. Working with some of the top sports stars in South Africa and abroad, gave him the opportunity to travel the World Circuit for 11 years.
Trevor Stacey
Trevor Stacey is a fintech visionary who’s responsible for atWORK’s partnerships with corporates and other fintech partners. atWORK is a homegrown software solution aimed at empowering businesses, and remains at the cutting edge of international technology standards to help businesses easily manage their risks. He was born in Malta and educated in England and after working in several countries he moved to South Africa and, following stints at international companies in the financial technology field, he joined atWORK as a partner.
Mapalo Makhu
Mapalo Makhu is a published author, an award-winning Personal Finance expert, Speaker, Personal Finance Columnist and the Founder of Woman & Finance. She has over seven years’ experience in the financial services industry. Her passion is in helping her audience gain clarity and confidence around their personal finances. Her work has been featured in notable publications including True Love, City Press, and Mail & Guardian. She won Woman of the Year in Education 2018 by Woman of Stature, awarded Top 40 Women Financial Blogs 2018 alongside international personal finance blogs by Feed spot Today! And is a best-selling author of the personal finance book You’re Not Broke, You’re Pre-Rich.
Farzana Badat
Farzana Badat was appointed as Deputy Commissioner of the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) on 1 December 2021. She is part of the Executive Committee responsible for overseeing the overall strategic and operational management of the FSCA. She is also accountable for the development and implementation of harmonised licensing and supervisory conduct risk frameworks across the financial sector, as well as oversight of AML/CFT matters and the FSCA’s Office of General Counsel. She was previously Senior Policy Advisor for conduct risk, financial technology and digital transformation at the International Association of Insurance Supervisors in Basel, Switzerland. She has worked closely with the Bank for International Settlements, Financial Stability Board, Financial Stability Institute, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Islamic Financial Services Board on various financial sector policy and supervisory initiatives.
At this year’s Convention members will also have the opportunity to attend the 2023 FPI Awards Ceremony Gala Dinner on the evening of 15 November where the 2023 FPI Financial Planner of the Year Award winner will be crowned, as well as other awards such as Top Candidate of the Year, FPI Professional Practice of the year and It Starts with me awards. Palesa Dube, CFP®, was the winner of the FPI Financial Planner of the Year Award in 2022. Convention 2023 will see us ushering in a new winner to take the baton forward.
The FPI Professional’s Convention is regarded as the most relevant and biggest event in the calendar for financial professionals, considering its hybrid nature that allows for both face-to-face and virtual attendance for those who are not based in Gauteng to still be informed, gain insight and obtain Continuous Professional Development (CPD) hours, which will amount to 12 CPD hours. The costs for attending Convention 2023 are R3 000 for members (virtual) and R3 773 for non-members (virtual), or R5 850 for members (face-to-face) and R7 000 for non-members (face-to-face).
For more information on the 2023 FPI Professional’s Convention, email us at events@fpi.co.za or call us on +27 (0)11 470 6000.
2023 PROFESSIONAL CONVENTION SPONSORS
