About the FIA

Our primary purpose is to guard, develop, promote, and represent professional advisory and intermediary businesses in the financial services industry.

Vision

To be a trusted source and preferred voice for advisors and intermediaries in South Africa.

Mission

The FIA exists to guard, develop, promote, and represent professional advisory and intermediary communities, that work together to secure a sustainable future for advisory businesses, for the benefit of clients and all stakeholders in the financial services industry.

Core Values

Respect, Credibility, Professionalism, Commitment and Passion.

The FIA’s core strategic objectives are:

Professional and Organizational Development will focus on skills and business development, consumer education and transformation.
Advocacy and Representation will focus on building capacity in our regulatory department to influence and guide policy and regulatory developments in a constructive manner that leads to positive outcomes for stakeholders.
Financial Sector and Market Intelligence will assist in obtaining relevant information and interpret data to engage stakeholders in a meaningful manner.

Management Structure

The FIA Board of Directors is elected by members. We operate nationally in four regions through 25 branches.

Lizelle van der Merwe

Chief Executive Officer

Butsi Tladi

President

Ronald King

Vice President

Theoniel McDonald

Director

Dr Nolwandle Mgoqi

Director

Peter Olyott

Director

Lara Wild

Director

Gericke du Plessis

Regional Director: Northern Region

Dryden Dougherty

Regional Director: Coastal Region

Caron Whitfield

Regional Director: Rand Region

Greg Setzkorn

Regional Director: Central Region
Chair: Healthcare Exco

Zahir Anter

Chair: Employee Benefits

Rob Lansdell

Chair: Education & Training

Isobel Rohwer

Chair: Advisory Council & Membership

Errol Masinga

Chair: Transformation

Gerhardt Meyer

Chair: Financial Planning

Barry Taylor

Chair: Non-Life Exco

George Dell

Chair: Discretionary Investment

FIA Excos and Mandate

There are seven executive portfolio committees – representing life insurance, non-life insurance, financial planning, healthcare, employee benefits, transformation and investments. The additional executive committees include membership and training and education.

These committees consist of industry experts who meet quarterly to address legislative and regulatory matters governing their respective insurance disciplines, as well as any other issues or opportunities that can impact on our members.

Healthcare Committee

The healthcare committee focuses on health insurance, medical scheme practice and products and related health insurance matters, mainly related to the provision of advice on funding benefits.

The committee has extensive interaction with various regulatory bodies – an especially important role considering that dual control is exercised by regulators in both the medical and financial arenas. It also liaises with administrators and risk cover providers.

Financial Planning Committee

The financial planning committee oversees long-term insurance, collective investment schemes, retirement funds, assistance business and related long-term investments.

Tax, retirement and estate planning and business insurance are focus areas along with basic forms of risk cover.

Employee Benefits Committee

The employee benefits committee represents corporate and individual administrators. It also maintains close contact with retirement benefit bodies, Principal Officers and Trustees.

Interaction with the Institute of Retirement Funds and other relevant industry bodies, as well as key personnel in retirement fund administrators/insurers facilitates the promotion of common interests.

Non-Life Insurance Committee

The non-life insurance committee addresses personal lines, corporate and commercial matters. The committee often works closely with the South African Insurance Association and its subsidiaries, the Insurance Institute of South Africa including the South African Crime Bureau and Fraudline.

Discretionary Investment Committee

The objective of this committee is to set professional standards for discretionary investment managers, to develop and introduce a Code of Conduct for DIM’s and to be the voice of DIM’s in South Africa.

This committee will play an integral part in the architecture of the financial services industry of the future in light of several proposals of the Retail Distribution Review which specifically focus on Investment Managers.

Transformation Committee

The Transformation Executive Committee of the FIA has been established to assist the FIA to progress its transformation plan, which is a critical part of the FIA strategy.

The objective of the Committee is to assist the FIA and its members to discharge their transformation responsibilities with respect to the goals and purposes of the following:

Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act;
Employment Equity Act;
Skills Development Act;
The Financial Sector Code; and
Socio-Economic Development.

Education & Training Committee

The committee is responsible for identifying current and future training needs of FIA members.

In order to achieve its objectives, the committee will engage, consult and collaborate with regulators and other industry and professional bodies.

Branches

The FIA has 25 branches across South Africa. The 25 branches are split into 4 regions which include Rand, Northern, Central and Coastal.

For more information regarding the branches and regions, please contact the FIA Regional Co-ordinators at communication@fia.org.za

HISTORY OF THE FIA

January 1, 2008

The Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa (FIA) was established on 1 January 2008 following a two-stage merger with the dominant intermediary representative bodies in existence in South Africa at the time.

January 1, 2008

6 Months Later

First – the South African Financial Services Intermediaries Association (SAFSIA) merged with the Independent Broker Council (IBC) to form the FIA. Second – some six months later – the Life Underwriters Association of SA (LUASA) merged into the FIA structure.

6 Months Later

The FIA Today

The merger was the culmination of a dream for a unified voice to represent intermediary interests to all financial services stakeholders throughout South Africa.

The FIA Today