Stakeholders in the South African financial services industry came out in full force to honour the country's top product providers at the 15th annual Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa (FIA) Awards gala dinner. More than a thousand people attended the black tie event held 30 May 2013 at the Sandton Convention Centre.
The FIA Awards is acknowledged as a leading measure of financial product provider excellence, independently rated by practicing finance and risk advisers. It honours and recognise those firms that enable advisors to do what they do best – deliver exceptional financial and risk advice to the consuming public.
"Now in its 15th year we can proudly claim that the FIA Awards is an institution in the domestic financial services landscape," says Justus van Pletzen, CEO of the FIA. "The comprehensive independent survey results present an opportunity for product providers to benchmark against their industry peers across the four financial disciplines, including employee benefits, healthcare, short-term insurance and financial planning: risk and investments."
There were a few surprises in the 2013 FIA Award results, with Hollard scooping two of the three accolades on offer in the short-term insurance space. Etana Insurance won the award for Short-Term Insurer of the Year – Corporate for the second year running.
Financial services giant, Discovery Limited bagged a hat-trick of victories through Discovery Life in the category Long Term Insurer of the Year – Risk; Discovery Invest for Investment Products Recurring Premium and Discovery Health for Healthcare. South Africa's largest open medical scheme administrator has now won the award in each year since its introduction.
Aquarius Underwriting Managers was the new winner in the UMA of the Year category while Liberty Corporate held off the competition in the Employee Benefits Category and Allan Gray took the honours for Investment Products Single Premium.
"We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulation to each of the category winners at the 2013 FIA Awards," says Van Pletzen. "And we offer a special word of thanks to those product providers who continue to back the model of intermediated distribution and consistently put their clients – our members – first."
