Jeremy Gardiner will open the 2024 Convention with his presentation entitled From Darkness to Dawn: Navigating opportunities in a recovering South Africa on Wednesday, 20 November at 8:45 AM.
With elections successfully out of the way, and with markets and the currency approving, SA can now focus on rebuilding key institutions and getting growth going. Although globally interest rates remain high, they look set to start falling, creating a more positive global backdrop. Add to this, a South Africa on the mend, could this finally be the moment South Africans have been waiting for?
Jeremy Gardiner, Director at Ninety One, is a regular voice in the media, at conferences and to the investment-related world at large, responsible for commenting on current affairs, economics and investment markets.
In his position, Jeremy has access to information from the world’s leading analysts, on everything from politics to petrol. Jeremy’s challenge is consolidating all this information. Essentially, Jeremy collects and then connects the dots, bringing it to you in a format that you will find both interesting and informative.
Jeremy has been with the firm for 32 years, during which time the business grew from a small Cape Town Asset Management firm to a significant global business managing clients assets of approximately R3 trillion*. Jeremy also served on the board of Western Province/Stormers rugby from 2003 to 2005, a period in which their performance was particularly poor!
Although he studied accounting at the University of Cape Town and Economics at the University of Witwatersrand, Jeremy is neither an accountant nor an economist, but uses these skills to demystify what the accountants and economists are saying.
Pierre du Plessis will close Day 1 of the Convention on Wednesday, 20 November, with his talk entitled Money is “just” a story, uncovering the narratives driving our relationship with money. Key takeaways will include understanding the cultural, psychological, and social factors that form our relationship with money and recognising that each person, each client brings a distinct and personal narrative about money.
Pierre du Plessis cares deeply about the things we build and the people we become. He is the founder of Be Brave and for 2 decades has been helping teams and businesses grow to build stuff that matters. He has spoken to audiences around the world about becoming better humans, building teams, and making stuff that matters in a chaotic world. Pierre has been featured on 4 TEDx stages and has written 4 books and won the Desmond Tutu, Gerrit Brand Prize for literature in 2018.He believes he is the love child of Gertrude Stein and Jason Bourne and lives in Cape Town, South Africa, with his wife, two kids, and his iPhone.
Akani Simbine, South African Olympic medallist, will close the Convention on Thursday, 21 November at 04:20 PM.
Akani Simbine, a distinguished South African 100m athlete, holds the national record with a personal best of 9.82 seconds. As a multiple South African champion, Akani has consistently demonstrated excellence on the track. His remarkable career includes being a three-time Olympic 100m finalist, finishing 5th in Rio 2016, 4th in Tokyo 2020, and 4th again in Paris 2024. Additionally, he secured a silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Akani’s achievements extend to the World Championships, where he has been a finalist three times, placing 5th in London 2017, 4th in Doha 2019, and 5th in Eugene 2022.
Beyond the global stage, Akani has also excelled at the Commonwealth Games, winning gold at Gold Coast 2018 and silver at Birmingham 2022, along with a silver medal in the 4x100m relay at Gold Coast 2018. Notably, he has consistently run the 100m in under 10 seconds for the past decade, showcasing his enduring speed and dedication. Akani Simbine’s journey is a testament to resilience and excellence and his talk promises to offer valuable insights into the mindset and discipline required to achieve peak performance.