In this episode of Leaders Unscripted, an EY Transformative Podcast Series, Alexforbes CEO Dawie de Villiers unpacks how financial advice in South Africa is evolving.
De Villiers has over two decades of experience in the finance and investment sectors.
He entered the industry in 1993 as an actuary at Sanlam Life Insurance and would eventually become the CEO of Sanlam Employee Benefits in 2013.
De Villiers would move to Alexforbes in 2018 and has since leveraged his wealth of experience to support the company’s continued growth.
Under his leadership, de Villiers guides Alexforbes towards his vision of it becoming the most inclusive retail financial advice firm in Southern Africa.
He holds a BSc in Actuarial Science from Stellenbosch University and has completed the Advanced Management Programme at the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD).
De Villiers is also a fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa.
The interview
In this Leaders Unscripted interview, de Villiers discusses the biggest change he’s observed in customer expectations for financial advice.
De Villiers then explains how Alexforbes is approaching AI as a tool to improve outcomes for its customers, and how this impacts the company’s legacy systems and mindsets.
He also outlines the importance of teaching financial literacy at a young age, and how partnerships can make this more effective and practical.
De Villiers concludes the interview by sharing one event from the last five years that he believes highlights how successful Alexforbes has been in achieving its goals.
Watch the interview with Dawie de Villiers below.
