An article by Ian Kilbride and published in Daily Maverick. Great leaders are decisive leaders and business craves good leadership. The results of the ANC 55th conference have provided President Ramaphosa with a mandate to now lead his party and the country decisively. Decisiveness does not necessarily mean speed of decision-making, nor unilateralism. Complex issues demand careful consideration, the weighing of options, the development of scenarios and the anticipation of consequences. Irrespective of the process, decisiveness minimises uncertainty, reduces doubt and provides a clear way forward. The post Business Craves Leadership appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Article Written by Ian Kilbride. I have just returned from a successful visit to a frigid UK, combining some pleasure with a fortnight of business. While my support for Everton is visceral and dates from childhood, the most rewarding aspect of my relationship is supporting Everton in The Community programmes and the Everton Free School. During the series of meetings as Chairman of Spirit Invest, I committed the Group’s continued support for the Club and its Everton in the Community Programmes. Spirit has been a long-time supporter of the Club’s community programmes having funded the establishment and expansion of the Everton Free School library. The Spirit Group of companies have also been strong supporters of the Everton disability team, along with the Everton Choir.  Everton Commercial Director, Rich Kenyon, hosted me in the brilliant Everton Club Head Office in the world-famous Liver Building – one of Merseyside’s ‘Three Graces’ landmarks. It is quite remarkable what the Club has done to convert this iconic building into a modern commercial and marketing hub. A highlight was a virtual tour of the new Everton Bramley Moore stadium currently under construction and scheduled for opening at the beginning of the 2024-2025 season. Besides the […] The post Spirit Invest Recommits its Financial Support appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

An article by Ian Kilbride The consensus is that South Africa is about to be ‘grey-listed’ by the international Financial […] The post Forty Shades of Grey Listing? appeared first on Warwick Wealth. The post Forty Shades of Grey Listing? appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

An article by Ian Kilbride The power relationship between government and business is shifting perceptibly. The state is failing and […] The post Corporate South Africa Finding it’s Voice appeared first on Warwick Wealth. The post Corporate South Africa Finding it’s Voice appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Article by Ian Kilbride The financial conditions of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are weak and some have deteriorated further since the […] The post MTBPS Not so ‘tough love’ for SOEs appeared first on Warwick Wealth. The post MTBPS Not so ‘tough love’ for SOEs appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Gordon Gekko, the arch-villain anti-hero of the 1987 film ‘Wall Street’ declared that ‘Greed is Good’. I cut my own […] The post Greed is Good appeared first on Warwick Wealth. The post Greed is Good appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

This week I was the guest of the Appleton Chairman, Tim Hughes, at a reception hosted by the UK High […] The post Spirit Education Foundation and Oxbridge appeared first on Warwick Wealth. The post Spirit Education Foundation and Oxbridge appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Article written by Ian Kilbride Yesterday, I was privileged to spend a memorable morning in the company of Rear Admiral […] The post Preserving the Healing Balm of History appeared first on Warwick Wealth. The post Preserving the Healing Balm of History appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

An article by Ian Kilbride At first glance, Kim Kardashian, Snoop Dogg and Siya Kolisi have little in common, apart from their celebrity. Yet, all three enjoy the dubious status of financial services influencers. Maybe this is not as odd after all, given the collective wealth of the triumvirate, but the question remains, would you buy a financial product based on their endorsement? All three are iconic in their fields. Snoop is arguably the world’s best-known rap star, while over 330 million followers keep up with Kim Kardashian and Siya has risen to global rugby icon status from humble beginnings by leading the Springboks to glory in the 2019 rugby world cup. Indeed, it is the power of their influence that makes them such sought after hot property for advertisers. It is perfectly understandable that companies would seek the endorsement of Mr Dogg for say, gold chains or marijuana, and Ms Kardashian could rightfully be associated with pyjamas and plastic surgery, and Siya with ‘men’s stuff’ such as deodorant. Yet their endorsement of financial products and services is a stretch too far. In my view, the endorsement of such influencers is irresponsible, reckless and potentially dangerous. Finance and personal finance […] The post Kim Kardashian and Personal Finance appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Article Written by Ian Kilbride. Has the King Code failed us, or we it? Released in 2016, King lV set a new standard in documenting corporate governance and remains both admired and referenced globally. The introduction to King lV proudly proclaims that, “Since the publication of the first King report, South Africa has maintained a proud tradition of corporate governance.” Really? To the contrary, the Nupen and Zondo Commissions reveal in painful detail just how tattered corporate governance has become in our country. Lamenting a loss of moral compass, as far back as 2005, Judge Hilary Squires noted, “This phenomenon of corruption can truly be likened to a cancer eating away remorselessly at the fabric of corporate privity … If not checked, it becomes systemic … One can hopefully discount the prospect of this happening in this country …” Judge Squires’ fears have sadly been realised and we are now reaping the harvest of corroded corporate governance, combined with hollowed out national institutions.  Like a nation of boiled frogs, for a decade we sleepwalked into this set of circumstances in which trust in our institutions plummeted to an all-time low. Only since the election of President Ramaphosa are we beginning […] The post Time to Review the King Report on Corporate Governance appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Article Written by Ian Kilbride. I am one of the few individuals on the planet to have lifted the F.A. Cup. Admittedly, I didn’t actually score the winning goal in Everton’s 1995 Wembley victory over Manchester United, but I did spend a memorable evening with the team and club owners celebrating the Blues fifth F.A. Cup final victory. That was a long 27 years ago and the closest we have come since then was the 2009 loss to Frank Lampard’s Chelsea. That evening led to a long-enduring friendship and business relationship with Everton’s then owners, resulting in a unique South African joint venture between my company Appleton, Everton’s owners and COSATU’s investment trust, Kopano ke Matla. Over the past quarter century, my companies have continued to sponsor Everton in numerous guises. Appleton’s branding could be seen around the famous Goodison Park, Warwick became Everton’s F.A. Cup sponsor and the Spirit Foundation remains a key supporter of the ground-breaking Everton in the Community programme. So, as the 2022/23 Premiership season kicks off, my loyalty and commitment to Everton Football Club remains as strong as ever. I also admit to inculcating (rather than indoctrinating) the Everton spirit in my two Sons, who […] The post Football, Great Sport, Bad Business appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Article Written by Ian Kilbride. The emergence of financial technology (Fintech), has presented many new and exciting opportunities, one of which is robo-advice. Robo-advice is a type of financial advice provided to the investment and wealth management industry via an online platform with little or no human intervention. Often this is conducted through an online automated investing service. As the investment industry has become more efficient over the years, the focus on cost-cutting has become more prominent, resulting in numerous financial services groups launching online robo-advice offerings. With these developments, the consequential question is, “Is robo-advice the future”? To answer this question, we need to look at significant market trends, as well as the positives and negatives of personalised financial advice and robo-advice. Robo-advisors generally target younger individuals below the age of 30. These younger individuals often do not yet have significant lump sum and thus seasoned financial advisors sometimes leave them underserviced. Rather, seasoned financial advisors typically remain focused on higher net worth individuals and receive a financial advisory fee for their services. Moreover, younger people are generally more tech-savvy and comfortable with online electronic applications. Yet, an important aspect to this question is whether people are willing to […] The post Is Robo-advise the future? appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Spending an entire evening in the company of Nelson Mandela ranks as one of the most memorable times of my […] The post A memorable night for me and Appleton with President Nelson Mandela appeared first on Warwick Wealth. The post A memorable night for me and Appleton with President Nelson Mandela appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Article Written by Ian Kilbride. The demise of Boris Johnson provides important lessons in leadership. Johnson was uniquely unfit to hold the office of UK Prime Minister, yet in 2019 delivered the biggest Conservative electoral victory for forty years. Three short years later, the political blond bombshell was forced to resign in humiliation by the very members of the Cabinet he had appointed. One lesson to be learnt is that while charisma is a useful ingredient in leadership, it is a quality that only has a shelf-life if unsupported by substance. Johnson lacked political substance and his positions were generally guided by political self-interest, rather than belief. In this regard, he shared a political chameleon-like quality with his avowed ‘hero’ Sir Winston Churchill. Both were authors and orators of distinction, yet neither was a purely party-political leader. The party was a vehicle for the achievement of their personal political ambitions. Churchill served Liberal and Conservative parties. Similarly, Johnson’s much-vaunted Brexit campaign leadership was, in fact, a calculated gambit that paved his way to No.10 Downing Street. There is also an irony to Johnson being ousted from office ostensibly on grounds of breaches of trust, ethics, integrity and honesty. The most […] The post Bye-bye Boris – Lessons for leadership and accountability appeared first on Ian Kilbride.

Article Written by Ian Kilbride. I was shocked and saddened recently when told that one of our former Wealth Specialists had died at the young age of 30. It was a sobering reminder of one’s mortality. Although our former colleague had left to pursue his own business interests, he had the presence of mind to keep his last Will and testament with Appleton – The Fiduciary Specialists. Upon hearing of the death of our former colleague, I asked the Appleton Managing Director, Tim Hughes, to personally oversee the administration of the Estate. Upon reviewing the Will, a few important things emerged. Firstly, although his personal circumstances had changed significantly over the past couple of years, our former colleague had not changed his Will to reflect these changes and changes to his wishes. So, while the Will is entirely valid and executable, and Appleton will administer his Estate with its customary care and efficiency, it is unfortunate to know that the legacy that he built up will not benefit those closest to him. The second concern is that our former colleague had entered into a business relationship with a partner which adds further complications to the Estate as there is no […] The post LESSONS FROM THE DEATH OF A YOUNG FORMER COLLEAGUE appeared first on Ian Kilbride.