Businessman and ANC deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies Awards banquet held at the Sandton Convention Centre last night.
Winner of the title of South Africa’s top company was Coronation Fund Managers while business leader of the year was awarded to Michael Jordaan, former CEO of FNB.
“This has become a highly-coveted accolade since it was first offered more than five decades ago. Part of what has made it so successful is that the business community itself voted to choose Jordaan and Ramaphosa, which is an endorsement of how their peers rate them,” says Sunday Times editor, Phylicia Oppelt.
Anton Pillay, CEO of Coronation Fund Managers, said the company was honoured to have won the honour of being awarded top spot. “Since our inception 20 years ago, our unwavering commitment to investing for the long-term has enabled us to deliver excellent investment performance across our range of funds, which we believe has resulted in the continued strong support from our clients,” he says.
CEOs of the top 100 companies from the previous year are tasked with choosing the business leader of the year award. “Recognition by our peers is always the greatest accolade,” Jordaan says. “To the judges and most importantly to my colleagues at FNB, I thank you and have to say a business leader is only as good as the people around him. This award also belongs to the people who shared our vision of making FNB the most innovative bank in the world.”
Jordaan joins the ranks of previous winners Phuthuma Nhleko, Johann Rupert, Brian Joffe, Graham Mackay, Maria Ramos, Adrian Gore and Whitey Basson.
Nedbank scored the corporate social investment leadership award for its Local Hero, Imbizo Business Acumen, and Affinity programmes. The award selection process includes a detailed BEE scorecard for all JSE-listed companies, compiled by Who Owns Whom, and also scored on the basis of the impact and sustainability of initiatives.
“Good business is no longer based only on performance, but evaluating the companies’ economic and socio economic investments… Our CSI Award acknowledges good business practices that contribute positively to the communities within which they operate,” says Rob Rose, editor of Business Times.
This year, the list of Sunday Times Royal Companies includes Capitec Bank Holdings, Coronation Fund Managers, EOH Holdings, Famous Brands, Howden Africa Holdings, Mr Price Group, Oceana Group, Pinnacle Technology Holdings and Woolworths Holdings. The Royal Companies are those that have placed in the top twenty positions of the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies for three consecutive years.
