Anton Swanepoel


Anton Swanepoel CFP® is a Certified Financial Planner® and was one of six finalists of the FPI/Personal Finance Financial Advisor of the Year Competition in 2003. He holds a B Iuris degree (University of South Africa, 1986) and a Masters degree in Mercantile Law (University of the Free State, 2007). The latter focused on the professional and legal relationship between financial advisors and intermediaries and their clients in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act. Anton is currently busy with his LLD (Doctorate in Investment Planning) through the University of the Free State.

Anton is a former magistrate, but started his career in financial services in 1989 when he was appointed at Sanlam as a legal consultant. He became a broker services sales manager in 1992. He joined Alexander Forbes in 1994 as an executive financial consultant and served on the board of Alexander Forbes Executive Financial Consultants. Since 1998 he served as a partner at Citadel Investment Services, Deloitte & Touché Private Client Advisors, as Director: Financial Planning at PSG Investment Services and as Director: Products and Training at PSG Konsult.

Anton was the co-founder of Crux Consulting, an independent compliance practice based in Johannesburg, but sold his interest in the business in March 2007 to concentrate on training and business consulting in the financial services industry. In 2008 Anton was appointed a director at Amity Wealth. He is its Chief Executive Officer and is also a member of the Amity investment committee.

He is also a part-time lecturer at the University of the Free State’s Centre for Financial Planning, at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, Marcus Evans South Africa, as well as at Educor Institute of Financial Services, a registered training provider. He lectures on subjects that have a bearing on the financial services industry, such as leadership, ethics, professional business management, wealth management, investment and compliance.

Anton’s clients include the former South African Financial Services Intermediaries Association (SAFSIA), two of South Africa’s largest banks, four life offices, some of the leading investment companies and independent advisors and intermediaries. Of the latter, a number were voted FPI Financial Planner of the Year.

Anton’s public speaking activities include guest appearances at FPI conventions, numerous FPI meetings, business breakfasts, business conventions, and the APICS International Business Conference in Australia (May 2004). Anton has written various articles for the FSB Bulletin, leading newspapers, the former Bluechip Magazine as well as books on financial planning and business.

To read more about Anton’s publications … click here!

Marius van der Merwe

Marius van der Merwe completed a B Com (Business Management) degree cum laude at the University of Pretoria in 1989. He started his career as a junior lecturer at the same university while doing a B Com (Honours) which he also obtained cum laude in 1990. The main subjects of his honours degree were Investment Management and Strategic Management, the same subjects in which he lectured.

Marius joined Eskom as a graduate-in-training in 1991 to honour his bursary obligations. Within a year he joined Eskom’s Strategic Planning Department, where he was responsible for co-ordinating the Eskom Business Plan and serving on the team responsible for facilitating the long-term strategic plan of the organisation.

Marius joined the University of South Africa as a lecturer in the Department of Business Management in 1994. He lectured in the subjects Strategic Management, General Management and Investment Management. While at Unisa, Marius started and managed a business in the food industry. He also acted as a consultant in the field of small business management.

Marius joined Citadel Investment Services in 2000 as a wealth manager. This position required taking responsibility for managing the investment portfolios of high net worth private clients. During his tenure with Citadel, Marius completed the postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning at the University of the Free State, and was accepted as a member of the Financial Planning Institute.

After six years of service with Citadel, Marius accepted a position with Absa Private Bank (High Net Worth), where he also managed the financial portfolios of high net worth clients, taking responsibility for investment planning, portfolio construction and ongoing management of these portfolios.

During 2007 Marius co-founded Amity Wealth, where he still serves as a shareholder and director in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer. He is also a member of the Amity investment committee.

Mari Brits

Mari has more than twenty years of experience in financial services administration. She started her career at Sanlam in 1989 as an investment administrator in Johannesburg until she joined Old Mutual in 1993. She worked in a team of twelve investment advisors as their personal assistant until 1999. During this period she also provided training to her peers in quality administration processes.

In 1999 she joined Pentagon Investment House as an administrative assistant and was appointed at Citadel Investment Services in 2000 where her primary responsibility was investment administration in Citadel’s Wealth Management Division. In 2006 she accepted a position at Absa Private Bank where she gained further experience in the administration of investments.

In 2008 she was appointed head of administration at Amity Wealth. Her primary responsibility lies in running the business’s administrative processes efficiently. She is also in charge of quality investment reporting to clients.

Ben Rossouw

Ben Rossouw is a Certified Financial Planner® and holds a Diploma in Business Management obtained from Damelin Management School as well as a Diploma in Financial Management from Liberty Life.

Ben started his career in the financial services industry in 1970 in the Liberty Life Group. After his first 15 years and holding the position of Manager – Administration, he left Liberty Life for 14 months from April 1985 to June 1986 to work for a Christian based development NGO in King William’s Town. He returned to Liberty in 1986 as Broker Area Manager (Cape Country District) and transferred back to Head Office in 1990. During the period he worked for the Liberty Life Group and held a variety of management positions, both in Administration and Sales and Marketing.

During July 1995 to March 1996 he was an independent financial planning practitioner and was appointed as Executive Director (CEO) of the Institute of Life and Pensions Advisers –ILPA, now known as the Financial Planning Institute of South Africa (FPI). He held this position from April 1996 until June 2002. During this time Ben became the spokesperson for the financial planning profession in South Africa and worked closely with the Financial Services Board in the development of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (FAIS) Act.

During the six years at the helm of the Financial Planning Institute the institute joined the international professional financial planning ranks and obtained the South African franchise for the CFP/Certified Financial Planner certification.

Ben was appointed as the Executive Director (CEO) of the Insurance Institute of South Africa (IISA) in July 2002.

In November 2004 Ben was appointed as Managing Director of The South African Financial Services Intermediaries Association (SAFSIA). SAFSIA represented the larger insurance broking entities as well as a range of smaller and medium sized broking firms.

The focus of this position was the representation of the collective interests of the members companies, with the authorities, product provider associations and other stakeholders: During 2007 SAFSIA entered into negotiations with the Insurance Brokers Council (IBC) to merge the two entities into one. This culminated in the formation of the Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa (FIA), which commenced operations w.e.f. January 2008.

As a result of the successful completion of the merger, Ben decided to retire on 29 February 2008 but retained a consultancy contract with the FIA. After a short period of retirement Ben was asked to join the FIA on a fulltime basis from 1 July 2008 as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), in particular to assist with the bedding down of the merged entity and to assist in the further merger of LUASA with the FIA. This 3rd merger took place with effect from 1 October 2008. After the completion of the mergers, Ben indicated to the FIA board that he would be taking final retirement on 28 February 2009.

Ben currently serves as a member of the FAIS Advisory Committee.

We are honored to have Ben serve as the Non-Executive chairman of Amity Wealth with effect 1 August 2009.