The University of the Western Cape (UWC) hosted a successful three-day conference at the Saldanha Bay Hotel.
On the theme “Innovative ideas for an innovative future”, the Asset Management Forum (AMF) conference was held from Monday 10 to Wednesday 12 October in the conference room of the Saldanha Bay Hotel.
Fifteen universities, including the University of Namibia, University of Free State, Durban University of Technology, were represented.
The evening event was preceded by a dinner at which guests were welcomed to the West Coast, interacted and enjoyed good food. Speakers included, among others, Sunil Kheru, chairperson of AMF South Africa, Lehain Louw, chair of the Local Organising Committee of UWC, and André Truter, Mayor of the Saldanha Bay.
Louw explained that the purpose of the conference was to share knowledge. “In saying so there have been several developments in asset management and equally changes in the management of insurance and risk,” he said.
“The aim of the conference was to identify the common trends in higher education and engage in robust discussions that are solution-based and that allows for critical thinking.”
According to Louw, the programme included external service providers and specialists in the field of asset management coupled with a leading higher education insurance broker.
“It is hoped the delegates will be better equipped with knowledge and other tools to perform their tasks in a more meaningful way, while they continued to engage further with other delegates after their return to their respective institutions.”
Kheru said he was confident the conference would contribute to the knowledge and understanding of asset management.
According to Louw, one reason Saldanha Bay was chosen was to underscore the West Coast’s asset value in terms of its business innovativeness and consequent revenue potential, particularly since so many delegates had not been to the region before. It also showcased the West Coast as the ideal setting for purposive networking.
