SA CEOs choose FNB as top leader

Michael Jordaan, CEO of FNB, and business tycoon and ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa are among those honoured in this year's Sunday Times Top 100 Companies Awards. The awards banquet was held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Tuesday night. Jordaan was chosen as Business Leader of the Year. He is expected to step down as CEO of FNB at the end of the year and has been appointed chairperson of mobile messaging company Mxit. The Business Leader of the Year Award is decided by CEOs of the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies from the previous year. "Recognition by our peers is always the greatest accolade. A business leader is only as good as the people around him," said Jordaan. "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. Ramaphosa’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognises his contribution to the South African economy. Previous winners include Bobby Godsell, Nelson Mandela, Allan Gray, Stephen Koseff, Richard Maponya, Bill Venter, Nthato Motlana, Donald Gordon, Sam Motsuenyane, Koos Bekker, Raymond Ackerman, Anton Rupert and Brian Joffe. "Part of what has made the awards so successful is that the business community itself voted to choose Jordaan and Ramaphosa, which is an endorsement of how their peers rate them,” said Sunday Times editor Phylicia Oppelt. Coronation Fund Managers scooped the title as South Africa’s top company. The Sunday Times Top 100 Companies acknowledges the best-performing businesses on the JSE, based on their shareholder returns over the past five years. According to Anton Pillay, CEO of Coronation Fund Managers, "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". The Corporate Social Investment Leadership Award went to Nedbank 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," said 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 occupied slots in the top 20 positions of the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies for three consecutive years. JOHANNESBURG NEWS24