This year’s conference was held under the theme, ‘‘Keeping up to date with the latest changes affecting retirement funds’’.
The conference’s main objective is to promote retirement industry knowledge amongst pension fund members, trustees, service providers and the public. This year’s event attracted various key speakers including the Bifm Portfolio Manager for Local Equities, Bhina Botlhe -Tshukudu who presented on Retirement Funds and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investing, from a Botswana perspective.
Her presentation created awareness on how this can be effectively incorporated in an investment strategy and monitoring thereof. She highlighted Bifm’s aim to continue playing a meaningful role in developing the local pension fund industry. Bifm says it is proud of the strong record it has in the investment management space; the group sees its collaboration with BPS as an opportunity to make a difference and showcase its capabilities of being a trusted partner.
‘‘ESG history dates to 1960 as exclusionary screening. It was originally a separate process that was used as an overlay. The evolution has now resulted in an integration of ESG into the investment process. We are committed towards participating in improving the technical knowledge of retirement funds. Our efforts to engage with our Trustees and broader stakeholders are vital towards us delivering on our mandate, and this is done through information sharing platforms, such as these events,’’ said Bifm CEO, Neo Bogatsu.
Bifm remains the country’s oldest asset management service provider, having begun its operations in 1975. This quality has firmly positioned the firm as a credible, preferred, and trusted asset management service provider in Botswana.
