When finweek spoke to David Hufton, joint CEO of Sygnia Asset Management, he was at home “on one of the very rare occasions”. South Africa had just marked 300 days under national lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus and Hufton had been in the office for virtually every single one of those days.
He formed part of the firm’s skeleton crew that manned the ship after Sygnia was classified as an essential financial services provider when the lockdown was instituted. Also, during this time, Sygnia’s board appointed Hufton to the joint CEO role with immediate effect, conveying a message of confidence in him and his co-CEO, Magda Wierzycka, that “the joint CEOs will steer Sygnia through these turbulent times and beyond”.
He was previously the deputy CEO of Sygnia and prior to joining the firm in February 2016 was a member of the executive committee of Alexander Forbes for many years and held various leadership roles there.
Managing by serving
Hufton’s approach to leadership has been no different at Sygnia than it was at Alexander Forbes. He swears by surrounding oneself with people who are more expert than you, which he believes is key to not only his success but the company’s too.
“I am only as strong as my team can be and that is key to delivering on our goals,” he explains the reasoning behind his servant leadership approach, as opposed to top-down leadership that is critiqued as outdated and counterproductive.
Esta historia es de la edición 4 February 2021 de Finweek English.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición 4 February 2021 de Finweek English.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
THE HEALTH OF SA'S MEDICAL SCHEMES
As the Covid-19 pandemic abates, finweek takes a look at the financial performance of some of the largest players.
The effect of Gilbertson's departure
With Ntsimbintle Holdings now the major shareholder of Jupiter Mines, it could change SA’s manganese industry.
Making money from music
Why investors are increasingly drawn to the music industry.
Conviction is key
Sandy Rheeder plays a critical role in Mukuru’s mission to open up financial services to the emerging consumer market in Africa through tailor-made technology solutions and platforms.
The post-pandemic toolkit
How CFOs can use technology to support growth.
Big city living exodus
Mini cities like Waterfall City and Steyn City are redefining city-style apartment living.
Big compact, big value
Handsome, with a hefty level of standard specification, the roomy Haval Jolion compact crossover is a great value proposition.
On barriers to entry
There are various ways in which a company or sector can achieve competitive dominance. They usually make for good investments.
Fear and greed in one index
To buck the trend, when markets are hot or cold, is a tough thing to do. However, it can deliver solid returns.
Africa's largest data centre facility coming soon
Vantage Data Centers plans to invest over R15bn for its first African data centre facility in Attacq’s Waterfall City.
