{"id":834311,"date":"2025-08-13T20:43:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T18:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=834311"},"modified":"2025-08-14T07:12:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T05:12:24","slug":"from-insight-to-impact-driving-progress-through-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/industry-news\/834311\/from-insight-to-impact-driving-progress-through-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"From Insight To Impact &#8211; driving progress through collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>More than a decade after the alarm was first raised, South Africa\u2019s retirement system continues to deliver inadequate outcomes for the majority of formal-sector workers.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Old Mutual Corporate\u2019s 2025 OnTrack Survey, just 6% of fund members are on track for a financially secure retirement &#8211; a figure that has remained unchanged since it was first cited by National Treasury over ten years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/oldmutual.co.za\/thoughtleadersforum?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Article&amp;utm_term=August+2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here to find more about the Old Mutual Thought Leaders Forum 2025, our speakers and more research and insights<\/a>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But while the number remains stagnant, new data offers something more valuable: clarity on where change is possible, and how employers can lead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to 2025 Old Mutual Corporate OnTrack data, the two of the most powerful levers available to employers for this change &#8211; raising the normal retirement age and enabling automatic contribution escalation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both, according to Humphrey Mkwebu, Acting MD of Old Mutual Corporate, fall within the scope of employer retirement fund design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese two elements interact in a way that amplifies their influence,\u201d Mkwebu explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data shows that even modest increases in savings rates and tenure can greatly improve projected retirement outcomes\/replacement ratios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, he cautions: \u201cWithout sufficient contributions, more time alone won\u2019t bridge the gap; and without sustained participation, even high saving rates may fall short. Both factors must work in tandem to meaningfully improve results.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From insights to impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These insights form part of the agenda for the <strong>2025 Old Mutual Thought Leaders Forum<\/strong> that took place on 12 August 2025 in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following on from the inaugural event last year,  the event brings together policymakers, and business leaders to explore the links between retirement reform, workplace wellbeing, and inclusive economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting off the day is keynote speaker Prof Adrian Saville, Professor: Economics, Finance and Strategy at the Gordan Institute of Business Science who will speak to reimagining South Africa\u2019s economic future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Policy reform showing early promise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Encouragingly, signs of momentum are emerging at a policy level. \u201cThe Two-Pot Retirement system is mathematically certain to have a significant impact on member outcomes over time &#8211; at the very least, improving savings by up to 2-3 times,\u201d says Mkwebu. \u201cPreservation is already showing small but positively measurable movement within the first year of implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, he also notes that vested benefits remain accessible &#8211; meaning preservation outcomes will still depend heavily on fund design, communication, and system defaults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This reinforces the importance of learning from global approaches to system architecture and behavioural design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">International perspectives on retirement in action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Forum delegates will also hear global case studies on auto-enrolment, fund portability, and default strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul Watson, advisory Board Member: Alianz Retire+ from Australia will share lessons from Australia using behavioural nudges and system automation to curb leakage and grow long-term savings balances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mkwebu will be hosting a panel with senior leaders from National Treasury, the FSCA, labour, and academia to explore how South Africa\u2019s retirement system could be expanded to support greater equity and adequacy over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Navigating the future of work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, work as we know it is changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remote and hybrid models, digital transformation, generational shifts, and evolving employee expectations are redefining how South Africans engage with work &#8211; and, by extension, with benefits and long-term financial planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guest speaker Valter Adao &#8211; CE, Cadena Growth Partners will speak to disruption in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In keeping with the theme, Chief Customer Officer at Old Mutual Corporate Michelle Acton will facilitate a panel of experts from business SA on topics such as workplace design, culture, and strategy to locking both productivity and long-term wellbeing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recognising employers making measurable impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This year also marks the launch of the Old Mutual SuperFund Employer Excellence Award &#8211; a new initiative that recognises funds who have demonstrated measurable progress in improving member retirement outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDefault settings, portability, communication, and contribution frameworks all influence whether members stay on track or fall behind,\u201d concludes Mkwebu. \u201cEmployers hold both the power and a responsibility to influence long-term financial wellbeing. They are system builders &#8211; shaping the frameworks that either enable or erode retirement security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/oldmutual.co.za\/thoughtleadersforum?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Article&amp;utm_term=August+2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.oldmutual.co.za\/thoughtleadersforum<\/a> to find more about the Forum, our speakers and more research and insights.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than a decade after the alarm was first raised, South Africa\u2019s retirement system continues to deliver inadequate outcomes for the majority of formal-sector workers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":834329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10459],"tags":[1110,16130,4646,23319,23320],"class_list":["post-834311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-old-mutual","tag-old-mutual-corporate","tag-retirement","tag-south-africas-retirement-system","tag-thought-leaders-forum-2025"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=834311"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":834949,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834311\/revisions\/834949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/834329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=834311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=834311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=834311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}