Top asset management corporation focuses on gender empowerment

The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is wholly owned by the South African Government and manages the largest government assets in the form of government employee funds. This year, the company has reached an impressive Trillion South African Rands in assets under management - an occasion which has uniquely coincided with the company's centenary celebrations.

Elias Masilela, CEO for the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) says that the company is sponsoring the Top Women Awards because the initiative aligns itself with the transformation agenda of the country.

"The PIC invests in properties that add value to the government assets it manages. Its core business is financial, so we are sponsoring the Financial Category of the Awards as we would like to see more women entering and succeeding in this sector."

Masilela says that as a state owned enterprise, the PIC has a responsibility to support and align with the government's endeavours.

"The empowerment and advancement of women are some of the key strategic issues that the government is tackling to redress the imbalances of the past.

"As a company, the PIC takes employment equity seriously and is working equally hard to address these issues. Women employees are in the majority within the corporation and are largely represented on all levels of employment from the executive level to other positions. This aside, the PIC's approach towards empowerment is geared towards both men and women. We focus on developing employees through training and general technical skills."

"The PIC believes that the 2011 Top Women Awards will serve as an inspiration to other women to step up to the plate and excel in their respective fields. We know that it is important to recognise and celebrate the achievements of professional women and the Top Women Awards gives us an opportunity as a company to do so."

The 2011 Top Women Awards will be staged at the Gallagher Convention Centre in JHB on Thursday, 22 September 2011. The gala event will be attended by popular radio and television celebrities, South African business leaders and government officials amongst others.

About The Public Investment Corporation

The Public Investment Corporation is celebrating their centenary this year, an occasion that has uniquely coincided with the company reaching an impressive Trillion South African Rands in assets under management.

The PIC was established as a corporation on 1 April 2005 in accordance with the Public Investment Corporation Act, 2004. The PIC's clients are public sector entities, most of which are pension, provident, social security, development and guardian funds. The PIC's role is to invest funds on behalf of these clients, based on investment mandates set by each client and approved by the Financial Services Board (FSB), with which they are registered as a financial services provider.

The PIC is wholly owned by the South African government, with the Minister of Finance as shareholder representative. Apart from pursuing FSB-compliant mandates, the PIC benchmarks their investment performance against market-driven indices, enabling their clients and shareholder to compare PIC's returns to those achieved in the marketplace. For more information, please visit: www.pic.org.za.