Building and supporting young minds

Sheree Davids and Yusuf Chothia represented Futuregrowth at the recent annual Imfundo Trust student lunch.

The Imfundo Trust Scholarship Programme was launched by Old Mutual Investment Group in 2011 to increase funding for Black graduates interested in the investment industry, with a bias towards Black women and individuals from rural and peri-urban areas. Futuregrowth has been one of the key funders of the Trust from the outset, primarily via the substantial dividends it has earned from its investment in Futuregrowth shares over the years.

The annual Imfundo Trust student lunch is held to celebrate the achievements of the bursary recipients who excelled academically in the previous year. The event also provides students and trustees with an opportunity to engage and get to know each other better. Several students are interested in following a path of responsible investing, focusing on sustainability and factors affecting climate change. These goals align well with Futuregrowth values.

Paying it forward

Futuregrowth’s Sheree Davids was one of the first students to receive a bursary from the Imfundo Trust. Sheree joined Futuregrowth as a GAP Performance Specialist in 2015. At the end of her GAP contract, she accepted a permanent position as a Performance and Attribution Analyst, and in Aug 2017, was appointed as Manager of the Performance and Attribution team. She has since spread her wings and joined the investment team where she is currently is entrusted with considerable responsibility as a Risk Management Analyst.

Sheree Davids, Imfundo Trust Graduate

As a keynote speaker at the lunch, Sheree gave a frank and illuminating account of her experience as an Imfundo student and in her career development to date. This included the following advice to current Imfundo recipients:

• Identify what motivates you, without anyone’s expectations or comparisons;

• Take your time to figure this out, there’s literally no rush;

• You will inevitably pick up traits from your managers - pick them well;

• Surround yourself with high performers – this will elevate you;

• Put your hand up often and take initiative;

• No one knows what they’re doing when they start;

• Think about the life you want to lead and what job/line of work will enable this;

• Question your expectations and make sure they are realistic; and

• Take care of your mental health.

Yusuf Chothia, Manager of Enterprise Solutions at Futuregrowth, who joined Sheree at the lunch, had this response: “Seeing our own Sheree Davids inspire the students with a powerful and relatable story about her journey, gave me confidence that the future of this country is in good hands.”

To hear more about what the Trust has meant to its recipients, watch this short video of the event.