‘03

The company is committed to continual two-way engagement with each of its stakeholders.

Employees

Interaction with staff includes an informal weekly breakfast for new recruits hosted by a senior manager. There is a quarterly live and interactive business update across the group. A monthly e-mail from the managing director is sent to all staff. The monthly award-winning employee magazine, Amicus Certus, has proved a successful information tool. In addition, various employee surveys are conducted on the company Intranet, enabling employees to voice their opinions on a wide range of issues.

Customers

Incoming calls to call centres are monitored with a view to gleaning information about the needs of clients and are helpful in informing the company’s service provision. This approach informed the creation of the 2003 “Investing in Uncertain Times” print advertising approach that offered advice on investment strategies in bear markets.

Shareholders

The group issues comprehensive interim and annual financial statements via the local media. Together with the Corporate Citizenship Report these inform shareholders about company performance, market outlook, attendant risks, and progress towards the company’s triple-bottom line objectives. The reports are accompanied by investor conference calls and investor road shows conducted by executive management.

Government and regulators

The major stakeholder engagement during the year centred on the compilation of the Financial Sector Charter where the deputy managing director and the head of corporate affairs played a leading role. Old Mutual management have been active within the industry with various members serving on committees within the Life Offices Association (LOA) – the insurance industry representative body. Old Mutual’s deputy managing director, Peter Moyo, was the body’s first black chairman. Old Mutual is an active member of the Presidential Big Business Working Group.

Business, trade unions and business partners

Apart from regular engagement with Old Mutual employee representative bodies, the company is involved in a number of partnerships and forums. The partnership struck with the Association for the Development of Black Accountants of South Africa (ABASA) to improve the numbers of black chartered accountants is important. A selection of other partnerships includes the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS; the Black Management Forum; the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce; Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut; South African Foundation; Business Unity South Africa, the Millennium Labour Council and the Business Trust.

Communities

Complementing staff volunteer programmes supported by management at all levels of the group, the Old Mutual Foundation is tasked with community development through HIV/AIDS, poverty alleviation, and job creation programmes. Often there is a need for community liaison and co-operative planning with communities. Targeted interventions in issues occur via partnerships such as Soul City – an initiative to address the need for behavioural change to combat HIV/AIDS. Old Mutual is a founder-sponsor of Proudly South Africa.

Environment

The managing director of Old Mutual South Africa, Roddy Sparks, serves on the council of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Other senior line managers within the company are directly responsible for engaging with stakeholders on environmental issues.

Media

Old Mutual’s External Communications team is tasked with ensuring the media are engaged so that the wider South African community is informed about the company and the issues pertaining to it.

Stakeholder engagement is a central activity of each business unit within Old Mutual South Africa. Business units are informed and assisted by the Old Mutual Corporate Affairs division.