46 | YOUR WEALTH | SPRING 2014

YOUR CAREER | MDRT

Committee at the conference, a position I assumed on 1 Septemeber.

Once their nominations have been accepted by MDRT’s Exco, I’ll be joined on the South African 2014/2015 MCC by the following MCC Chairs from the Liberty Group:w Dr Pravin Thakur – Area Chair KZNw Kevin Govender – Area Chair Gauteng w Phenyo Matsapola – Local Chair

Pretoriaw Arvin Naik – Local Chair Johannesburgw Joel Levy – Company Chair Liberty

Group GautengWith MDRT Toronto now behind

us and with the Liberty Group 2014 Challenge Competition starting early in October, MDRT MCC SA, specifically the Liberty Chairs, look forward to working with the Liberty Group again on MDRT awareness. We will help in every way possible to make this prestigious Challenge Competition another great success. We will support and ensure the Liberty Group winners, buy-ins and others have a successful MDRT Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA in June next year. w

A number of Liberty advisers were privileged to attend the annual meeting of the Million Dollar Round Table

(MDRT) in Toronto, Canada in June this year. They were joined by some 8 500 financial professionals from 76 countries worldwide. Some Liberty advisers won admission to this auspicious event through the Liberty Annual Challenge competition, even though they still had to meet the qualifying criteria to qualify as an MDRT member. Other advisers used the Liberty Buy-In option through the AQC Bonus Scheme system, while some made their own way to Toronto.

The conference kick-started with an opening flag ceremony, with me representing South Africa. Liberty Group was the most represented assurance company in South Africa.

The attendees were exposed to some of the finest and most innovative sales ideas in the life insurance-based, financial services business. The meeting offered over 100 world-class speakers during its motivational Main Platform presentations, educational

Focus Sessions and insightful breakfast and evening sessions. And, perhaps most importantly, members had the opportunity to connect with other top financial services professionals from around the world, building friendships that last a lifetime.

The four-day conference with three Main Platform sessions and an abundance of breakaway Focus and Special sessions, offered something for every delegate, irrespective of their maturity level in the industry.

The entire MDRT annual meeting was run by Program General Arrangements (PGA) MDRT member volunteers who ensured the conference was executed with precision and all events ran on schedule.

Liberty was well represented in the PGA, and I was honoured to be awarded the PGA Leadership Volunteer award at an MDRT Exco award event on the last evening of the meeting. Also, my nomination as the MDRT Membership Communications Committee (MCC) 2014/2015 Country Chair South Africa was accepted by MDRT’s Executive

Any adviser worth his salt will know that a trip to attend this prestigious international conference is a first-class ticket to turbo boosting a career in this industry. Just ask KOBUS KLEYN, who has just been appointed Million Dollar Round Table South African Country Chair.

MiLLiOn DOLLAR ROUnD TAbLE

– THE ULTiMATE pRizE fOR TOp ACHiEvERs

YOUR CAREER | MDRT

Logan Naidu, MDRT Zone Chair, Middle East and Africa, to Liberty Group senior management… “On behalf of MDRT’s Executive Committee, I must compliment all of you for the roles you personally played in promoting MDRT awareness and membership within the Liberty Group. I am astounded at your incredible level of commitment towards MDRT. Setting MDRT as the key driver for the Challenge competitions for the past two years demonstrates this sincere belief in the power of MDRT to impact the lives of all advisers, both personally and from a performance point of view. Liberty senior management’s attitude towards MDRT serves as a role model to other assurance companies in SA and is resulting in a competitive edge over the long term.”

…and here’s what some of your colleagues had to say about the experience of attending the MDRT in Toronto:

KAUsHiK vALA“Having been an adviser for 10 years I’ve always wondered what MDRT was all about. I attended the annual conference as a member for the first time this year, and it was totally amazing. It has now changed the way I think and the way I conduct business. The opportunity to share ideas and discuss business methods with colleagues and other advisers from around the world has inspired me to further succeed in this industry. The knowledge I’ve gained from attending the conference has paved the way to enabling me to provide better service to my clients. It has also contributed to my personal development. I would encourage any adviser to attend MDRT at least once, and thereafter, make the decision to attend again. I know for a fact that I will.”

GRAiG LAnGLEY“The knowledge I gained was life-changing. I also had the opportunity to network with many of the top Liberty group advisers in South Africa and that has been a huge benefit. I was greatly inspired to believe that anything is possible in our industry and that Liberty Tied Agents need not hold back. The workshops I attended were all helpful and opened my mind to a bigger picture, which is the essence of MDRT. I would recommend to every adviser at Liberty to attend this conference no matter what! When you surround yourself with successful people like that for a week you cannot help but be motivated to follow in their footsteps.”

CHRis OOsTHUizEn “MDRT is amazing experience and I have been witness to the impact it has had on nine out of 10 attendees over the last few years on many levels, including an increase in production. Every person gets something different out

of MDRT and every time I had the opportunity to attend, I came back a much better person. MDRT is not the golden ticket that will guarantee your success but it guides you in the right direction. For me, Simon Baily, Main Platform opening speaker 2014, said it best: ‘You don’t decide your future, you decide your habits and your habits decide your future’.”

THEEsAn nAiCK “I can confirm that MDRT 2014 has given me a different perspective with regards to how I should be running my practice in terms of technology, creating a strong foundation of basic principles, ensuring that there is sufficient and effective support, and more. The most astounding aspect of the conference was the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the world’s top financial advisers. It now almost feels like the blinkers have been removed and I have been equipped with the tools to think out of the box and broaden my spectrum as a financial adviser. There is, without a doubt, an enormous wealth of knowledge within the Liberty environment i.e. financial advisers who have attended many MDRT conferences over the years, and having attended two already, I have made it my duty to engage with these advisers and share the knowledge I’ve gained with my colleagues. One of the most important lessons I have learnt is that there has to be a balance between your personal and professional life in order to be successful.”

HAvE YOUR sAY!

Kobus Kleyn – South Africa’s flag bearer at the recent Million Dollar Round Table.

SPRING 2014 | YOUR WEALTH | 47