#yougotthis A conversation with our CEO, Anton Pillay

Questions and answers

  • Run your own share portfolio – real or hypothetical to get experience of researching and buying equities
  • Read as many investment related books as you can
  • Study CFA as soon as you can
  • Keep up to date with Company news in the daily news
  • Try you hand at creating financial models to value companies

Anton Pillay is CEO of Coronation and Chairperson of ASISA.

What is the stat on the success of candidates of internships or graduates that move into senior roles / management?

Our internship programme started in 2012 and our success rate to date is 60%, this is the number of interns who were offered permanent roles within the business post their internships. Our intention with this programme is to create a skills development pipeline that will nurture talent within our business and the industry as a whole. The focus is geared at developing skilled individuals who have impact and add value to our organisation regardless of title or managerial responsibilities. We do try and instil the philosophy of ‘doing the  time’ in order to build meaningful capabilities and see our graduates as our future talent at Coronation.

How does one become a bursary recipient, or how does one apply? 

You are welcomed to apply to the Coronation Exceptional Students Bursary programme via our bursary administrators Excel@Uni. All related information and requirements are detailed on their website and applications open on 1 July 2021. Please click here to apply online.

What skills do you think we as the youth should be prioritizing to prepare us for a corporate career?

Interpersonal skills are as important as technical skills, so focus hard on your studies as this shows discipline and consistency, but in preparation for corporate you would also need to start developing the following too:  

  • Communication skills
  • Relationship management skills
  • Resilience
  • Analytical skills
  • Problem solving
  • Ability to take initiative and
  • Time management

As someone who admires Coronation as an employer I'm always curious to find out what the entry points are for university graduates. Does Coronation have some sort of graduation program?

We established a successful two-year Coronation workplace experience internship programme for graduates in 2012. The programme is aimed at developing specific skills that are in short supply in the marketplace. In 2020 we launched the Coronation Brilliant Minds graduate development programme designed to ease the transition from student to employee by providing structured support, and opportunities to develop interpersonal and technical skills. We are currently recruiting for four interns for our 2022 intake, please visit our careers site to learn more.

Anton Pillay is CEO of Coronation and Chairperson of ASISA.


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