AheadMG team members Paul Noone, Partner, Donna Chapman, Finance and Operations Lead, and Gary Clapham, NED, recently travelled to South Africa to spend time with clients, platform users, and industry contacts, and to host an in-person Bravura Sonata User Community meeting in Cape Town.
The visit provided an opportunity to engage directly with firms operating across the South African wealth and financial services landscape, hearing first-hand how priorities are shifting and where delivery pressure is building.
A market gaining momentum
South Africa’s wealth management sector continues to grow in both scale and maturity. Demand for advice is increasing, platform capability is expanding, and firms are balancing growth ambitions with rising regulatory and operational complexity. By 2033, the market is projected to reach around £37 billion (R907 billion) in assets under management, underlining its significance within the wider financial services ecosystem (the UK wealth management market is valued at £2 trillion, for example).
As the market develops, so does the need for structured change, disciplined delivery, and clarity around platform direction. These are themes we see consistently across wealth, insurance, and the whole of financial services, and they featured heavily in many of the conversations during the visit.
Client discussions on the ground
The team spent time visiting several wealth management, financial services, and insurance firms while in Cape Town. These conversations covered a wide range of topics, from platform delivery and testing, through to change governance, operational resilience, and leadership capacity.
Across these discussions, a consistent set of themes emerged:
- A growing need for clear ownership and accountability across change programmes.
- Pressure on internal teams to deliver upgrades while keeping live environments stable.
- Increased focus on governance, assurance, and stakeholder confidence.
- The need for external support that brings structure without adding complexity.
These are challenges we see daily across the UK and Europe, and it was clear that many firms in South Africa are navigating the same realities, as platform adoption deepens and delivery expectations rise.
Sonata User Community, Cape Town
While there, we hosted an in-person Sonata User Community meeting in Cape Town.
The session focused on:
- Updates from South African clients on the local market, including recent legislative developments and areas of alignment with the UK.
- Client case studies, highlighting the benefits of early-sight testing during an upgrade.
- Reflections on a recent platform launch and the lessons learned.
- Regional differences: where we are aligned, and how we can work together to support progress.
Overall, we found that firms were refreshingly open about what is working, what remains challenging, and where greater clarity and prioritisation are needed. The conversation has clearly moved towards sharing practical experience, learning from one another, and driving positive industry change. This kind of practitioner-led dialogue is where well-run user communities add real value for both platform providers and the firms using them.
Why AheadMG is well placed to support South Africa
Our work in South Africa builds naturally on how AheadMG operates more broadly.
We bring deep platform knowledge, having worked across the industry’s leading technology and operational systems, and understand how platforms behave in live, regulated environments, not just at design stage.
We operate as a fully virtual delivery team, able to lead change management, test and delivery, and facilitation work without geographical constraint. This allows us to support South African clients efficiently, without the overhead or friction that often comes with traditional delivery models.
Time zone alignment with the UK and Europe enables real-time collaboration, and the regulatory environment and market dynamics share many similarities with regions where AheadMG already support clients at scale.
We are also strengthening our leadership capability with a clear view of this market. Franzi Schroder, our recently appointed Head of Change Management, and Ben Hammond, who joined as Wealth & Partnerships Director in January, both bring first-hand knowledge of the South African financial services landscape. Their understanding of local market dynamics, hands-on technology implementation experience, and wider delivery challenges adds depth to how we support clients in the region and reinforce our long-term commitment to the region.
Looking ahead
The visit reinforced our view that South Africa is a market where delivery discipline, platform capability and well-governed change are becoming increasingly important. Firms are scaling, platforms are evolving, and expectations around resilience and control continue to rise.
Our focus remains on supporting clients with practical, expert-led change management, whether through platform delivery, testing and assurance, or facilitating the forums where priorities are set and decisions are made.
Are you building your platform and technology capabilities in South Africa and are keen to discuss your options?
Get in touch with our team by emailing enquiries@aheadmg.com or by booking a call directly with an expert.
