We started Personal Trust with the clear objective of providing a very personal and independent financial and investment service company, which back in 1980 we felt was missing or diminishing. We feel we have been able to fulfil that need. It has been an enjoyable and very rewarding 40 years’ experience for us, as many of the clients who joined us in the beginning are still clients of ours today.
Starting a new Trust company required a lot of hard work but we are proud of the way things have turned out.
We are indebted to our clients who have backed and trusted us with their investments over the last 40 years, without whom we would not exist. We are also appreciative of what the current Personal Trust staff and directors (as well as those who have moved on) have contributed towards providing our clients with a very personal service. We see that the need for providing a personal and professional service in the current financial world which is dominated by call centres and poor service, is as necessary now as it was 40 years ago.
Personal Trust has grown significantly over the years and this is largely due to ‘word of mouth’ from our clients, who continue to refer family and friends to us, for which we are extremely grateful.
When this photo was taken on our 20th anniversary we had R1,2 billion under management and a staff compliment of 37. Today, celebrating our 40th anniversary, we have R18 billion under management and a staff compliment of 137.
This would not have been possible without our clients’ support and the loyalty and dedication of our staff.
We have always believed it preferable for Personal Trust shares to be held by directors and staff as opposed to institutions. That remains a priority and we have been pleased, over the years, to have been able to give more and more staff members a stake in the growth of the company.
We are both blessed to still enjoy good health and we are fortunate that Personal Trust does not have a fixed retirement age, like so many of the larger financial institutions, and therefore we can continue doing the work we enjoy at Personal Trust with clients whom we regard as friends.