Press Release 19/11/2014 Another impressive Integrated Reporting Awards Ceremony The glittering Integrated Reporting Awards 2014 ceremony co-hosted by Chartered Secretaries Southern Africa and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange was held at the Montecasino Ballroom on 13 November 2014. Companies were given the opportunity to compare themselves against their peers adjudicated by a respected panel of judges. South Africa has become a world leader in integrated reporting with Mervyn King chairing the International Integrated Reporting Council. It is through awards such as this that companies can sharpen their skills in producing integrated reports. The general approach of these awards is to compare apples to apples and thus companies competed in the following categories: Top 40, Mid Cap, Small Cap, Fledgling/Alt-X, State-owned companies, Public sector, Regional Companies, Non-listed Companies and NGO/ NPO. The judges gave feedback on each category in terms of what they considered to be positive developments and areas needing improvement. In a slight change from the past, Transnet and Eskom were placed in the Top 40 category as they had dominated the SOC category for the past few years. The winners in the various categories were as follows: Overall Winner Fledgling /Alt-X MTN Group Ltd Hulamin Ltd Top 40 Non-Listed Transnet SOC Ltd Homechoice Holdings Ltd Mid Cap Regional Companies Royal Bafokeng Platinum Swaziland Sugar Association Small Cap NGO/NPO Merafe Resources Ltd National Sea Rescue Institute State-owned Companies Public Sector Airports Company South Africa Fasset The president of CSSA, Zernobia Lachporia said that “Corporate reporting plays an essential role in the effective functioning of the market economy and should make an important contribution to our understanding of, and respect for, the business sector as creators of value by explaining what drives that value now and in the future.” She also highlighted that a corporate report should display that a company has not profited at the expense of the environment, human rights, or a lack of integrity. A thought provoking key note address was delivered by Ismail Momoniat, DDG at National Treasury. He raised awareness of the difficulty in the CEO’s responsibilities in our changing economy. He highlighted that CEO’s needed to be more hands on toward their employees as it could affect companies’ profit margins. He mentioned the challenges posed for climate change and responsible conduct with regard to the environment. He raised the need for confidentiality that has exposed major giants such as Amazon, Google and Starbucks. Whistleblowing was an area that needed to become part of corporate culture and policy making for all companies. Stephen Sadie, CEO of CSSA, announced the winners. Guests were treated to a gala dinner and entertainment from Conrad Koch and Chester Missing who were on top form. The judges included  Zubair Wadee, Convenor of judges, PricewaterhouseCoopers  Prof Linda de Beer, Wits School of Accountancy  Stephen Cranston, Financial Mail  Joel Wolpert, Chartered Secretaries Southern Africa  Johann Neethling , Chartered Secretaries Southern Africa  Leigh Roberts, SAICA  Prof John Ford, Gordon Institute of Business Science  Tania Wimberley, JSE  Ashley Green-Thompson, Southern African Trust. Ismail Momoniat - Key note speaker, DDG, National Treasury Our thanks go to our sponsors without whom these awards would not have been possible: Link Market Services, PWC, Liberty, Business Day, Gordon Institute of Business Science and Diligent Boardbooks. Stephen Sadie, CEO of CSSA announces the winners Xolisa Vabaza, MTN Group Ltd receives the prize for the overall winner from Geoff Rothschild, JSE. Top 40 winner: Transnet SOC Ltd Mid Cap winner: Royal Bafokeng Platinum NGO/NPO winner: National Sea Rescue Institute Small Cap winner- Merafe Resources Ltd State-owned Companies winner: Airports Company South Africa Fledgling /Alt-X winner- Hulamin Ltd Public Sector winner - Fasset Regional Companies winner-Swaziland Sugar Association