Mahesh Cooper appointed Asisa board chair

The Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (Asisa) has appointed Mahesh Cooper as the new chair of its board of directors, following the resignation of Iain Williamson, it announced in a statement on Wednesday.

Cooper, CEO at Allan Gray, has served on the Asisa board since July 2022 and was appointed deputy chair in June 2024.

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A qualified actuary, he rejoined Allan Gray as an executive director in May 2022 after serving as a non-executive director from July 2020. He holds a Bachelor of Business Science from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from the Institute for Management Development.

‘Pivotal year’

Cooper takes over from Williamson, the outgoing CEO of Old Mutual, who stepped down from the Asisa board effective 1 June 2025 ahead of his retirement from Old Mutual at the end of August.

Kaizer Moyane, Asisa CEO of Asisa said Williamson’s “quiet diplomacy” helped steer the industry through a “pivotal year”.

A new deputy chair will be appointed at the association’s meeting in September 2025.

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