South Africa’s top-performing Finance and Insurance (F&I) professionals in the automotive retail sector were recognised at the annual Lightstone Star Reacher F&I Awards, held this past weekend.
Now in its fifth year, the Lightstone Star Reacher F&I Awards have established themselves as a premier benchmark for excellence within South Africa’s automotive retail sector, recognising outstanding F&I professionals who consistently deliver excellence in customer engagement, compliance, digital adoption, operational performance and dealership value creation.
“F&I professionals remain at the centre of dealership success. They operate at the intersection of compliance, customer trust, finance and technology, often under immense pressure and within a rapidly evolving environment. The Lightstone Star Reacher F&I Awards recognise individuals and dealerships who continue to raise the standard of professionalism and customer excellence across the industry,” says Paul Marshall, Managing Director at Lightstone Auto.
Lightstone Star Reacher F&I Awards category winners and runners-up.
Front row (left to right): Prudence Mogasoa (Westvaal Mastercars Burgersfort), Ruane Pretorius (Westvaal Polokwane), Rishi Bheemraj Somaru (Hyundai Newcastle – Prestige Motor Group), Gilene van Zyl (Westvaal Polokwane), Sasha-Lee Webster (Westvaal Welkom), Mushke van Staden (Vehicles For All Cape Town – BB Motor Group). Back row (left to right): Jaco van Staden (Head of Sales, Lightstone Auto), Ria Hattingh (Westvaal Mokopane), Charles Laine (Mit Mak Motors), Hermione Voges (Westvaal Volkswagen Mahikeng) and Paul Marshall (Managing Director, Lightstone Auto). Not in attendance: Ebrahim Mahomed (Mobeni Multi Franchise – Prestige Motor Group).
Five years of measurable impact
Powered by Lightstone’s Signio platform, Star Reacher remains one of the industry’s few fully data-driven recognition programmes, measuring performance against key operational and compliance indicators including finance application completion rates, digital workflow adoption, KYC performance, VAP referrals and customer engagement metrics. Marking five years since its launch in 2021, the programme’s impact is reflected in measurable industry gains:
Lightstone Star Reacher milestones: 2021-2025
- Over 800% growth in KYC usage among registered dealers.
- 10% improvement in VAP ratio over five years.
- Nearly 3 000 DSI surveys completed across the programme.
- 140% increase in insurance lead generation from 2021 to 2025.
- More than 653 F&I participants engaged annually.
- An average of 470 dealers represented every year.
This year’s awards once again highlighted the growing role that digitally enabled F&I professionals play in supporting dealership profitability, operational efficiency and customer confidence in an evolving automotive market.
“One of the most encouraging aspects of this year’s awards has been seeing how consistently F&I professionals continue adapting to changing consumer expectations, regulatory requirements and operational pressures. Their resilience and commitment to excellence are helping shape the future of automotive retail in South Africa,” says Marshall.
Backed by industry-leading sponsors and partners
The continued growth and success of the awards are underpinned by the support of leading industry sponsors and partners who share a commitment to advancing professionalism, innovation and best practice across the sector. This year’s sponsors included:
- MFC, a Division of Nedbank as Platinum sponsor
- MySure Underwriting Managers as Gold sponsor
- Bsure Insurance Advisors as Silver sponsor
- Stay Contactable Proprietary Limited as a Bronze sponsor
Hosted by Lightstone Auto and endorsed by the Independent Dealer Association (IDA), the awards celebrate F&I managers who continue to raise the standard of professionalism, trust and customer experience across the automotive retail industry.
“Events like these are important because they recognise the people who sit right at the end of the vehicle finance value chain – the F&I managers. When these professionals do their job well, both from a client-centric and a compliance point of view, it bodes well not just for the customer, but for the banks, finance partners, dealerships and the broader industry. That’s exactly why it matters to us to sponsor these awards.” says JP Viljoen, Executive Product Manager at MFC, a Division of Nedbank.
2025/2026 Winners per category
| Category | Winner | Dealership |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | Charles Laine | Mit Mak Motors |
| Amethyst (High volume) | Ruane Pretorius | Westvaal Polokwane |
| Sapphire (Medium volume) | Ria Hattingh | Westvaal Mokopane |
| Emerald (Low volume) | Hermione Voges | Westvaal Volkswagen Mahikeng |
| Topaz (Entry volume) | Rishi Bheemraj Somaru | Hyundai Newcastle (Prestige Motor Group) |
2025/2026 Runners-up per category
| Category | Runner-up | Dealership |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | Ebrahim Mahomed | Mobeni Multi Franchise (Prestige Motor Group) |
| Amethyst (High volume) | Gilene van Zyl | Westvaal Polokwane |
| Sapphire (Medium volume) | Sasha-Lee Webster | Westvaal Welkom |
| Emerald (Low volume) | Mushke van Staden | Vehicles For All Cape Town (BB Motor Group) |
| Topaz (Entry volume) | Prudence Mogasoa | Westvaal Mastercars Burgersfort |
Repeat winners – recognising consistency
| Category | Winner | Dealership | Times won |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | Charles Laine | Mit Mak Motors | 4 consecutive years |
| Amethyst (High volume) | Ruane Pretorius | Westvaal Polokwane | 4 consecutive years |
| Sapphire (Medium volume) | Ria Hattingh | Westvaal Mokopane | 3 consecutive years |
| Emerald (Low volume) | Hermione Voges | Westvaal Volkswagen Mahikeng | 4 consecutive years |
Expanded award categories
A key highlight of the 2026 Lightstone Star Reacher F&I Awards is the expansion of the programme to include several new categories, broadening recognition beyond traditional performance measures to celebrate growth, innovation and business excellence. The expanded awards create more opportunities to recognise dealerships, dealer groups and industry leaders who are setting new benchmarks for customer value, compliance excellence, digital adoption and commercial success.
VAF Performance Award
In partnership with MFC.
| Category | Winner |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | WeBuyCars Dome |
| Amethyst (High volume) | Vehicles For All (BB Motor Group) |
| Sapphire (Medium volume) | Joe’s Auto |
| Emerald (Low volume) | Kle-Auto World |
| Topaz (Entry volume) | Velocity Cars |
VAF Growth Award
In partnership with MFC.
| Category | Winner |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | Haval The Glen (IPOP Motor Group) |
| Amethyst (High volume) | AutoCity Kia Heidelberg |
VAP Adoption Award
In partnership with MySure.
| Category | Winner |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | WeBuyCars Dome |
| Amethyst (High volume) | Westvaal Polokwane |
| Sapphire (Medium volume) | Westvaal Welkom |
| Emerald (Low volume) | Westvaal Volkswagen Mahikeng |
| Topaz (Entry volume) | Cars.Com2 |
VAP Growth Award
In partnership with MySure.
| Category | Winner |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | Haval The Glen (IPOP Motor Group) |
| Amethyst (High volume) | AutoCity Kia Heidelberg |
Insurance Lead Performance Award
In partnership with Bsure.
| Category | Winner |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | Mobeni Multi Franchise (Prestige Motor Group) |
| Amethyst (High volume) | Westvaal Polokwane |
| Sapphire (Medium volume) | Westvaal Mokopane |
| Emerald (Low volume) | Hyundai Newcastle (Prestige Motor Group) |
| Topaz (Entry volume) | Pietersburg Motor Centre |
Digital Compliance Award
In partnership with Contactable.
| Category | Winner |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | CMH Toyota Alberton |
| Amethyst (High volume) | Vehicles For All (BB Motor Group) |
| Sapphire (Medium volume) | CMH Mazda Menlyn Used |
| Emerald (Low volume) | Westvaal Volkswagen Mahikeng |
| Topaz (Entry volume) | CMH Hatfield Tata |
Compliance Growth Award
In partnership with Contactable.
| Category | Winner |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | SMG Chery Umhlanga |
| Amethyst (High volume) | Koos and Mike Cars |
RiskMonitor Growth Award
| Category | Winner |
| Ruby (Mega volume) | Mobeni Multi Franchise (Prestige Motor Group) |
| Topaz (Entry volume) | Toyota Lynnwood Taxi (Bidvest McCarthy) |
Group Growth Excellence Award
| Award | Winner |
| Group Growth Excellence Award | Auto Investments Motor Group |
Recognition grounded in real performance
Unlike traditional awards programmes, the Lightstone Star Reacher F&I programme evaluates participants using measurable operational and dealership performance data, ensuring recognition is grounded in consistency, professionalism and real business impact.
The programme also benchmarks F&I professionals against peers operating within similar dealership sales-volume categories, helping create a fair and competitive environment across the industry.
“F&Is are a significant part of our business, and in our world Lightstone are the leaders when it comes to dealer support and face-to-face dealer engagement. Being able to help reward and recognise F&I professionals goes hand in hand with everything we do and giving back to F&I professionals is something we care about deeply.” says Dewald Viviers, Director at MySure Underwriting Managers.
Looking ahead
As the automotive retail sector continues to evolve, Lightstone Auto aims to further expand the reach and impact of the programme while maintaining the personal recognition and industry connection that have become hallmarks of the event.