South Africa’s highest-performing Finance & Insurance (F&I) professionals in the automotive retail sector were honoured at the prestigious 2025 Lightstone Auto Star Reacher F&I Awards, held this past weekend. Now in its fourth year, the annual event continues to shine a spotlight on excellence, innovation, and integrity in a critical but often unsung area of the motor industry.
Hosted by Lightstone Auto, the company behind the widely-used Signio digital platform, the Star Reacher Awards recognise F&I managers who consistently deliver exceptional results across five performance pillars: customer engagement, compliance, digital adoption, and value creation. The Signio system itself is an electronic workflow and signature solution that automates vehicle finance and insurance processes and is used extensively by dealerships, banks, insurers, and service providers across South Africa.
Each quarter, category winners are celebrated, with the top performers over the course of the year receiving recognition at the annual awards ceremony. Winners in each of the five dealership volume categories received a luxury getaway for two to Mauritius, valued at R40,000 per winner, while runners-up took home R10,000 shopping vouchers.
The Lightstone Auto Star Reacher Awards are distinctive in being entirely data-driven, with winners selected based on measurable performance metrics such as completed finance applications, value-added product (VAP) referrals, and Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. The awards also take into account dealership size, ensuring F&I managers at smaller dealerships compete on equal footing with their counterparts at larger, high-volume outlets.
This year’s programme delivered record-breaking results, with the data reflecting a 27% increase in VAP ratios, a 16.2% rise in insurance leads, and a remarkable 56% increase in KYC usage — strong indicators of the initiative’s growing impact on both dealership profitability and customer satisfaction.
2025 Category Winners:
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Ruby (Mega volume): Charles Laine, Mit Mak Motors
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Amethyst (High volume): Ruane Pretorius, Westvaal Polokwane
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Sapphire (Medium volume): Ria Hattingh, Westvaal Mokopane
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Emerald (Low volume): Hermione Voges, Westvaal Volkswagen Mahikeng
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Topaz (Entry volume): Alet van Wyk, Westvaal Lichtenburg
Runners-Up:
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Ruby: Eduan Hattingh, Mit Mak Motors
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Amethyst: Gilene van Zyl, Westvaal Polokwane
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Sapphire: Heilandi Harmse, Westvaal VW Lichtenburg
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Emerald: Rachael de Koker, Westvaal Mahikeng
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Topaz: Carine van In, Auto Clinic
In addition to the annual awards, special recognition was given to multi-year winners who have maintained exceptional performance over time. Charles Laine (Mit Mak Motors), Ruane Pretorius (Westvaal Polokwane), and Hermione Voges (Westvaal Volkswagen Mahikeng) each secured their category wins for a third consecutive year, while Ria Hattingh (Westvaal Mokopane) notched her second straight victory in the Sapphire category.
Speaking at the event, Paul Marshall, Managing Director at Lightstone Auto, praised the winners for their professionalism and commitment. “F&I professionals are the unsung heroes of dealership profitability and customer trust. Lightstone Auto takes great pride in supporting and celebrating those who go above and beyond to serve both customers and their dealerships,” he said.
“This year’s winners embody the future of a sustainable and thriving auto industry. They have demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and confidence in the face of change—emerging even stronger as a result. We are committed to helping motor dealers succeed by providing data-driven insights, innovative solutions, and ongoing support to navigate an ever-evolving automotive landscape.”
Marshall also noted Lightstone’s intent to grow the event into a nationally recognised industry benchmark. “We’ve intentionally kept Star Reacher intimate and focused, fostering authentic connections. But as the industry evolves, so must we. Our aim is to scale the platform while maintaining the unique spirit that has defined it from the beginning.”
The Star Reacher Awards continue to elevate the profile of F&I professionals within South Africa’s automotive sector and reaffirm Lightstone Auto’s commitment to recognising excellence and driving innovation in the industry.
