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Votorantim Asset Management (VAM) enjoys a prominent position in important categories of GUIA EXAME DE INVESTMENTOS 2012, an investment guide that arrived at newsstands on August 31st. The publication of Revista Exame magazine has been presenting the funds with the highest yields and the best investment opportunities for over a decade now. According to Robert John van Dijk, an executive officer at VAM, the company’s presence in the guide confirms Asset’s consistent and focused performance in search of excellence in the products offered. “We have a specialized team that is able to identify good opportunities and to structure solutions tailored for our customers”, he believes.

In the General Classification of the ranking, Votorantim Asset Management appears in 1st place, considered the Best Manager of Wholesale Funds, and in 3rd place as the “Best Manager in Investment Funds”.  In the Investment Fund Categories, VAM comes 1st in Multiativos (Multi-Assets); 3rd in Renda Fixa Ativo (Fixed Income - Asset-Backed); and 4th in Ações Ativo (Equity – Asset-Backed).
 

Focused on seeking excellence, Votorantim Private Bank received, in April, the ISO 9001:08 quality certification from Bureau Veritas Certification. The institution audited all Private Bank areas to obtain guarantees for the required quality levels in the activities of Relationships, Asset Management, and Advisory Services for private clients in Brazil.

According to Votorantim Wealth Management & Services' (VWM&S) Director Robert John van Dijk, receiving the certification strengthens Private's mission of being recognized as one of the best asset management firms in Brazil, which establishes close and lasting relationships by providing differentiated solutions that are adequate for the client's profile, in both local and international markets. "That is a fundamental achievement in our journey in search of improvement, and it is decisive for the consolidation of a differentiated position towards our clients", Mr. van Dijk states. "For us, the certification is clearly a differentiation factor and further stimulates us to seek continuous improvement", evaluates Private Bank's Director, Francisco Di Roberto Júnior.
  

Votorantim Asset Management (VAM) had eight of its mutual funds rated as Excellent in the Os Melhores Fundos para Institucionais ranking in the Top Asset edition of the April 2012 Investidor Institucional magazine. In addition to the prize-winning funds, VAM was placed among the Top 10 Assets in the overall ranking of 168 asset managers in the domestic market. This is the 29th edition of Top Asset, which lists best performance by mutual funds intended for institutional customers, for the 12-month period ended on December 31, 2011.

This ranking names the best funds in each class and defines them as Excellent based on the Risk/Return ratio. According to the publication, “despite the complex scenario, the volume of assets managed rose above R$2.23 trillion at the year-end, a 5.89% rise over six months and 12.83% in twelve months, pursuant to Top Asset for the second half of 2011.” During this 12-month period, the sum managed by VAM increased by 26% to R$39.8 billion, which raised the latter to 8th place in the ANBIMA ranking of managers.

This is the 4th consecutive time in the last two years that VAM has its mutual funds defined as Excellent by the Investidor Institucional magazine. For Votorantim Wealth Management’s director Robert John van Dijk, the Top 10 award is the result of a coordinated effort by the entire team. “We are all committed to Serve with quality by seeking out the best solutions for investments, with innovative products, applying consistency in performance and in line with the nature of each one of our customers.”

See below the VAM funds classified as Excellent:
FIC VOT PLUS REFERENCIADO DI
FIC VOT FEDERAL REFERENCIADO DI
FIC VOT BANKS FGC RENDA FIXA CRED PRIV
FI VOT ABSOLUTE CBONDS INST RF CRED PRIV
FI VOT INSTITUCIONAL RENDA FIXA CRED PRI
FIC VOT INFLATION RENDA FIXA
FI VOTORANTIM EAGLE MULT CRED PRIV
FI VOT FALCON MULT CRED PRIV
 

Votorantim Corretora was awarded the seals of the Operational Qualification Program (PQO) for Bovespa segment. Votorantim was awarded all seals and has consolidated itself as a full broker, with quality certification for all broker operation segments in Bovespa. For the director of Votorantim Corretora, Abraham Weintraub, the certification gives the client more security, as he is now aware that our broker is ready to operate assertively and with professionals who are familiar with the business characteristics. “We also have all BM&F seals, which demonstrate our expertise to operate in both the derivative market and in the stock market,” he says.

During the award ceremony, the President of BMF&FBovespa, Edemir Pinto, emphasized that adherence to the program, which is not mandatory, shows the brokers’ commitment to the excellence of services provided and to the qualification of their professionals. Mr. Pinto added that PQO brings the international quality standard to the brokers in the country. “The results give us conditions to face a more challenging market.”

Overall, 39 brokers are certified in Bovespa segment. Only seven of them, including Votorantim Corretora, were awarded the four qualification seals, each of them with a specific focus. As such, our broker is one of the two brokers that have been awarded all nine qualification seals, four of them in Bovespa segment and five in BM&F segment. Developed by the Stock Exchange, the Operational Qualification Program is intended to certify the quality of services provided by brokers, thus strengthening those companies and contributing to financial and capital market consolidation.

The Home Broker seal identifies the broker that is focused on individuals with a streamlined and combined approach, allowing direct access to negotiation on the internet, including concise and clear information. The Retail Broker seal, in turn, is awarded to institutions operating in the corporate market with structured clients and operations, and focuses on consulting educational service. The Carrying Broker seal identifies the broker that is focused on custody and settlement of operations and must have, especially, adequate financial capacity and efficiency in position and settlement control and risk management. The Execution Broker seal is awarded to institutions focused on professional trading and that offer their clients efficiency in receipt, execution and confirmation of orders. The Agro Broker seal (used only for participants of derivative markets), is related to operations with farming derivatives.
 

Banco Votorantim earned an América Economia magazine award as one of Latin America's Top 10 banks. For the last ten years, the magazine has been compiling a list of Latin America's 250 largest banks, with awards for the top ten. Its list of 250 includes 73 other financial institutions operating in Brazil.

The criterion for selecting the Top 250 was "Total Assets", analyzed from June/2010 to June/2011, with Banco Votorantim posting US$ 81.96 billion by the end of that period. América Economia magazine reports that Latin American banks’ total assets rose 33% during this period, and that the region's banks have "decoupled from the global financial industry" due to their "record earnings". "In the same period, these institutions' annual profits climbed 30%, to over US$ 24 billion."
 

The international rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) assigned an AMP-1 (very strong) rating to Votorantim Asset Management (VAM) for its third-party asset management practices. The AMP (Asset Management Practices) rating analyzes administrative matters and operational procedures and classifies the institutions on a scale ranging from AMP-1 (highest) to AMP-5 (lowest). This is the first time that VAM has been submitted to that annual worldwide recognized evaluation.

In a press release, S&P explains that the maximum rating “(...) assigned to VAM reflects the company’s strong business profile, the benefits of being part of the Votorantim Group, its highly sound operations and control practices, the expertise of its management team, its well-structured investment management processes, and good fiduciary principles”. S&P says that “VAM's general strategy and its specific objectives are consistent with its assets and the operational structure of investment funds in Brazil”. VAM holds the 9th position in the ANBIMA Fund Management ranking with a total amount of R$34.17 billion of managed assets.
 

For the sixth consecutive year, BV Financeira was elected one of the best companies in people management. This ranking, assigned by the consulting firm AonHewitt and disclosed in Valor Carreira magazine (published by Valor Econômico newspaper), evaluates the employees’ level of engagement and motivation and the main HR policies and practices. The survey divides the companies into six categories according to the number of professionals. With a creative and innovative team willing to overcome challenges, BV Financeira ranked third in the 4,001–10,000 employees category.

According to the article in Valor Carreira magazine, BV Financeira’s results in the survey show that “the highest rates of satisfaction include statements of performance, performance management and communication from the immediate supervisors. Taking, for example, the statement ‘my immediate supervisor gives me the necessary support to be successful’, 83% of interviewees agree. Practically the same number of respondents (84%) agrees that their immediate supervisor helps them to understand the objectives of the organization and how their work contributes to the achievement of such objectives”.
 

Votorantim Asset Management (VAM) was awarded the ISO 9001:08 quality certification by the Bureau Veritas Quality International institution. All VAM areas were subject to audits to ensure the quality required for activities related to Fund Management, Administration and Distribution. ISO 9001:08 is valid in Brazil, the United States and Europe.

The whole certification process took seven months. During that period, a consulting company was hired to identify aspects to be improved, and employees were trained to act as multipliers of quality practices. Top management, along with managers, established parameters comprising 340 indicators. In addition, action-control software was implanted. Overall, 14 committees were constituted and 75 Standards and Procedures were established and/or reviewed. To allow the process to be understood by everybody, a virtual capacity-building course was developed.

To Robert John van Dijk, Wealth Management & Services director, this is the first step for the implementation of a quality policy. “This is the commitment that the organization makes to all employees towards having effective and efficient management models”, says the director. “This will significantly help us to pursue quality and prompt results, in addition to providing the best solutions for our daily challenges”.
 

Banco Votorantim informs that Mr. Wilson Masao Kuzuhara is leaving his position as CEO of Banco Votorantim. João Roberto Gonçalves Teixeira will succeed him as the new CEO. This change is part of the succession process under the corporate governance of Banco Votorantim.

Wilson Masao Kuzuhara had a key role on the successful run of Banco Votorantim, since its foundation, initially as Brokerage in 1988, through the opening of the commercial bank, in 1991, to become the third largest privately owned institution of the country.

João Roberto Gonçalves Teixeira, 46, has a B. A. and Master's degree in Economics from PUC-RJ and an MBA degree from the London Business School, with a successful career in leadership positions in the Brazilian banking industry. He was the Executive Vice President in charge of the Corporate & Investment Banking and Markets Division and now, as CEO, will continue the successful business strategy of Banco Votorantim.
 

Votorantim Wealth Management & Services (VWM&S) launched in the market BB Renda Corporativa, a real estate fund with revenue that will be allocated to the purchase of commercial spaces to serve as banking branches for Banco do Brasil. The new fund secured R$159 million and showed demand of R$400 million. This is already the fifth real estate fund developed by VWM&S since last year.

According to Wealth’s Products Superintendent, Reinaldo Lacerda, the market for real estate fund has developed significantly in Brazil and has been attracting more investors. According to data of the Brazilian Securities Commission (CVM), individuals detain 95% of the units of real estate funds in Brazil.

For Reinaldo, this results from two reasons: the tax exemption for this type of investment and the professional management of the funds. “The real estate market grows together with the Brazilian economy and attracts investors. Those who have no experience in this market see the real estate funds as an investment option”, explains Reinaldo. He says that, besides these factors there is the strong cultural component of Brazilians of always having invested in real estate.

Market – With stronger performance in this segment since last year, Votorantim Wealth Management is today the third largest real estate funds manager in Brazil. In this operation, close to five thousand persons have purchased units. In addition to BB Renda Corporativa, Wealth has four other real estate funds - FII BB Vot JHSF, FII Vot Securities, FII Vot Securities II and FII RB Capital.
 

Votorantim Asset Management started the process of internationalization in September 2010 on signing a partnership with EMG/Selector, a distributor for funds on the global market and on May 2 launched Selector Brazilian Equities, its first offshore investment fund. The new fund is similar to "Votorantim em Ações" but differs from the local version in following the MSCI Brazil 10/40 benchmark, which is widely used in international markets and complies with allocation limits under the law of Luxembourg, the fund's domicile.

The fund will be managed by VAM and distributed by EMG/Selector, which has a network focusing on emerging and developed markets, with a significant presence in the United States, Europe and Asia. Selector Brazilian Equities is now open as a fund exclusively for non-Brazilian clients.

According to Robert John van Dijk, director of Wealth Management, there are great business opportunities in the international market. “Part of VAM's expected growth will come from the international market," says Robert. The strategy takes into account the significance of the Brazilian market in the world economic context as well as infrastructure investment planned for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, which will be showcasing Brazil. “In this respect, Brazil is a very attractive country for international investors. We have natural reserves, a strong economy with a growing middle class, rising per capita income, and low unemployment”.
 

In New York last month, Banco Votorantim took the Deal of the Year 2010 award made by Project Finance Magazine, an important publication from Euromoney magazine. Votorantim won the Wind category for financing 50% (R$200 million) of new wind power parks in the State of Ceará as part of a project of the Brazilian company SIIF Énergies. This was the second time Banco Votorantim won the Deal of the year award.

In 2009, the Bank won an award in the Renewables category for financing the 28-megawatt Gargaú wind-power park in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The SIIF Énergies project in Ceará erected four wind power parks generating 210 megawatts.

The Ceará operation followed specific technical standards and compared with similar transactions of the period was the biggest in the sector in Brazil. José Roberto Curan, the Project Finance superintendent in charge of structuring the operation, said the award placed Banco Votorantim on the same footing as major players in the Project Finance segment.
 

For the eighth consecutive year, Votorantim Asset Management (VAM) had its excellence recognized by the market. This month, VAM's management team won the "Top Asset Manager 2011" award for best fixed-income management firm. The ranking (*) was compiled by Valor Investe magazine together with Standard & Poor's rating agency. Our asset management firm showed the high quality of its investment processes and its asset management as such by outperforming the respective sector on these aspects.

In the issue of the magazine that features the "Top Asset Manager 2011" the newspaper Valor Econômico also carries the "Star Ranking of Investment Funds", a study of the best investment funds and their managers. VAM's funds in this ranking, two of which were graded four and one was graded five stars, are, respectively, VOTORANTIM AÇÕES (active stocks category), FIA VOTORANTIM VISION (differentiated stocks category) and FIC VOTORANTIM VINTAGE RF CREDITO PRIVADO.

Votorantim Wealth Management's director Robert van Dijk said that the awards reinforced the team's commitment to good management and consistent performance. “The award is very important because it is made by two reputable market institutions. This shows recognition of the work of a dedicated team of specialists," he added. “It is the result of the commitment and effort made by a focused team and a stimulus to continue the pursuit of excellence in management. Once again we are very happy with this accomplishment.”

*The methodology used may be found in the April 5, 2011 issue of Valor Investe magazine. The "Top Asset Manager" awards divide entries into two groups: specialized asset management firms and the largest firms, both defined by number and types of fund covered.