Lightstone Star Reacher F&I awards held

“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.

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, Know Your Customer (KYC) performance, Value-Added Products (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,” Paul says.

Lightstone Star Reacher F&I Awards category winners and runners-up. Front row: 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: 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).

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.

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.

Vehicle Asset Finance (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:

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:

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