Investec became a sponsor of the Snow Polo World Cup team in St. Moritz for the first time, after two years of collaboration with the prestigious sports tournament. The success of both the team and the wider association underlines the growing reach of the proudly South African entity around the world.

About snow polo

The 41st edition of the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz was another resounding success, firmly asserting its position as the world's only high-handicap polo tournament contested on snow. From January 23 to 25, 2026, the frozen Lake St. Moritz was transformed into the dazzling stage where polo's best gather for a competition that brings together revelers and revelers from around the world in a fusion of elite sport and high-altitude glamour.

Founded in 1985 by the “godfather of snow polo” Reto Gaudenzi, the illustrious three-day tournament injects approximately 25 million Swiss francs into the economy of St. Moritz and has a global reach of approximately two billion people through marketing and communications platforms. Part of this success is that the event usually coincides with the final days of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos.

With this distinguished delegation of guests arriving in Switzerland, Investec Private Client quickly recognized an opportunity to leverage influence, intent and refined experiences for a discerning audience to position Investec in a key market for private wealth. Ryan Parkhurst, Marketing Director at Investec Private Client, provided further insight into this strategic brand asset and what it means for South Africa's growing recognition in various industries around the world.

Investec Team

This year, Investec upped the ante by sponsoring a team, bringing the iconic Zebra to the heart of the tournament. Team Investec, born exclusively in Brazil, achieved a commendable third place, defeating Team St. Moritz 6-4½ in their final match on the frozen lake. This achievement was even more notable as it marked the first time the team competed on snow. Parkhurst explained how the team selection came about.

“Each Snow Polo team has a patron. The patron is essentially the person who supplies the horses and players and is usually a very high net worth family. There are teams from all over the world that make up the six teams, so it is not a world cup in the sense of several nations competing for a title, but rather the notion that the best polo athletes in the world come together to compete. While we had no influence over the particular team, we were given the option of sponsoring either the Malaysian team or the Brazilian team. In the end, our connection to Latin America as South Africans led us to adopt the Brazilian team and culturally there were a lot of synergies there.” Parkhurst calls the partnership a “leap of faith” that paid off for both the team and its sponsor.

Investec presence in Switzerland

Taking the Zebra into the snow is undoubtedly part of a larger strategy to establish Investec in a key and extremely competitive market for private wealth with around 80 private banks and wealth management entities. Investec is currently the only sub-Saharan entity with a Swiss banking license, connecting African wealth with the sophisticated Swiss banking system. With all eyes on Africa for various reasons in recent years and increased migration of wealth, this will be crucial for Investec's presence in Switzerland. In times of geopolitical change, operating in a safe and neutral market is a priority for clients. “It is important to state that we follow the wealth of our clients, we do not chase them abroad with their money.” Parkhurst establishes the brand's double objective in this region.

“We wanted to identify ways in which we could position ourselves in Switzerland because our main target market in that market at the moment is South African expats in Switzerland and across Europe who recognize Investec. We wanted something that would make people sit up, take notice and remember Investec. Secondly, we wanted to identify an asset that would start to lay the foundation for us in the long term when we decide to go after the Swiss domestic market, i.e. non-South Africans in Switzerland.”

Parkhurst reflected on what drove the biggest pivot of his career, namely the move from agency to brand, and the desire to truly own the brand's activity from start to finish is ultimately what underpins Investec's effort in Switzerland. A rich understanding of marketing science and South African ingenuity characterize this bold undertaking.

“The strategy is almost like a tribal influence strategy,” Parkhurst explains. “It's like the clothing brand Thesis, for example. If you want to win in the townships of South Africa, you have to start in a township that has the most influence within the culture of the townships of South Africa; that township is Soweto. If you win there, you are likely to win over the community itself by building the brand and the belief in it there. So we did a lot of homework to identify what the keys are. cantons of influence in Switzerland, which was undoubtedly the home of Snow Polo, St. Moritz.”

Homegrown, world class

As a branding exercise, the Snow Polo adds to Investec's bold portfolio of strategic marketing activities over the years. “The zebra is very untamable. The horse can attack you. But it's a lot of fun.” Investec is synonymous with lifestyle marketing activities such as the luxurious Marble Circus and the Investec Cape Town art fair held in February. Connecting with the South African public with such a high level of execution has been Investec's forte and has been well received by an audience with an appetite for the bold. But cultural nuances and understanding different audience behaviors have been important learnings for the South African team. “We usually want our stripes everywhere,” says Parkhurst. “I think the difference with Snow Polo is that if we were to win long-term in Switzerland, we need to grow very organically, smoothly and meaningfully. And that requires some restraint and thinking about how our brand shows up in more subtle and meaningful ways.”

In addition to increasing brand awareness and generating leads, the strong conclusion from St Moritz is that Investec continues to solidify South Africa's strong reputation in the global market. “I would say it's really about the story of local world class; that companies and people born in South Africa can become world class and punch above our weight. With that South African mentality of being a challenger and not resting on our laurels, we aim big, we dream big. And that is true for South Africans, but it is also true for Investec.”

“Many companies will say they are international, but for Investec, this is a big bet to say we are a truly international bank and wealth manager.”

looking up

With calendar 2026 already shaping up to be exciting for the Investec brand, Parkhurst predicts more unique approaches to brand building in the future. “We are trying to reach the hearts and minds of people who are outside our typical consideration set. Diversifying our brand appeal, creating a platform and creating access for our customers will characterize our brand activity going forward.” Investec's partnership with OPUS, a global community of emerging and early-stage entrepreneurs, comes to mind. But specifically for the next Snow Polo, the team is already planning to top what has undoubtedly been a spectacular showcase for the brand.

Parkhurst's approach to bringing the proudly South African brand to the world is not to look left or right, but up. “If you dream big and aim for the moon, you could crash into one of Elon's satellites. Hope is saying That was a pretty bold dream.. That hope is representative of the South African mentality as well as Investec's aspirations.”