SAVCA Private Equity Conference 2023 Speakers
The 2023 lineup will feature key thought leaders in Southern Africa that will explore this year's theme.
MC: Bruce Whitfield
Business Speaker, Journalist and Author
Bruce Whitfield
Bruce Whitfield is a multi-award-winning journalist, best-selling author and sought-after speaker.
Throughout his career, he has had unparalleled access to titans of industry; mavericks who are changing the game; and brilliant entrepreneurs who reimagine what is possible. This access has provided him with an exceptional perspective of how we can change the future. Today.
With over 20 years of working in print, broadcast and digital media, he brings a unique brand of realistic optimism to the murky intersection where business, politics and society collide.
Welcome, Bruce and thanks for joining us today…
Allan Hackner
Project Development Specialist:
USAID Southern Africa
Allan Hackner
SONY DSC
Allan Hackner joined USAID South Africa in 2001, initially working as a Program and Project Development Officer for the Urban Settlement, Economic Growth and Health Teams. He le hater joined the USAID Southern Africa Regional Economic Growth Office serving as a Senior Project Development Specialist. He is currently responsible for managing the five year, $33 million USAID/Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment Program. Prior to that he was responsible for managing the USAID/Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub.
With over 20 years’ experience in designing, implementing, and managing international development projects, Allan’s technical specialty lies in development finance, impact investing and development credit guarantees. Prior to joining USAID he was the Acting Executive Director for Strategic Planning at the Johannesburg Metropolitan Council (now the City of Joburg). He started his development career as a researcher at the Urban Foundation -- a South African private sector policy thinktank advocating for transformation during the apartheid era.
Anthony Altbeker
Long-term Advisor:
National Treasury
Antony Altbeker
Antony Altbeker works at the National Treasury, and is currently responsible for coordinating SA’s response to FATF and reporting on our progress in addressing deficiencies identified in our money laundering regime. He first worked for National Treasury in 1999, prior to which he worked for the Minister for Safety and Security. Antony has also worked at the Institute for Security Studies, the Centre for Study of Violence and Reconciliation, and the Centre for Development and Enterprise. He is the author of three books on crime and justice in SA.
Andrew Moffat
Co-Head: Investment Banking: Investec Bank
Andrew Moffat
Andrew joined Investec Bank Limited in 2014 and is Co-Head of the Investment Banking Division, managing the Financial Sponsor and JSE Listed Corporates financing teams
He has over 20 years of experience across M&A, coverage and financing (corporate, structured and leveraged). His experience includes working for Standard Bank, Mettle, Rothschild and the Barclays Group, concluding over 100 M&A and financing transactions in a variety of sectors, involving private companies, listed companies and parastatal entities.
Charles Buchanan
Senior Manager: ESG and Sustainability: EBS Advisory
Charles Buchanan
Charles works with investors, fund managers, and investee companies to develop value-add ESG solutions. He has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry across many regions including Africa, Europe, UK and Channel Islands and Caribbean. He started his career in treasury at Rand Merchant Bank after which he spent eight years in London in the investment banking industry capital markets. Upon returning to South Africa in 2009, he provided risk advisory consulting services to investment banks and asset managers, and was later appointed Chief Operating Officer at Catalyst Fund Managers. Before joining EY, Charles worked with Oceans Finance Company, an investee company in Climate Fund Manager’s second fund, to execute Blue Bonds (Debt-for-Nature Swaps) in developing countries.
Christian Roelofse
Investment Officer – Private Equity: FMO
Christian Roelofse
Christian Roelofse is an Investment Officer, private equity at FMO, responsible for funds and co-investments in Africa. With a committed portfolio of EUR 12 billion across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, FMO supports sustainable private sector growth by investing in ambitious entrepreneurs. Through private equity investments FMO seeks to drive both impact and return, building a portfolio of established and emerging managers who share these goals and co-investing alongside them in our focus sectors: Agribusiness, Energy and Financial Institutions.
Before joining FMO, Christian was Head of Alternative Assets at STANLIB Multi-Manager. He has also served as balance sheet manager for a life insurance firm and advised pension funds on investment strategy. His qualifications include BSc in financial mathematics, CFA and MBA (cum laude).
Christopher Clarke
Managing Partner:
Inspired Evolution Investment Managers
Christopher Clarke
Christopher, co-founder and Managing Partner at Inspired Evolution, has been jointly responsible for guiding the firm’s strategic vision and strategy and building strong relationships with investors, promoters and other stakeholders. He is a climate finance and clean energy pioneer in Africa and a seasoned investment professional with more than 27 years’ experience building successful technology-based companies and projects.
Christopher provides strategic and operational oversight, and leadership to the team and its various investment strategies, with a demonstrated track record of over 1,500 MW of renewable energy projects funded to date. He is an active board member on multiple investee companies and assumes lead responsibility for impact strategy and performance.
“Pioneering our differentiated asset class dedicated to clean energy infrastructure and resource efficiency climate-centred investments, we pride ourselves for being instrumental in helping transform the African energy landscape. This has required us drawing on our deep local market knowledge, strong regional networks and global technology and infrastructure investment capabilities.”
Christopher is active in thought leadership initiatives that seek to transform Africa’s energy landscape towards net zero emissions and improve energy access. He is a respected speaker on regional energy infrastructure and private equity conference platforms.
Christopher holds a BSc Mechanical Engineering degree and worked as an engineer in the 1990s before gaining his Master’s in Environmental Science and Sustainability, both at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He also holds private equity qualifications from the Gordon Institute of Business Science, Johannesburg.
Craig Wing
Digital/AI Specialist
Craig WIng
For two decades, Craig has presented over 500 keynotes to 5,000 leaders and executives in 45 countries to understand, create and design their ideal futures through imagineering and futures thinking. His expertise include emergent futures thinking, scenario planning, disruptive technologies, emergent business models, company culture and new world of work. Across Africa, he has spoken at length on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the preparedness of the continent. He converted his own car to electric: creating the future versus merely talking about it! He rejected an opportunity to head one of Richard Branson’s companies to focus on making South Africa a better country.
Darlene Menzies
Founder & Chief Innovation Officer: FinFind
Darlene Menzies
The World Economic Forum named Darlene Menzies one of six top Female Tech Entrepreneurs in Africa in 2017. She is serial entrepreneur and technology innovator with 15 years’ corporate ICT experience in the banking sector. Since leaving corporate employment in 2001, she has established several successful tech businesses and has first-hand experience of what it takes to develop and commercialise disruptive innovations.
Darlene has used this experience to develop digital solutions that address large gaps in the startup and SME market in Africa, some of these include SMEasy – the award-winning online accounting SaaS solution for startups and small businesses, white-labelled by Absa Bank for their SME customers; and Finfind – South Africa’s leading online SME access to finance platform, with more than 700,000 users, white-labelled by the Government’s Small Enterprise Finance Agency to manage their online funding requests.
Darlene won the South Africa Innovation Entrepreneur Award in 2010 and her fintech solution, SMEasy, won the Country Award for Best Business Product at the World Summit Awards. One of her mobile innovations in the heath sector received Nokia’s Global Judges Choice Award (top 10, from 85 countries and 1700 systems). Darlene is a seasoned entrepreneur, public speaker and recognised expert on the SME sector. She is also an avid, competitive amateur golfer.
Dustin Graham
Managing Partner:
Benchmark International
Dustin Graham
M&A Transaction Advisor
B Com, B Com (Hons), CA (SA)
Dustin initiated a career in corporate finance and M&A advisory in 2006, concluding various high-profile transactions before relocating to London, New York and later Sydney where he managed a diverse range of engagements in the forensic, fraud and M&A space with leading international advisory firms.
In 2009 he returned to South Africa to acquire a significant shareholding in a local industrial group of companies servicing the materials handling industry and spent four years in maturing the group and driving its organic and acquisition growth strategies. He has since sold the group allowing him to return to the M&A environment and has aligned with Benchmark International in their expansion into South Africa.
Having been a key driver in the development of his own group of companies, and heading Benchmark’s national transactions teams, he is well positioned to advise both technically and through experience in all aspects of a corporate transaction.
Edmund Higenbottam
Managing Director:
Verdant Capital
Edmund Higenbottam
Edmund worked at global investment banks Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley in a career starting in 2001 before moving to the African continent in 2008. Edmund has broad expertise in financial inclusion, including traditional microfinance and fintech. Edmund is responsible for the Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund. Edmund is a graduate of Economics from the University of Cambridge.
Fadi Bassir
Fadi Bassir, Investment Manager: PE Funds & Co-Investments: BII
Fadi Bassir
Fadi Bassir is an Investment Manager in BII’s PE Funds & Co-investment team. Prior to joining BII in 2015, he worked in the Corporate Finance team at EY in London. He has significant investment experience across the PE, VC and credit asset classes across Africa and South Asia.
He is a CA (UK & SA) and holds a B&MEng in engineering from Imperial College London.
Faraz Rojid
Director, Silver Economy Cluster: Economic Development Board (EDB)
Faraz Rojid
Faraz Rojid is currently director of the Silver Economy cluster of the Economic Development Board (EDB) and was previously the director of the Financial Services department at the EDB. He holds an LL. B (Hons.) from the University of London and an LL.M in International Economic Law and Policy from the School of Law of the University of Barcelona.
He previously interned at the World Trade Organization and the United Nations in Geneva, and subsequently was a Legal Consultant in the Investment Division of the UNCTAD. He also worked as an Investment Executive at the Board of Investment of Mauritius and was the Officer-in-Charge of the Financial Services Promotion Agency of Mauritius.
Florent de Boissieu
Partner:
Adenia Partners
Florent de Boissieu
Florent de Boissieu is a Partner at Adenia. Florent began his career at Bain & Company in Paris, where he worked on a number of assignments for large corporates in Europe and Africa, as well as many due diligence projects for private equity funds. He has more than 15 years’ experience in private equity investment, strategy and consulting. With a focus on Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean, Florent’s responsibilities at Adenia include sourcing and executing deals, monitoring and supporting investee companies, and realizing exits. As head of Adenia’s office in Johannesburg, Florent completed the firm’s first transaction in the country with the acquisition of a majority stake in Herholdt’s, a leading distributor solar products.
Florent currently sits on the Board of Directors of Adenia portfolio companies Herholdt’s, Kanu Equipment, and Newpack.
Fulufhelo Makwetla
Managing Director:
Thirdway Investment Partners
Fulufhelo Makwetla
Fulu is an investment professional and entrepreneur with a passion for developmental investments, diversity advancement and inclusivity. She is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Third Way Investment Partners, a specialist investment firm focusing on infrastructure investing. She currently serves as a director on the board of the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association and various portfolio companies of the Third Way Asset Management Group. She was previously the Investment Manager of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) – the largest pension fund in Africa, with assets in excess of R1.6 trillion, representing the retirement interest of 1.2 million members and over 360 000 pensioners. During her tenure at the GEPF, she served on the Investment Committee of the Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund and represented the GEPF on several advisory boards of Private Equity Funds.
Prior to joining GEPF, Fulu was an Executive and Senior Consultant at RisCura, consulting to Pension Funds, Insurance Companies and Medical schemes in Southern Africa. She was an employer elected trustee of the RisCura Provident Fund. She also worked for RMB Asset Management and has over 18 years of industry experience.
Fulu holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Econometrics and a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Economics from the University of Pretoria.
Gergana Ivanova
Associate Director in Strategy & Transactions: EY
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana supports deal teams with financial due diligence, exit readiness preparation and needs analysis, working capital forecast reviews, carve outs and data analytics across a range of M&A and capital market transactions. She has extensive cross-industry transaction experience with a strong focus on retail and consumer products in the sub-Saharan context.
Gergana primarily focuses on financial performance of private equity portfolio companies, especially in when and how they can harness technology and data to support their equity stories. She leads EY’s digital and data analytics in Transaction Diligence for Africa as well as digital tool adoption in our EMEIA region.
Hale Matsipa
Founder & CEO:
Kleoss Capital
Hale Matsipa
Hale Matsipa is a qualified CA (SA) and seasoned business leader with 25 years’ experience in financial services in a career spanning corporate finance, investment banking, audit practice and private equity. His wide ranging and in-depth skills and expertise can be leveraged to enable any organisation to achieve its growth objectives. He’s occupied positions locally and abroad in some of the most prominent financial organisations such as JP Morgan Chase and Rand Merchant Bank amongst others, before establishing a private equity firm, Kleoss Capital in 2014. He is a strategic thinker and leader skilled in negotiating and closing transactions both in the public and non-public markets and managing difficult ‘turn arounds’ at companies.
Hale is the lead founder and CEO of Kleoss Capital, a private equity fund that currently manages R1.5 billion for 3rd party investors since its inception 8 years ago. As CEO, he is responsible for overseeing the overall operations of Kleoss Capital and the Fund’s performance. This includes assisting the team with deal origination and execution, engagement with portfolio companies to drive the Fund’s value creation strategies and engagement with the Fund’s investors (capital raising).
Japhtaline Mantuka Maisela
Chairperson of the Board of the MIRF Funds, and member of the Claims and Investment sub committees
Japhtaline Mantuka Maisela is a respected Pension Fund Trustee and Human Resources Professional, who has contributed extensively in transformation within SA businesses as well as Pension Funds. She has served as a Trustee and Specialist Adviser at the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund (the between 2003 and 2016 (the second largest fund in SA). Since 2017 Mantuka has been the Chairman of the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund, where she was also a member of the Human Resources and Remuneration Committee as well as the Strategic Investment Committee.
During her tenure as a Chairman, she was instrumental in the transformation of the Fund in terms of Black owned Asset managers, especially women owned Asset Management Companies. 64,8% of Assets are being managed by Black Asset Managers. She is currently raising Funds for 10 Emerging Female Fund Managers and is proud to have raised $85 MILLION for the impact Fund launched at the UN in September 2022.
Her strong points as a Chair is to ensure that all Trustees understand their oversight role and are kept abreast with all legislation governing the fund as well as apply the rules of the Fund with honesty and integrity. Her skills as a Human Capital Professionals comes in handy in ensuring that there is stability amongst Trustees and clear delegation of Authority between the role of management and their Fiduciary Responsibility.
As a member and Chair of the Remuneration Committees in different organisations, she has been instrumental in advising Human Capital Professionals to align the HR Strategy to that of the organisation, Develop a Talent Management Strategy to attract, develop and retain the best talent that will ensure organisational success.
Janice Johnston
Climate Change: Financing Advisor – JET IP PMU:
Presidency of South Africa
Janice Johnston
Janice has a deep and diverse investment background, spanning over 20 years with highly regarded financial institutions in South Africa and the UK. She has significant debt, venture capital and private equity investment experience across multiple sectors and business stages and is a CFA Charterholder. Janice is committed to strategic leadership of impact investments into climate related finance and innovative, growth businesses in key sectors with the potential for significant environmental/social impact and financial return through collaboration, diversity, and inclusion.
Janice spent 10 years with Prudential Capital plc (part of M&G) in London as a senior member of its Principal Finance team prior to joining Edge Growth, a leading SA impact investor and accelerator for SMEs. She ended up as CE of its Growth Equity portfolio which invests in innovative, high growth companies with the potential for significant financial return and social impact. Thereafter, Janice joined the Identity Partners Group, a majority black women led investment group, which focused on building a leading majority women-led private equity fund platform in strategic growth and impact sectors.
Having worked in the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team which led the negotiation of South Africa’s JET IP, Janice is currently a Financing Advisor in the JET IP PMU, which is tasked with facilitating and co-ordinating the implementation of the JET IP.
Janice is involved in several mentorship initiatives and is the chair of 100 Women in Finance in South Africa.
Janina Slawski
Head: Investments Consulting:
Alexander Forbes
Janina Slawski
Janina has an MBusSc degree from the University of Cape Town and has actuarial (Fellow of the UK Actuarial Profession and Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa), investments (Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) and risk (Financial Risk Manager and Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary) qualifications. She has worked in the fields of life insurance and risk benefits, employee benefits, asset consulting, short term insurance and risk management, and investments, including distribution and marketing activities. She was President of the Actuarial Society of South Africa from 2003 to 2005, and Overseas Vice-President of the Faculty of Actuaries from 2006 to 2009. Her current responsibilities as Head: Investments Consulting at Alexforbes Investments include heading the client-facing investment teams across the Alexforbes multi-management solutions, investments advisory and investments actuarial teams, as well as consulting to several large clients.
Jennifer Kann
Executive Consultant:
Intellidex South Africa
Jennifer Kann
She has more than 20 years’ experience as a specialist communications strategist, 15 of which, in a consultant role with a focus on professional, financial and advisory sectors, including private equity and venture capital firms.
Jeremy Gardiner
Director:
NinetyOne
Jeremy Gardiner
Jeremy is a regular voice in the media, at conferences and to the investment-related world at large, responsible for commenting on current affairs, economics and investment markets.
In his position, Jeremy has access to information from the world’s leading analysts, on everything from politics to petrol. Jeremy’s challenge is consolidating all this information. Essentially, Jeremy collects and then connects the dots, bringing it to you in a format that you will find both interesting and informative.
Jeremy has been with the firm for 31 years, during which time the business grew from a small Cape Town Asset Management firm to a significant global business managing clients assets of approximately R2.7 trillion*. Jeremy also served on the board of Western Province/Stormers rugby from 2003 to 2005, a period in which their performance was particularly poor!
Although he studied accounting at the University of Cape Town and Economics at the University of Witwatersrand, Jeremy is neither an accountant nor an economist, but uses these skills to demystify what the accountants and economists are saying.
Kasief Isaacs
Head, Private Markets:
Mergence Investment Managers
Kasief Isaacs
With over 17 years of experience in the financial services industry, Kasief joined Mergence in 2015. As Senior Investment Principal he has a specific focus on energy, infrastructure, and impact within SA and SADC. He leads the Private Markets investment team which has built up a stellar performance record over the past decade.
Before joining Mergence, Kasief led PwC’s renewable energy practice and has advised developers and investors from SA, Spain, Italy, Germany, China, and the US on SA’s renewable energy market including participation in the REIPPP programme, project acquisitions, private PPAs, and BEE structuring and funding. Kasief is a qualified CA and has a BCom Honours from the University of the Western Cape. He is an experienced conference speaker and media commentator.
Kutlwano Mokhele
Member Benefits Coordinator: National Union of Metal Workers (NUMSA)
Kutlwano Mokhele
Kutlwano Mokhele is currently employed as the Member Benefits Coordinator at NUMSA (National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa), a role that includes, amongst others, participation on boards of funds and schemes that NUMSA members belong to. Through this role he has been appointed to a number of Boards of Trustees and various subcommittees. Most notable amongst these are the Engineering Industries Pension Fund and Metal Industries Provident Fund (combined assets of around R115 billion), the Motor Industry Retirement Funds (a collection of four funds, with total of just under R40 billion) and Iscor Employees Umbrella Provident Fund (assets of around R4 billion), as Member Expert Advisor. Additionally, Kutlwano is the chairperson of the Investment Committee at the MIRF funds – and through this appointment, he participates in the Asset Owners Forum of South Africa – and chairs its Investment Working Committee. This an initiative by Batseta to better coordinate investments in infrastructure amongst retirement funds. Prior to his role at NUMSA, he worked at Matlotlo Group (Pty) Ltd, a quantative and actuarial consulting and advisory firm where he consulted across all actuarial practice fields (finance & investments, life & non-life insurance, healthcare and banking). In this role at Matlotlo, he also consulted for Moruba Consultants & Actuaries, a subsidiary of Matlotlo Group focusing on consulting and advisory to retirement funds. Kutlwano is currently left with one exam for attain Fellow Membership to the Actuarial Society of South Africa (“fully qualified actuary”).
Langa Madonko
Summit Africa
Langa Madonko
Langa an has with 12 years’ Investment experience. Formerly a founding associate to a Private Equity Firm with experience in Financial Services, Oil and Gas (Retail and Oil blocks), Mining, Manufacturing, Agro-processing in excess of R10bn. Previously with JP Morgan New York where he structured and leveraged finance for in-house investment deals worth $3.5bn, and Mckinsey Los Angeles. Established and ran a private consulting firm specialising in financial and product communication for top South African Financial Services companies. Has a Bachelor of Commerce Finance from the University of Pretoria (Honours: Trade Finance), a Bachelor of Arts: International Relations and Trade, from the London School of Economics (with Honours).
Lelo Rantloane
Chairman: SAVCA
CEO: Ata Capital
Lelo Rantloane
Lelo is the founding CEO of Ata Capital. Prior to this he was Head of Debt Capital Markets and structured debt at Deutsche Bank AG.
He began his career with RMB as a Transactor in Debt Capital Markets and later became a Transactor in Acquisition and Leveraged Finance where he focused on Private Equity firms.
While at RMB, he was Executive Assistant to the CEOs of FirstRand and FirstRand Bank. Lelo also worked for Morgan Stanley’s Securitised Product Group in London and as a Transactor (on secondment) at the Makalani Management Company.
Luc Albinski
Executive Chairman:
Vantage Capital
Luc Albinski
Luc is the co-founder of Vantage Capital’s mezzanine finance business which offers growth capital to mid-size businesses across Africa. Vantage recently raised its fourth generation pan-African mezzanine fund of about $380m and concluded its 34th investment. Luc also established a renewable energy business, Vantage GreenX, and recently launched an education investment platform in partnership with a Canadian franchisor, Maple Bear, which, is looking to build kindergarten and K12 schools in Poland and the Czech Republic called Vantage Best in Class.
Lydia Shadrach-Razzino
Partner:
Baker McKenzie
Lydia Shadrach-Razzino
Lydia Shadrach-Razzino is a partner in global law firm Baker McKenzie's Corporate M&A Practice Group in Johannesburg. Lydia focuses on public and private M&A and private equity transactions (across various industries, including telecommunications, retail, consumer, financial services, healthcare and mining). Lydia also advises on empowerment transactions, corporate governance, equity capital market transactions and general corporate finance. Her experience expands beyond South Africa, having advised on numerous cross-border transactions.
Mardé van Wyk
Principal Consultant – Private Markets: 27Four
Mardé van Wyk
Mardé van Wyk has extensive investment experience in Private Equity covering the entire deal value chain and sector exposure spanning across a myriad of investment (direct and fund) positions facilitated from generalist to theme-based strategies. She is regarded as specialist in investment, organisational and process structuring, including investment restructuring – a skillset obtained whilst working with distressed investments at South Africa’s largest asset manager. Her appreciation for innovation and solution engineering has led to her continued involvement in impactful theme-based venture capital project development initiatives with scale and global reach. This experience also comes with a long history of serving on the Board, Advisory Board and various sub-committees of a number of underlying companies and Funds.
Makole Mupita
Director:
Mahlako Financial Services
Makole Mupita
Makole Mupita is a qualified CA(SA) with 24 years of experience in private equity, ESG investing, asset management, and infrastructure and development finance. Makole spearheads the Mahlako Financial Services Energy Fund, applying innovative solutions to investing and building sustainable energy businesses across the renewable energy, gas, and energy services subsectors. A leading figure and voice in the energy and financial services sector, she applies her pioneering spirit and exceptional experience to delivering value on behalf of discerning investment partners. She has led and been involved in landmark infrastructure deals that have shaped the South African infrastructure landscape. She has participated in the successful refinancing of various infrastructure projects as well executing notable Public Private Partnership transactions. Most recently, she steered the Mahlako team in a groundbreaking flagship energy wheeling project with Amazon Web Services – a first of its kind project outside of the REIPPP programme. Prior to Mahlako, Makole worked at the Old Mutual IDEAS Fund where she was Portfolio Manager of the Fund for 6 years. She served her articles at Investec Bank specialising in Private Equity. Makole is also the co-founder the Black Energy Professionals Association (BEPA).
Madichaba Nhlumayo
Founder & CEO:
Ditiro Capital
Madichaba Nhlumayo
Madichaba is the founder and CEO of Ditiro Capital (Pty) Ltd, a women led and owned private equity fund manager, with a focus on medium sized businesses in South Africa and currently raising its first fund. She is an investment professional with experience in private markets. Prior to founding Ditiro, she was part of the investment teams at Pan-African Capital Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Trinitas Private Equity and RMB Ventures. She has had extensive board experience as a shareholder representative on several investee company boards and as an independent NED as well.
Melanie de Nysschen
Executive:
SAVCA
Melanie de Nysschen
Melanie joined SAVCA in March 2019. She is a financial services industry professional with a legal background and extensive experience in the investment banking industry, specifically corporate finance and capital markets.
Melanie is passionate about the sustainable development, and ultimately growth, of small to medium sized enterprises.
She believes that putting people first, and showing due respect for the planet on which we build lives, and businesses, contributes to sustainable business and a healthy profit line.
A keen supporter of the Arts, Melanie also currently serves as an independent, non-executive director, on the board of The Joburg Ballet Company (NPC).
Nabeela Vally
Business Development Head: Edge Growth
Nabeela Vally
Nabeela is driven by a mission to make a difference to countries, communities and people that need it the most. This has been the underlying guiding force to her career trajectory that spans a decade and includes impact investment, Financial and Fund Management/Strategy experience across a multitude of industries such as Financial Services, FMCG, Industry Regulators, Public Sector SOEs and NGOs such as the Global Fund.
Within Impact investing, Nabeela has worked across various roles such as, looking after the post investment function of the Edge Action ESD fund, managing a portfolio of 22 investee companies across various industries. This included helping the Edge Action ESD fund grow from its infancy to a thriving ESD impact fund setting up governance and operational structures for the fund. As the Head of Business Development, Nabeela currently develops and oversees new impact investing and SME development strategies and products for clients across the industries Edge services, these include Financial Services, Petrochem, Oil and Gas, Mining, Manufacturing and FMCG.
Co-creating a movement for change continues to be her purpose and in doing so she to leave a legacy that will read ‘’in an earnest way, she shook the world.’’
Natalie Kolbe
Managing Partner:
Norrsken22
Natalie Kolbe
Natalie is the Managing Partner of Norrsken22, responsible for the overall management of the Fund, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Natalie brings a wealth of private equity and growth investing experience to Norrsken22, having spent 18 years at Actis – one of the leading private equity firms focused on the Emerging Markets. At Actis, Natalie was Global Head of Private Equity, responsible for the day-to-day management of the global PE business, spanning 8 funds across Africa, Latin America, India, China and SE Asia, with circa USD $2.5 billion in assets under management. Natalie was also part of the team that assessed and onboarded the Abraaj Africa, Middle East and South East Asia PE funds and team ($2.5bn portfolio). She is an experienced board member having held board seats on multiple companies across Africa and Europe and has been instrumental in numerous restructurings and successful exits. Natalie instilled and operated under world-class governance and ESG standards at Actis and brings this depth of knowledge with her to Norrsken22.
Natalie holds a BComm from the University of Witwatersrand, an MBA (Cum Laude) from Wits Business School and is a CFA Charterholder.
Patrycja Kula-Verster
Primary Markets: Business Development: JSE
Patrycja Kula-Verster
Patrycja, has been with the JSE for 15 years, of which most of this time has been spent focusing on local and offshore equity origination. Patrycja works in the Primary Market Division which is responsible for origination of new listings across the 3 asset classes, Equity, Debt and Structured Products as well as co creation and development of new products with the broader eco system. In her current role as Business Development Manager she is responsible for originating new local and offshore equity listings for Main Board and AltX, as well as coverage of listed companies and engagements their c-suite executives. Prior to the JSE, Patrycja worked for FNB, Liberty Life and learned some entrepreneurial lessons by starting a business focusing on international VAT recovery.
Phathutshedzo Mabogo
Deputy Chief Investment Officer: Eskom Pension and Provident Fund (EPPF)
Phathutshedzo Mabogo
Phathutshedzo currently holds the position Deputy Chief Investment Officer at the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund (EPPF) with primary responsibility for the Private markets portfolios. He has previously overseen the Listed Equities, Listed Properties and Fixed Income portfolios. Phathutshedzo has completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science with Wits University. He then acquired a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) through the CFA Institute. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) qualification with INSEAD
Polo Leteka
Founder and Chairman:
IDF Capital
Polo Leteka
Polo Leteka is a highly accomplished and experienced entrepreneur and private equity investor. She is the Chairman and Founder of IDF Capital - a South African based entrepreneurial financier and advisory firm. Through IDF Capital, Polo has contributed towards changeling investments into women owned SMEs across South Africa. In 2015, she co-founded AlitheiaIDF to continue investing in high growth businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa that are women owned and led.
Polo is an accountant by training, and has varied experience in both the Public and Private sectors of South Africa which includes accounting and auditing, corporate finance, investment banking, public policy formulation, venture capital and private equity in the SME sector. At a fairly young age, Polo was tasked with leading the process of developing South Africa's first ever Codes of Good Practice on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment which is a Government policy seeking to transform the South African economic landscape to be more reflective of its population demographics. As a result of this ground breaking work which has changed how Corporate South Africa interacts with the rest of the economy, she is considered a thought leader in areas of economic transformation and development.
Polo is a an accomplished public speaker, contributor to thought leadership articles on transformation and entrepreneurship. She was also part of South Africa's version of the Dragons Den show and is also a co-Author of a book called ".....and for all these reasons, I'M IN.....", which seeks to assist entrepreneurs to become investor ready.
Polo is the current President of Association of Black Securities and Investment Professional (ABSIP).
Richard Sutton
Founder:
Sutton Health
Richard Sutton
RICHARD SUTTON is the founder of Sutton Health, a performance and health consultancy. Personal excellence and performance realisation are key areas in his consulting work, which is process-driven, adaptable and attainable through lifestyle and behaviour changes. Richard works with companies, CEOS, industry leaders and individuals to cultivate positive change and aspirational success.
Robin Padberg
USAID Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment, Chief of Party
Robin Padberg
With over 20 years of international management experience, Robin Padberg offers a unique blend of private sector and development expertise. Mr. Padberg is currently the Chief of Party (COP) of the USAID Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment Activity headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, and implemented by DAI Global. Prior to arriving in South Africa Robin acted as the COP for the USAID-funded, Feed-the-Future Nguriza Nshore Activity in Rwanda also implemented by DAI.
From 2012 – 2013, Robin played a pivotal role as an independent consultant in structuring and negotiating the terms that culminated in the sale of the historic Hôtel Villa Créole in Haiti. Robin also served as Chief Executive Officer of Communication Cellulaire d’Haïti S.A. (ComCEL), Haiti’s leading mobile telecommunications provider -- owned by Seattle-based, Trilogy International Partners, operating under the brand name, Voilà, which was successfully sold to the Digicel Group in 2012. Having joined the company in 2007 as Chief Commercial Officer, he was promoted to CEO in February 2008. Returning to Haiti in December 2004, Robin was appointed as Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in November 2005 and subsequently promoted to Honorary Consul General in 2014. Robin is a seasoned international executive having previously held senior positions with companies such as Descartes Systems Group, Tech Inspirations and Baan USA. Robin holds dual graduate degrees from the University of Miami, an MBA and a MS in International Business.
Roy Havemann
Chief Executive Officer:
Intellidex South Africa
Roy Havemann
Dr Roy Havemann is the chief executive officer for Intellidex’s business in South Africa.
He has over twenty years of experience in the public and private sectors, with a 15-year career at National Treasury, spanning macroeconomic policy and financial sector policy, latterly as chief director of financial markets and stability.
Samantha Pokroy
Founder and CEO:
Sanari Capital
Samantha Pokroy
Samantha is the Founder and CEO of Sanari Capital, a private equity firm focused on investments in growth companies emanating from Africa (mainly from South Africa) with regional and global scalability and exposure. They emphasize digital and human enablement to unlock business potential.
Samantha has almost 20 years of private equity and venture capital experience in the South African and United States markets. She played a leading role in investments at Ethos Private Equity, prior to which she worked in private equity in Chicago and investment banking and consulting in New York.
Samantha holds an MBA (Hons) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a BCom and BA Honours degree in Industrial Psychology from University of the Witwatersrand and is a CFA charter holder.
Shahed Hoolash
Managing Director:
Vistra (Mauritius) Limited
Shahed Hoolash
Shahed is the Managing Director and Partner of Vistra (Mauritius) Limited (or an affiliate thereof as context may require, “Vistra”).
Prior to joining Vistra in May 2018, he was heading the corporate services business of Deutsche Bank in Mauritius. Shahed has more than twenty years of experience, acquired at leading fund and corporate services providers in. Shahed has developed extensive technical expertise relevant to global businesses, effective leadership skills, a sharp business acumen, in addition to strong client relationship management skills. He is a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a member of the Mauritius Institute of Directors. Shahed is currently serving as the Chairman of Mauritius Finance, the industry association for financial services providers in Mauritius. He has also served as President of the Association of Trust and Management Companies in Mauritius and been on the executive committee of the Association for over 10 years until its transition to Mauritius Finance.
Sindi Mabaso-Koyana
Managing Partner:
AIH Capital
Sindi Mabaso-Koyana
A Chartered Accountant, Sindi is the founder of The African Women Chartered Accountants. She later led the formation of the commercial arm, AWCA Investment Holdings (AIH) which she currently chairs. She is the Managing Partner of AIH Capital the Private Equity firm of AIH.
AIH has built a portfolio of solid investments which include ReefTankers, Atlas panel Beaters, Hollard, Foskor and recently added Bidvest Protea Coin, Global Credit Agency and Futuregrowth Asset Managers.
She has extensive experience In the Public Sector where she served on a number of Sate Owned Companies as Executive and Non-Executive Director. She was Group CFO of Transnet and Prasa in the first phase of South Africa’s democracy. Her passion for the public sector was seen in her continuous contribution as Non-Executive Director in SOC’s including SANRAL, SAA, Eskom, PIC especially when there was a call by our new President Ramaphosa for professionals to serve in the reforms of the State Owned Entities. Sindi has also serve on listed and international entities where she chairs Audit & Risk Committees, Social & Ethics Committees and Remuneration Committees including MTN Group, Bidvest Group, Sun International Limited and was part of the Governance Reforms of FIFA where she was Deputy Chair and subsequently Chair of their Audit and Compliance Committee. She has had the honour to be the independent Chair of The Sugar Association of South Africa to drive the industry’s turnaround. She is a Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, Member of International Women’s Forum , Advisory member to the Antwerp Management school( Belgium) and Innsbruck Management Centre (Austria). Other international business schools where she has delivered lectures include Duke University in North Carolina and Insead in France. She continues to contribute in the public sector by lecturing at the National School of Government.
Sindi is a former YPO member.
Suvira Bodha
Head of Alternatives & Portfolio Manager: Sanlam Investments: Multi-Manager
Suvira Bodha
Suvira joined Sanlam Investments in 2016, where her responsibilities initially focused on hedge fund research for the then known hedge fund asset management business, Blue Ink Investments. After merging into the Sanlam Investments Multi-Manager team in 2018, Suvira’s responsibilities broadened to include other private market asset classes within alternatives, together with portfolio management. She currently manages a range of alternative asset portfolios including fund of hedge fund products as well as a private market focused fund of funds.
Shelley Lotz
Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs: SAVCA
Shelley Lotz
Shelley joined SAVCA in 2016 as the Head of Regulatory Affairs focusing on leading SAVCA's engagement and advocacy efforts with regulators including National Treasury, SARS, SARB and the FSCA.
Shelley's extensive experience in the financial services sector includes 6 years at Horizon Equity Partners, where she was responsible for all fund reporting, valuations and compliance.
Shelley also spent 7 years at the Royal Bank of Scotland in London where she worked in a technical accounting and regulatory advisory role for the Investment Bank. Shelley was the Finance lead in the launch of RBS's GBP 1.1bn Private Equity fund in 2007, which paved the way for Shelley's career in private equity.
Soyisile Mokweni
Chairman:
CRFund
Soyisile Mokweni
Soyisile is the Executive Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Investment Committee since 2020. He provides strategic leadership and oversight on behalf of CRFund. His extensive industry experience includes a tenure as Municipal Manager at the Langerberg Municipality, where his key focus areas were strategic leadership, stakeholder engagement and the promotion of good governance and sound financial management. During his career, he has held several senior positions for the City of Cape Town, which include Deputy Director of Property and Legal Services, Director of Administration, and Director of Governance Support.
He holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Municipal Finance Management and a Master of Business Administration from Curtin University in Australia.
Theriso Pete
Associate Principal – Multi-Management: Private Markets: PIC
Theriso Pete
Theriso is well-rounded and dynamic investment professional with a commercial background both in terms of qualifications and experience. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Finance. She has 11 years’ experience in the investment industry, 8 of which have been spent specifically within the private equity fund of funds space. She is currently an Associate Fund Principal in the Fund of Funds & Co-investments team at the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).
Theriso has always enjoyed the unlisted investment environment as it presents interesting and challenging dynamics that often require creativity, thinking outside of the box, patience and adaptability. Such dynamics include navigating the long-term nature of private equity investments and related long-term relationships with fund managers, fund structuring issues and negotiations, governance challenges posed by limited transparency and information owing to the unlisted nature of the environment (when compared to the listed markets), as well as the additional forex, tax, regulatory and political implications of investing outside South Africa’s borders, to name a few.
Trishanta Dheepnarayan
Director & Principal:
Metier
Trishanta Dheepnarayan
Trishanta Dheepnarayan is a Director and Principal at Metier and has over 15 years of experience in private equity. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst® charterholder and holds a Bachelor of Business Science degree. Trishanta started her career at Absa Capital Private Equity and joined Metier at the end of 2009. She works within Metier’s capital growth practice and her responsibilities include the sourcing and execution of new deals; and the management of existing portfolio companies. As part of her portfolio management responsibilities, she is a director on the boards of portfolio companies and covers investment opportunities across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Metier is an independently owned and managed private equity fund manager with a track record spanning four decades and ten investment pools that have delivered pooled IRR returns of more than 35% in ZAR over 100 transactions.
Tshepiso Kobile
CEO:
SAVCA
Tshepiso Kobile
Tshepiso hails from a financial services background, having served as an investment professional with the Development Bank of Southern Africa and as a property finance manager with Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
Through her involvement in both the public and private sectors, she has gained unique skills in senior management roles, representing various players along the property value chain and structuring partnership agreements. Her recent position was as the Senior Programme Manager for Catalytic Projects at the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu Natal, as well as Chairperson of SAIBPP KZN. She has also served on the boards of the South African Institute of Black Property Practitioners and the National Housing Finance Corporation, in addition to previous roles representing Business in the KZN and eThekwini Economic Councils. She holds a BSc (Honours) Degree in Property Studies from the University of Cape Town and a Certificate in Company Direction (IoD (UK)).
William Nkutha
Deputy Principal Officer:
UCTRF
William Nkutha
William is the University of Cape Town Retirement Fund’s Deputy Principal Officer. William has more than 15 years’ experience in Employee Benefits and is a Chartered Principal Executive Officer. He started as a fund administrator and later became a fund consultant for one of the leading employee benefits companies in South Africa. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Management (Retirement Funds) and is currently studying towards his Postgraduate Diploma in Development Finance at UCT’s Graduate School of Business. He joined Just Share’s Board as Non-Executive Director in June 2022 and serves on numerous transformation and employment equity committees within UCT.
Xolisile Ntanzi
Chief Financial Officer & Partner:
Heritage Capital
Xolisile Ntanzi
Xolisile is a qualified Chartered Accountant with more than 15 years of private equity and project finance experience. Prior to joining Heritage Capital in 2019, Xolisile was the Fund CFO of Sanlam Private Equity. Prior to that, Xolisile spent 6 years at the National Empowerment Fund, in its Strategic Projects Fund which invests in early stage projects with a portfolio valued at over R800 million.
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in 2006, Xolisile was the Fund Chief Financial Officer for Brait Fund IV International ,which closed at USD500 million, for 4 years.
Xolisile has a depth of experience in private equity fund administration and finance having worked on a new private equity fund (Medu Capital), a mature independent private equity fund (Brait) and a captive private equity fund (Sanlam). Xolisile is also an investment professional with experience in investments in the industrial, healthcare, pharmaceutical and telecommunication sectors.
Yvonne Maitin
Founder and CEO:
One Africa Capital
Yvonne Maitin
Yvonne Maitin is Founder and CEO at One Africa Capital, an African female owned and managed private equity investment company focused on mobilizing impactful expansion capital into scalable mid-market businesses in South Africa with the view to unlock growth opportunities into the Rest of Africa
She has broad experience gained over 20+ years in financial services across private equity, private debt, investment banking, stockbroking, derivatives structuring and economic research.
Yvonne began her private equity career at Actis Private Equity in 2007 where she was a member of the Pan-African investment team. Her role included deal origination, financial modelling, investment appraisals and portfolio management & monitoring serving on investee company boards.
She later joined the Liberty group where she was a Divisional Director at Libfin executing on-balance sheet equity and credit investments. She also served as a private equity specialist fundraiser at STANLIB, the Asset Management business within the Liberty group.
In 2016, she became a partner at Bopa Moruo private equity where she was a member of the investment team. She also engaged in fundraising and operational Fund set-up activities including legal, regulatory, HR and administration.
Prior to the above she served as an economic analyst conducting macro-economic research and econometric modelling at Credit Suisse (SA) and also worked as a Derivatives trader at Standard Bank.
Yvonne has held several leadership positions serving as an Independent Non-Executive Director, including 10X investments, the Southern Africa Venture Capital and Private Equity Associate (SAVCA) and serving as the Lead Independent Director at Norsad Capital.
She holds a MBA (Finance) from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (UK) and a B.Com (Hons) in Financial Economics & Econometrics from Rhodes University.
Zain Laher
Partner:
Kleoss Capital
Zain Laher
Zain is a founding partner of Kleoss Capital, a South Africa focussed mid-market private equity fund manager. Prior to founding Kleoss Capital in 2014, Zain spent over 6 years at Emerging Capital Partners, one of the largest and longest-established private equity fund managers focused on Africa, with over $3.2 billion in capital raised. Zain began his career in investment banking at Standard Bank in 2001 and was based in its London and Johannesburg offices.