Career Summary
2013 – Date MERCHANT WEST, PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
Head of Merchant West Capital Markets
Responsible for developing, implementing and executing treasury, asset management, and hedging strategies for clients and Merchant West, and provide support to the CEO with regards to acquisitions and special projects.
Key Achievements:
• Significantly reduced costs by reducing head-count by 50 per cent.
• Improved product offering by launching asset management division and starting proprietary trading.
• Launched innovative new strategy to retain clients and improve client service.
• Identified acquisition target for which conditional offer to purchase was made and accepted by increasing the fee income so that the business is not capital intensive.
2010 – 2013 OLD MUTUAL JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Treasurer – Emerging Markets
• Treasurer encompassing South Africa, Africa, Colombia and Mexico, responsible for increasing return on capital for Old Mutual by ensuring efficient allocation of funding and/or capital to businesses
• Implementing Forex hedging transactions for Old Mutual Emerging Markets, investing shareholder funds, and allocating funding to businesses within emerging markets
• Monitoring internal processes and decisions that influence working capital and profitability while maintaining strong relationships with investors and lenders
• Responsible for cash and asset liability management respectively; risk management including credit, market and liquidity risk for shareholder funds, and reporting to the Capital Management Committee
2007 – 2010 INVESTEC LTD., PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
Sales & Structuring (Capital Markets)
• Responsible for contributing to company growth and profitability through the trading and structuring of interest rate derivatives and development of new relationships with institutional clients and retirement funds that traded on an ongoing basis with the bank.
Interest Rate Structuring:
• Structuring and trading volatility and non-volatility derivatives, embedding interest rate derivatives in structured notes, and utilising Swaps in structured deposits – zeros and annuities
• Trading Replica notes (where the cash-flows of bonds were replicated to enhance returns) and gathering and retaining deposits in consultation with Funding and Interest Rate desks
• Coaching and developing the confidence of trainees in a live environment, and facilitating a firm grasp of market principles, innovative trading approaches, proprietary methodologies and strategies.
Key Achievements:
• Significantly increased profits and liquidity in a tough trading environment
• Instrumental in company fundraising initiatives through issuance of Senior Bonds, private placements (structured deposits), and the use of Credit Derivatives.
Credit Trading:
• Trading mainly in single-name Credit Default Swaps (CDS), and using credit derivatives as yield enhancers and to raise funding for the bank
• Reviewing legal documentation (term sheets and pricing supplements), booking of trades, and presenting complex structured credit transactions to Investec’s Credit Committee
• Evaluating and trading local offshore debt issuances of SA companies and sovereign debt issues
Key Achievements:
• Established a credit trading platform at the company
• Profits in this division contributed approximately 30 per cent of overall division profits
2006 – 2007 INVESTEC LTD., PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
Head of Product Development
• Developing and managing expansion into the retirement fund space, and implementing efficient product development cycle in collaboration with administrative and regulatory bodies
• Advising the portfolio manager on optimal portfolio construction, delivering presentation on offshore funds to the Investment Committee
• Providing direction to and energizing the performance of a 15-strong project team, and producing and presenting regular progress reports to the Executive Committee
Key Achievements:
• Undertook Quantitative Analyst role and grew assets in World Axis offshore fund range by 30 per cent
2002 – 2006 MOMENTUM, PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
Investment Specialist: Product Development
• Playing a key role in company market expansion and revenue growth through in-depth research and analysis of international financial markets and the development of new and existing investment products
• Managing research projects covering market size, trends, economic developments and policy, and performing profitability analyses, modelling, diligence, valuation and screening of investment products
• Advising colleagues in the Tax Structuring Division on the creation of tax efficient structures, and negotiating fees/rebates for funds on Momentum LISP – Linked Investment Service Provider platform
• Presenting to the ‘Momentum Product Approval Committee’, provided market feedback, generated new product ideas, and advising on investment strategies
• Jointly evaluating and customizing specific funds for inclusion on the LISP platform
Key Achievements:
• Generated 35 per cent new business by leading development of flagship retirement product
2000 – 2002 SCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Quantitative Analyst
Jul – Nov 2000 EQUINOX STRUCTURED PRODUCTS, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Quantitative Analyst
Jan – Nov 2000 DMW SECURITIES, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Financial Analyst
1998 – 2000 SWANEPOEL & DU TOIT CONSULTANTS, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
Product Specialist
Education and Qualifications
2005 MSc in Mathematics of Finance
University of Pretoria, South Africa
2001 BSc (Hons) in Mathematics and Finance
University of Pretoria, South Africa
1997 BCom in Insurance Science
University of Pretoria, South Africa
Professional Development
Credit and Interest Rate Derivatives – Investec
Interest Rate Markets – SCMB Asset Management
Pricing of Interest Rate Derivatives; Tax Legislation – Equinox
Key I.T. Skills
MS Office including Excel, Word, PowerPoint Visual Basic
VBA SQL
LaTex Matlab
C++ Morning Star
