Robert Devereux – Chairman

Robert was one of the founding shareholders of The Virgin Group and Chairman of Virgin Entertainment. He left Virgin after 17 years in 1996 to invest and start-up several new businesses in the UK, largely in the hotel and restaurant sector. He has a home in Africa and a keen interest in environmental businesses.

Julian Ozanne - Executive Director & CEO

Julian has widespread knowledge of Africa – its countries, politics, influential people and the business environment. In 1986 he graduated with an Economics Degree from the London School of Economics (LSE). Between 1987 and 1997 he worked for the Financial Times and was foreign correspondent serving as Middle East Correspondent and Africa Bureau Chief. Between 1994 and 1999 he advised a number of US and European investment banks on business and political risk in Africa and worked for the World Economic Forum. Born in Kenya, raised in Southern Africa, semi-fluent in Kiswahili and Sesotho, he has long and deep political and personal links with Africa.

Jonathan R Aisbitt - Director

Jon has been the non-executive Chairman of The Man Group since September 2007. He was previously a Partner and Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs and has 20 years’ experience in international corporate finance.

Avril Stassen – Director

Avril Stassen is currently a Principal at Agri-Vie Investment Advisors (Pty) Ltd and SP Fund Managers (Pty) Ltd, the Fund Manager to the $110 m Agri-Vie Africa Food and Agribusiness Private Equity Fund.

He is a Chartered Accountant (SA), Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA – International) by profession.

Avril is a seasoned professional with 19 years experience in the financial services industry, comprising investment management, private equity and investment banking and 5 years experience in strategic and business management. From a geographical point of view he has experience in the sub-Saharan African, North African, European, North American and Far Eastern markets.

He was a co-founder of AMB Capital Management (Pty) Ltd and AMB Private Equity Partners Limited (a JSE listed company), a ZAR 1 billion private equity fund in August 1998 and left their employ in December 2002. Prior to that he was employed as a Chief Investment Officer at Southern Asset Management, a subsidiary of Southern Life Association Limited (a top 5 Life Insurance company in SA), with assets under management of ZAR 50 billion, where he was involved in all aspects of investment management across all asset-classes for a period of 5 years. Prior to joining Southern Asset Management he was employed as investment professional by Allan Gray Limited, the largest privately-owned investment management firm in South Africa, for a period of five years.

During his career he has executed a large number of investments, assignments and projects and has served on numerous Boards of Directors, Executive Committees and Investment Committees and still holds non-executive directorship in a number of private companies.

He holds a B Acc and B. Acc (Honours) from Stellenbosch University and a B. Comm (Honours) from the University of Cape Town.

Sajjad Sabur – Director

Saj Sabur is a Managing Director at HSBC and head of Principal Investments Africa. Saj joined HSBC in 2005 bringing with him over 12 years of investment banking experience. During his career, he has acted as financial adviser, senior lender, mezzanine lender and equity investor to transactions totalling over USD8.5bn across a variety of sectors and geographies. In addition to his work with a variety of clients at HSBC, he was instrumental in establishing the Middle East and North African Infrastructure Fund (“MENA Infrastructure Fund”). Saj is a Board Director for a number of companies including NFC and a governor at an inner city school in London. Prior to joining HSBC, Mr Sabur worked at Hambros Bank, SG and CIT Structured Finance. He read Economics BA (Hons), is a qualified accountant and has an MBA from the London Business School

Quentin Scorgie – Chief Financial Officer

Quentin graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of the Witwatersrand and qualified as a Chartered Accountant (SA) in 1990 having completed articles with KPMG in Johannesburg. Entering commerce in 1991, Quentin held various senior financial roles at a medium-sized engineering firm for 5 years and in 1996 joined Southern Sun Hotels, Africa’s largest Gaming and Hotel Group, in a project finance role. Quentin was appointed to the Board in 2000 in the role of Financial Director, a position held until 2008. In 2007, Quentin graduated with distinction from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business in a Masters of Business Administration. Seeking new challenges Quentin entered the retail industry in 2009 as Chief Financial Officer for Truworths International, a large listed South African retail and fashion chain based in Cape Town. Quentin relocated to Johannesburg and consulted to major South African property investors before joining New Forests Company in April of 2010.