Board

Marde Van Wyk

Non-Executive Director

Title: Principal: Private Markets at 27four Investment Managers

Qualifications: BCom: Accounting Science (UNISA), Private Equity Programme (Saïd Business School, University of Oxford)

Marde is an investment professional with extensive experience in private equity. For the past 14 years she has worked primarily on the funder/ LP side of the industry, most notably at the Pubic Investment Corporation in the role of Associate Fund Principal: Private Equity Funds and Co-Investments. However, her experience covers the entire deal value chain from sourcing and transaction structuring through leading of approval processes, execution / implementation, and portfolio management to final exit. After leaving the PIC, Marde was appointed as Principal: Private Markets at 27four Investment Managers where she currently serves on the Board, Advisory Board and various sub-committees of a number of underlying companies and funds that 27four is invested into, including Divercity.

Sarah Hadida

Non-Executive Director

Title: Private Equity Investment Officer (Africa and Middle East) at Proparco

Qualifications: (BCom Hons) Real Estate and Sustainable Development (ESSEC Business School, Paris, France), MFin (Nova School of Business and Economics, Lisbon, Portugal)

Sarah has extensive real estate investment experience across both developed and developing markets. She began her career as an asset manager for hospitality real estate specialist Accor, before she moving to AXA Investment Managers as a debt fund analyst. Then in 2018, she joined Proparco, where she focuses on debt and equity financing transactions in education, healthcare and real estate projects in emerging markets.

Rian Reyneke

Head of Asset Management (Executive Director)

Qualifications: Bachelor of Commerce (University of Johannesburg – formerly RAU) 

After starting his career in finance, Rian transitioned into real estate – building the Ithemba Group into one of the leading affordable rental housing providers in South Africa. In addition to being an Executive Director at Ithemba Group, Rian is also the co-founder of Circlevest Securitisation and Executive Director of Ithemba Group Investments – a property investment company that holds investments in companies worth over R2 billion. Rian is a board member of the JPOMA and has held board positions in various inner-city improvement districts. 

Amish Nerrandes

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Head: Unlisted Equity Transactions at Futuregrowth Asset Management

Qualifications: Chartered Accountant (SAICA) 

Amrish is a qualified CA(SA) with more than nine years of private equity experience. He is head of Unlisted Equity Transactions at Futuregrowth Asset Management, he oversees investments and disinvestments across a wide range of industries. He also serves on various portfolio company boards. 

Lucille Louw

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Director of Asset Management for the Atterbury Group

Qualifications: BCom Hons (University of Pretoria) 

Lucille is one of the longest-serving executives of the Atterbury Property Group and is responsible for the asset management of the Group’s existing portfolio. Atterbury currently has R43-billion worth of assets under management in South Africa, Europe and Mauritius. Her career spans  more than 20 years in the industry and she continues to be actively involved in creating new ventures. She is also the proud mother of a young son. 

Paul Jackson

INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CEO of Trust for Urban Housing Finance (“TUHF”)

Qualifications: BSc in Agricultural Economics (University of Natal), BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Economics (University of Pretoria), Property Development Programme (University of Cape Town) 

Paul is the founding CEO of TUHF, where he has overseen the financing of over R4-billion worth of affordable inner-city housing and established himself as the foremost expert in financing urban rejuvenation in South Africa. 

Paul has a wealth of experience in development finance, he is the current chairman of the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa is a former director of Johannesburg Social Housing Company. Paul was also a national rowing coach for South Africa in four Olympic Games and coached the gold-winning coxless fours at the London Olympics in 2012. 

Gustav Holtzhausen

Chief Operating Officer: Head of Property Management (Executive Director)

Qualifications: Masters in Commerce 

Gustav is a co-founder and shareholder of the Ithemba Property Group, which co-owns and manages property to the value of over R3.5 billion and employs over 500 staff. Ithemba co-founded Divercity, whose core focus is to develop well-located and amenity-rich affordable rental housing precincts close to where its occupants work.  

Gustav is the Chief Operating Officer focusing on Operations and Property Management. With over 25 years of experience in the property and hospitality industry, he brings a wealth of property management, development and hospitality skills. Gustav holds a Master’s degree in Commerce, is a keen runner and mountain biker. 

Blaize Carlin

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Principal: Nedbank Property Partners

Qualifications: MSc: Property Development and Management (University of Witwatersrand), Certificate for Commercial Property Practitioners (University of Pretoria), PGDip (Wits) 

Blaize is a real estate-focused investment banker with 17 years of experience in real estate, property finance and investing. He is a principal in Nedbank’s Property Partners team, where he has worked on a variety of property investments in the retail, hospitality and commercial property sectors as well as unlisted property funds. 

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Ilaria Benucci

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Head of Construction and Real Estate at British International Investments (formerly CDC) 

MBA (University of Rome: La Sapienza) 

Ilaria joined CDC Group in 2013 and is currently Head of Construction and Real Estate (CRE). In this role, Ilaria is responsible for CDC’s equity investments in Africa and South Asia in the CRE sector. Her current portfolio includes logistics, hotels, mixed-use developments and residential. 

Ilaria joined CDC from AIG Global Real Estate where she was responsible for investments in emerging Europe, Russia and Turkey. Before AIG, she spent more than 10 years at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development where she led the Property and Tourism team. 

Mutle Mogase

Chairman of Divercity Board (Independent Non- Executive Director)

Founder of Maia Capital 

BCom (University of Cape Town), Executive Development Programme (University of New York), Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance (Institute of Management Technology: Johannesburg) 

Mutle is a co-founder and former Executive Chairman of Vantage Capital Group, an investment and finance (private equity and mezzanine) house founded in 2001. He has both sell-side and buy-side experience in the Group management business, as a former chairman of the Post Office Pension Fund Investment Committee and as a current member of Investment Committee of the Sentinel Retirement Fund. He is also a past chairman of the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (“SAVCA”) and a previous board member of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (“EMPEA”).