TEAM
ISAAC (IKE)
CHALUMBIRA (CHA)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER (BSC IND. PSYCHOLOGY, MBA)
Ike Cha is a leader, visionary, entrepreneur and philanthropist who seeks to add value to everything he says, does and the lives he touches. He is an advocate for entrepreneurs and his ethos, vision, drive and passion is to contribute to South Africa and Africa’s progress.
He studied Industrial Psychology at UCT and followed this up with an MBA and went on to spend his early and mid-working years at Coca-Cola and Procter and Gamble. Here he learned that the devil is always in the detail, the art of systematically conceptualising a clear end- goal and the importance of planning and thinking things through to add value an investment.
After leaving corporate life in 2005, Ike set up his own business with a diversified portfolio of which his most well-known investments are the Reef Hotel in downtown Johannesburg, the Sand River Resort in Limpopo, buying and significantly growing fuel stations and merging it into The Fuel Company, co-founding the Musina Intermodal Terminal, and investing in the advisory firm, Grovest. This 15-year journey has yielded an IRR of 40% plus adding value to
all stakeholders.
Giving back to the community forms a greater part of Ike’s DNA and is his natural calling and reason for being. Through founding the One Moment Foundation, he has grouped his philanthropy efforts under one umbrella to address our three basic needs: education, hunger and shelter for the homeless.
PROFESSOR BONANG MOHALE
NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
(CM(SA), EXECUTIVE PROGRAMME - DARDEN, PHARMACOLOGY – WITS)
Bonang Francis Mohale is Chancellor of The University of the Free State (UFS) and Professor of Practice in the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) College of Business and Economics.
Current chairperson of the Bidvest Group, he is a highly respected South African businessman, who is known as much for his patriotism and his active role in seeking to advance the country’s interests. He is the Author of ‘Lift As You Rise’, launched in November 2018, a compilation of some of his spoken and written words in which Mohale reveals the issues he is passionate about – among them transformation, people development, constructive collaboration and integrity.
Most recently, Bonang was the CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), a forum which brings together the leadership of South Africa’s most successful and influential big business and multinational investors to exchange ideas, facilitate effective dialogue with government and other stakeholders and advocate for pro-business, economically sustainable policies and programmes.
Bonang has received many awards during his career, most recently in 2019 the Free Market Foundation Luminary Award in recognition of the outstanding courage and integrity he has displayed, through difficult times, in his contributions to the business community and for defending the rights of all South Africans and the BMF Lifetime Achievement Award in March 2019.
THEMBA MBATHA-CHALUMBIRA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER AND PARTNER
(DIPLOMA, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, DIPLOMA IN MEDICAL AND SURGICAL NURSING SCIENCE)
Themba is a social entrepreneur who finds joy in giving to those less fortunate than her. She lives by the motto “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” meaning “I am because we are”.
Her passion and interest in social inclusion has led Themba to the role of ESG Champion for LPE, ensuring that our investments are channeled into transformation initiatives and consistently add value to broader society.
She is a co-founder of ONE MOMENT FOUNDATION (www.onemomentfoundation.org), which is focused on giving the homeless just that one moment of pleasure by filling their tummies, regardless of their reasons of being on the streets with no discrimination towards race, gender, nationality and ethnicity.
Through this foundation, she has set a goal of working with existing shelters to give dignity to those willing to change their lives for the better.
As entrepreneur, Themba has won performance awards and incentives whilst a Cell-C franchisee and was a founding director of a Scania dealership franchise. Themba also holds local, regional and international leadership roles in YPO at board level.
HANNES SWART
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER & PARTNER (CA(SA) CPA(USA) WHARTON/EMORY EXEC COURSE)
Hannes a seasoned executive with deep experience in Private Equity and deal making on a global basis. As result of his passions of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial investment activities, he joined Ike Cha in 2005 and the two of them made many joint investments and formed a relationship of mutual respect and trust.
Since 2015, Hannes ran a private investment fund and since 2018 he was CFO of a private equity fund focused on investing in and managing tourism property. Hannes was part of the M&A team at The Coca-Cola Company where he initiated and executed significant transactions on all 6 continents.
Hannes’s qualifications include B.Acc, B.Acc(Hons) and M.Acc from the University of Stellenbosch, passing all three degrees cum laude.
MALCOLM SEGAL
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER (B.COM, CA (SA) CPA (ISR) (REG 58 (2)(A))
Malcolm has over 25 years’ experience managing Private Equity and Venture Capital funds. He served two terms as chairman of the South Africa Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) and is also a member of the listings Advisory Committee of the Alt X. Malcolm also served as the National Executive Chairman of Grant Thornton.
During the late 1990’s, Malcolm established a private equity investment fund which he later sold to Sasfin Holdings Limited. Thereafter, to pursue his passions of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial investment activities, Malcom co founded Grovest and several companies in the Grovest Group.
Malcolm chairs our Investment Committee and also serves on the IDC and East African Private Equity Fund Investment and Credit Committees.
Malcolm is active in various aspects of the South African culture activities and interalia is a director of both the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra NPC and the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra NPC.