In the last six months, Jersey Finance’s Directors focussed on the African market – Dr Rufaro Nyakatawa and Faizal Bhana – continued to develop meaningful and forward-thinking opportunities for Jersey finance firms who work with clients in the region.
Dr Rufaro Nyakatawa hosted three events in South Africa and attended industry-leading conferences, including STEP South Africa and the Southern African Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SAVCA) Private Equity conference.
It was a challenging first half for South Africa following the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) ‘greylisting’ of the region in February. Dr Rufaro Nyakatawa wrote about the topic from a good governance and sustainability perspective in May and again in June alongside our Head of Funds, Elliot Refson, about how greylisting may impact the fund industry – which was picked up by premier South African news publication, The Sunday Times.
Several high-profile South Africa-based industry leaders spoke at our events.
Leading economist Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana, Co-Head of Institutional Sales at Rand Merchant Bank, delivered a keynote address at our ‘Beyond the Sensationalism, Africa’s Value Defined’ networking event. Shelley Lotz, Head of Regulatory Affairs at SAVCA; Shayne Krige, Director and Co-Head of Investment Funds & Private Equity Practice at Werksmans Attorneys; and Milton Osborn, Director, at OWP Partners all spoke at our funds-focussed roundtable in Stellenbosch.
Next week, we host our second-ever Women’s Day event – open exclusively to women. During this event, leading professional women will offer their unique perspectives and lived experiences in the global finance industry to inspire the next generation of women in finance.
In East Africa, Faizal Bhana met with leading family businesses and their advisers at our inaugural event in Mombasa, Kenya. Jointly hosted with CMS Daly Inamdar Advocates, the event sought to engage the audience on next-generation business owners and succession planning, particularly following unprecedented economic disruption felt by businesses in the last three years. Faizal published a thought leadership article on this topic, attracting media attention from CNBC Africa.
In Nairobi, we partnered with Africa Legal Network (ALN) and Grant Thornton to host a corporate governance-themed event. On the funds side, we worked with the East Africa Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (EAVCA) and DLA Piper Africa, Kenya (IKM Advocates) to host a roundtable on regulatory and legal developments from an East African and international perspective.
Faizal continues building solid connections with diaspora advisers by hosting regular networking events in Dubai for finance professionals interested in Africa. Jersey Finance will host two more networking events in Dubai in the second half of this year.
