Team
“Great things in business are never done by one person;
they’re done by a team of people.”
– Steve Jobs
Ashley Cohen
Ashley started his career in manufacturing and distribution and then moved into the software industry. He started and built a number of B2B software companies providing solutions for both the public and private sectors.
Ashley believes in the use of culture, disciplined strategy execution and high-functioning teams to achieve strategic objectives. His experience along the way includes buying businesses, selling businesses, raising money on capital markets, private equity transactions and BBBEE..
Brad Taurog
Soon after qualifying as a charted accountant, Brad joined Brandcorp Holdings. Following the sale of Brandcorp to the Bidvest group in 2016, Brad has focused on private equity opportunities together with Mike Nkuna, chairman of the Masingita Group of Companies.
Brad’s experience includes business operations and process, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance best practice, optimal debt and capital structuring, including the funding thereof. Brad is energized by the positive impact that data and technology have on businesses.
Patrick Nesbitt
Patrick started his career at KPMG in the financial services team auditing many bulge bracket banks and private equity houses where he qualified as a chartered accountant.
He then moved to Macquarie Bank as a sell side equity research analyst covering telco stocks where he also became a CFA charter holder before beginning his private equity and venture capital endeavours. Patrick has both finance and operational experience.
Advisory Board
Paul Gray
Paul is an entrepreneurial and experienced CA(SA) and corporate financier (Investec +10 years) with a long track record acting in both advisory and principal capacity in various debt & equity transactions and joint ventures.
Paul’s experience spans across Financial Services’, Real Estate, Retail, Support Services, Logistics, Tech, Mining and Infrastructure. Paul has listed a variety of businesses on the London Stock Exchange, advised listed companies facing hostile takeovers, advised corporates and private equity funds on acquisitions, advised private and listed businesses on their capital structures and helped a number of companies raise equity and source debt.
He has helped with a variety of corporate restructures and right-sizing projects. Paul is passionate about facilitating grass-roots social impact in a commercial and sustainable way. In his spare time Paul enjoys playing ball sports with his four children and running ultra-marathons with his wife.
William George
William has spent twenty-three years in the South African business environment reaching across large scale real estate developments (both during his time as a senior member of Investec’s real estate team and as an entrepreneur) to owner-operated small and medium entrepreneurial activities.
William is a values-led entrepreneur with an ability to identify highly differentiated opportunities, rally stakeholders together, recruit skills and drive value adding activity. In his spare time, William enjoys all forms of watersport, usually with his two children, and mountain biking across the Franschoek valley with his wife.
