GRIT - Key Persons
Alex provides expert and strategic legal advice across all real estate sectors, including development, capital raising, investment, treasury, property operations and leasing. He successfully oversaw the establishment of two real estate investment trusts ("REITs") being a development REIT (the first D-REIT to be established on the continent) and an income REIT as well as their listing on the unquoted securities platform operated by the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
Prior to joining Grit Real Estate Income Group, Alex advised on the provision of Kenyan laws where he was responsible for contract drafting, reviews on all areas of law and conducting legal due diligence work for commercial transactions. He was also a senior associate at Dentons - Hamilton Harrison and Matthews Advocates in Nairobi, Kenya for more than four years.
Andre Janari - Chief Investment Officer
Andre has more than a decade's experience in the property sector, mainly as senior transactor in the Real Estate Finance divisions of the Standard Bank Group and Nedbank Corporate Property Finance. During his tenure, Andre provided customised property finance solutions, innovative deal-making and product structuring whilst developing strategic relationships with well-known developers and investors in the South African industry.
Andre was also part of the team that was instrumental in Grit Real Estate Income Group's listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in July 2014.
Andries joined Grit in 2019. Prior to this position, Andries served as Managing Director of Benir, where he was responsible for the successful execution of multi-million Rand projects across multiple sectors. His oversight duties included compiling client briefs and determining the scope of work, representing clients at professional team meetings, managing the execution of construction projects against timelines, as well as co-ordinating the relocation arrangements of corporate departments.
Prior to joining Benir, Andries was the Managing Director of Motseng Selmec, a specialist facilities management and infrastructure group where he gained experience in telecommunication infrastructure management, as well as FMCG facilities management.
As a former director of Comserv Mozambique Lda, an infrastructure maintenance company, Andries has first-hand experience of operating in that country.
Aurélie has dedicated over a decade to a successful career in the field of human resources, showcasing her expertise in developing and overseeing HR functions across various sectors. She joined Grit in 2019, bringing her wealth of experience and knowledge in Africa to contribute to the company's HR initiatives and strategies. Prior to her role at Grit, Aurélie held the position of HR Group Leader at Lonrho Limited for four years, where she played a pivotal role in establishing a robust and dynamic centralized HR function across 14 countries in Africa. She also spent seven years as HR Manager in a Mauritian manufacturing and beverage distribution company. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science in Labour, Organisation Psychology and Human Resource Management from the University of Cape Town.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Executive Director
Bronwyn is the CEO and a founding member of Grit. She is a Chartered Accountant and has served on several property company boards. Under Bronwyn's leadership, Grit has grown its portfolio from two assets valued at US$140m at listing to 33 income-producing assets and investments across eleven countries and seven asset classes, with an attributed value of $785.9 million as at 30 June 2023
Bronwyn spearheaded the optimisation of Grit's capital structure, which culminated in a step-up to a Premium listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in 2021 and further played an instrumental role in securing a US$306 million refinancing agreement, which at the time was the largest sustainability linked real estate debt refinancing and syndication in Sub Saharan Africa - excluding SA - setting a new benchmark for African real estate investment.
She further drove Grit's recent asset recycling programme, achieving US$136 million in disposals at or close to book value and significantly reducing the Group's number of associates.
Under her leadership, Grit further refined its strategy with the acquisition of African real estate developer, GREA, and its asset management company, as well as establishing fee-income generating channels and solutions through real estate services.
Bronwyn was recognized as the 2019 EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Southern Africa) in the Exceptional Category, is a past winner of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Top CA(SA) under 35 Award, and has received many other recognitions such as API Top Africa Real Estate CEO in 2020 and 2023.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Independent Non - Executive Director
Catherine has been a Chartered Accountant since 1992. She has held senior banking and corporate finance positions including at BoE NatWest and BoE Merchant Bank in Johannesburg, before joining Investec Bank Mauritius where she was Head of Banking until 2010.
She has been a member of the Financial Reporting Council and is a Fellow Member of the Mauritius Institute of Directors.
Job Titles:
- Head of Developments in Operations, GREA
Craig joined Gateway Real Estate Africa on 20 March 2020 with significant project and construction management experience across technical and service industries in Africa. His track record of successful project delivery includes 12 years in Southern Africa and five years in West Africa where he worked across commercial, residential, industrial, oil & gas and mining projects.
Craig immerses himself fully in each project and proactively manages diverse departments, skillsets and personalities to ensure successful delivery against all stakeholders' expectations.
He has been an active lead in the development of the full scope of consulting services including project management, quantity surveying as well as mechanical, electrical & plumbing engineering.
Craig holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Science and an MBA, both from the University of Cape Town (UCT), and is a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
With over twelve years' experience in the real estate sector, Craig specialises in Commercial Real Estate Investment and Development, and has an impressive track record in managing projects up to US$250 million. He has expertise in both income-producing assets and the unlocking of development projects.
Before joining the Grit team, Craig served as a director at Camstone Asset Managers, where he oversaw a small commercial portfolio worth ZAR600 million. He is known for his strong business acumen and ability to manage complex projects in the Real Estate sector.
Job Titles:
- Head - Corporate Finance & Investor Relations
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Fellow
- Independent Non - Executive Director
- Senior Independent Director
David is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and holds a BCom and LLB (Hons First) in Land Law, Equity and Trusts. He has over 21 years' experience in the real estate investment sector. David has been instrumental in the completion of several high-profile real estate transactions including IPOs and the formation of a £1.4 bn UK Property Authorised Investment Fund. He currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer and Compliance Officer of Knight Frank Investment Management.
Prior to her current role, Debby served as Grit's Group Asset Manager for Grit. She has extensive experience in property management, having worked on lease negotiations, preparing annual budgets, managing properties and staff as well as working on reports and attending site visits.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Chief Finance Officer
- Executive Director
Gareth is a chartered accountant CA(SA) with experience in listed and SME multinationals with specific focus on operations in Africa, including Oil and Gas, Mining and the Aviation sector. He is a highly driven and motivated leader, who has conducted business in several African jurisdictions generating significant return for stakeholders. Prior to his appointment, Gareth was the interim CEO of bespoke IT Management company in Mauritius, that specializes in Infrastructure Design and Project Management as well as audit services.
He was also an executive and business consultant to Grit Group in both Mauritius and London. He is the former CEO and CFO of Starlite Aviation Group - a diverse, solution driven aviation company, offering a wide range of helicopter and fixed-wing services. The group was recently acquired by a French group which included Oaktree Capital Management, the French Treasury and several banks.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Chief Executive Officer GREA
Greg is a founder member of Grit Real Estate Income Group and has been instrumental in sustaining its rapid growth since inception in 2014. As Founder of Grit, Greg recognised the significant demand from multinational companies looking for quality real estate solutions in Africa and the limited supply of experienced developers to fulfil their requirements. This led to the creation of Gateway Delta Development Holdings Ltd as a development company of which Greg is a co-founder.
With his extensive track record and successful delivery of developments on the continent, Greg will be able to further these development opportunities in his new role. His relationships with key global players looking for Real Estate solutions on the continent will place the development business as the go to in the real estate market on the African continent.
Job Titles:
- Finance Manager
- Head of Group Finance
Jacques joined Grit as Finance Manager in June 2019 before being appointed as Head Group Finance in May 2022. Jacques is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Accounting Honours Degree from the University of Pretoria.
He has worked on multiple listing and compliance projects and also has a deep understanding of corporate governance, having ensured compliance with relevant regulations and policies, and played an active role in enhancing the governance structures of organisations he worked with. Jacques has experience in financial management, including insurance, mergers and acquisitions, legal and contracts, risk management, and consolidations, has enabled him to lead successful transactions and manage complex projects.
He has advanced experience in capital structures, having successfully managed and executed various financing deals throughout his career. Prior to joining Grit, Jacques worked in the IT sector for Digitata, a company in the telecom sector based in Mauritius, as the Chief Financial Officer.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer GREA
Krish has more than 10 years' financial accounting experience, 3 years of which are specific to the real estate industry. He was the managing director of Southern View Finance Mauritius, a company which specialized in credit risk assessment for micro lending in South Africa, where he was responsible for implementing the corporate financial strategy and policy.
He serviced the following blue-chip clients such as Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd, Development Bank of Mauritius Ltd, Forges Tardieu Ltd, Airports of Mauritius Ltd, Motorite Insurance Administrators, Ogilvy Africa BV and Quirk South Africa has seen him gaining valuable and varied accounting and financial experience.
Leigh-Anne is a highly accomplished professional with over 20 years' experience in media and marketing. As the Head of Marketing at Grit, she brings extensive expertise and a dynamic leadership style to her role. In 2009, Leigh-Anne founded her own successful media agency, Intimedia, which later expanded to include Intagreat, a sister business in Mauritius. Through a consulting partnership with Grit Real Estate, Leigh-Anne showcased her strategic insights and valuable contributions, ultimately earning her a permanent position within the company. Leveraging her comprehensive knowledge of media and marketing, Leigh-Anne is passionate about driving impactful campaigns, fostering meaningful partnerships, and utilizing cutting-edge digital technologies to deliver exceptional results for Grit.
Louis is an Investment Principal at GREA and is responsible for deal origination, implementation, investment management and exits. Louis joined GREA in 2019 and has since played a key role in deploying over US$250m development capital across multiple African jurisdictions.
Previously, Louis worked in Transaction Advisory Services at Squareness Financial Consulting, where he gained extensive experience in conducting both buy side and sell side financial due diligence for private equity groups and strategic corporates across a variety of industries in Europe.
Before that, Louis worked at Essling Capital, an independent asset manager specialized in unlisted assets, where he was part of the co-investment team. He started his career at Deloitte in Audit and Société Générale CIB in Equity Capital Markets.
Louis holds a Master of Science in Management from IESEG School of Management Paris and a Bachelor of Business from James Cook University Singapore.
Job Titles:
- Head of Operations
- Manager
Marieke is responsible for property management of the Grit, as well as the assigned GREA portfolios in sub-Sahara Africa. She leads the Real Estate head office operational team in Property Financial Management, Property Administration, and Facilities Management. Prior to her current role, Marieke served as the Group Property Manager at Grit from 2019 to 2022.
She holds a BCom Financial Management and was a Property Accountant at JSE-listed Accelerate Property Fund prior to joining Grit. With her extensive experience in the Real Estate sector, Marieke is known for her ability to manage complex operations and to provide mentorship and guidance to her team.
Job Titles:
- Head of Responsible Business
Moira is the Head of Responsible Business at Grit. She holds a BCom Hons degree and is a qualified Chartered Accountant, with more than two decades experience in finance, business and auditing.
Moira joined Grit in May 2016 and has played a significant role in growing the business to where it is today. She has held a number of management positions at Grit as her role evolved, with her recently taking on the position of Head of Responsible Business, where she leads and manages Risk, Compliance, Legal, Internal Audit and ESG/Sustainability.
She is a strong advocate for women and animal rights and the founder of the Mauritian NGO, All Life Matters Animal Sanctuary, which operates an animal sanctuary and a veterinary clinic.
OJ holds an MCom in International Banking and Finance as well as a BSc (Hons) in Banking and Finance. He is one of Grit Real Estate Income Group's founding employees and has held various positions within the organisation since its formation in 2014. He is currently Head of Integration, responsible for building processes and workflows to ensure integration of new acquisitions into the business cycles and reporting process flow. A key aspect of Ojong's responsibilities is ensuring staff across eight different countries of operation understand and adhere to the group's policies and procedures. He is responsible for the monitoring of key workstreams to improve interdependence between departments and enhance projects delivery in line with strategic objectives. Ojong previously served as Group Financial Asset Manager and as Senior Asset Manager at Grit Real Estate Income Group.
Job Titles:
- Chief Investment Officer - Strategic Investments
Oteng is a dynamic and highly motivated Investment Professional with extensive experience in leading Debt, Mezzanine and Private Equity investments on behalf of institutions. Currently employed by Grit Real Estate Income Group as Chief Investment Officer, overseeing the investment function and being the custodian of the group's investment strategy, policies and procedures.
Oteng is qualified as a Global Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA, CGMA) and has a BA (Hon) in Finance, Accounting & Management from the University of Nottingham. Oteng currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the board of Coca Cola Beverages Botswana (Pty) Ltd.
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director / Chairman to the Board
Peter is a qualified attorney and a founder of Osiris Group in the British Virgin Islands and Mauritius which provides international corporate finance and administrative services to global clients. He has significant understanding of the property industry in the UK, South Africa and the rest of Africa.
Job Titles:
- Investor Relations - Mauritius
Job Titles:
- Head of Facilities Manager
Rui is a facilities and project management specialist with exceptional leadership and management skills. He joined Grit in October 2019 and holds various certifications in occupational health and safety. Rui also possesses a Facilities Management Program certificate from the University of the Free State. His expertise lies in problem-solving, enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing productivity. Rui excels in creating safe environments and ensuring optimal maintenance of properties, facilities, and equipment.