M&A Partner

My business career began the year after I graduated from high school, when I started and ran my own company. Six years later, I qualified as a Chartered Accountant and sold the business. I then spent a year in New York managing a large South African insurer’s operations in Bermuda.

After that I returned to South Africa to take up the position of Chief Financial Officer of WesBank’s Corporate Division. There I oversaw the implementation of enhanced profitability structures, which yielded positive growth for the Corporate, Fleet and Motor Divisions and contributed to a R114 billion balance sheet. This role took me along an incredible learning curve, where I developed an understanding of the dynamics involved when large companies invest and grow through negotiation and acquisition. Having completed numerous successful acquisitions and disposals of businesses and working alongside some of the largest international motor manufacturers like Toyota, VW and General Motors, my exposure to the international mergers and acquisitions market has proven to be invaluable in my current role.

I left Wesbank to launch my own consultancy, IntelStrat, which fostered the development of ‘entrepreneurial DNA’ within both large corporations and SMEs. The biggest insight I gained there was identifying and understanding the areas that business owners need to focus on to maximise the value of their businesses.

Through my involvement in the extensive international networks I have built over the past few years, I’ve found that my experience on both sides of the table has allowed me to form authentic connections with both clients and acquirers alike.

As a Shareholder, Director and the Head Deal Advisor at Deal Leaders Africa, I have concluded a significant number of successful transactions across multiple industries and countries.

Meet South African Partner Rick Grantham