The Team
Investment Team
Investment Committee
Finance & Administration Team
Non-Executive Chairman
Ndabe Mkhize
Ndabe has 25 years’ experience in financial services sectors spanning actuarial, asset management, property and pension fund industries. Prior to founding Mavovo, he was the former Chief Investment Officer of Eskom Provident and Pension Fund (EPPF), South Africa’s second largest pension fund with R180bn ($12bn) and a funding ratio of 145%. He was the founding chairman of the Asset Owners Forum SA with R2.5 trillion AUM. He was a member of the Infrastructure Investment Committee of the SA Government’s Infrastructure Fund.
In 2022 he was named ‘Game Changer’ by the Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals (ABSIP). His achievements were recognised by the UN backed (PRI) in 2019.
Ndabe was the first investment professional to assemble a bespoke portfolio of South African healthcare assets in 2010.
Nhlakanipho Mthembu
Nhlakanipho brings 13 years’ experience in both traditional asset management and private equity. He has led teams of investment professionals and managed portfolios valued in excess of R6bn. He has covered listed healthcare operators, telecoms and other industrial companies, sitting on a number of boards. He has served on the Limited Partner Advisory Committee of a Private Equity fund as member and chairperson. He was the co-founder of a mental health tech-platform.
Mabatho Seeiso
Mabatho joined the Financial Services Industry in January 2001. Prior to that she was working in the oil industry. Her first financial services job was as an Assistant Portfolio Manager for Infrastructure Investments at Old Mutual Asset Management. In 2003 she joined Cadiz Asset Management became the Director and Head of Institutional Business Development and Marketing until March 2007. She has been involved in financial services as an independent professional since 2008. Her first board appointment was as an independent investment committee member for Rand Mutual Assurance. She has since served on various types of funds in the industry including the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund, where she was also the chair of the Strategic Investment Committee and the National Treasury Jobs Fund where she was an independent investment committee member. She currently still serves as a professional trustee or independent investment committee member or independent Chairperson on various funds including impact investment funds. She is a Director of the Transformation Action Forum, an asset owner led initiative to transform the financial services industry. She is also a former member of the advisory committee of the Southern African Pension Fund Investment Forum. Among her experience includes 10 years experience in professional mentoring of women.
Qualifications: Hons (Economics and Marketing) University of Wales, Aberystwyth College, Hons (Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management) University of Cape Town and an MBA from Hull University.
Chad Smart
Chad co-founded the Capitalworks Group in 2006 and has 24 years of private equity and corporate finance experience. Chad has served or serves on the boards of several Capitalworks portfolio companies including Much Asphalt, Rosond, Rhodes Food Group and Petmin. He previously co-headed Brait Private Equity’s proprietary investment business and served as a Principal of the private equity funds and a Director of Brait Private Equity and Brait South Africa.
Chad holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and an Honours Degree in Accounting from the University of the Witwatersrand and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA) and a CFA charter holder.
Darshan Daya
Darshan co-founded the Capitalworks Group and has 21 years of private equity and investment banking experience.
Darshan Daya currently serves on the boards of Capitalworks, portfolio companies including Petmin and Gallus Holdings (the holding company of Sovereign Foods) and Minet Holdings Africa. He previously served as a Director of Brait Private Equity with executive responsibility for fund investments in various sectors, including payment services, environmental services and recruitment. Darshan holds an Honours Degree in Business Science from the University of Cape Town.
Andrew Hart
Strategic oversight of all Capitalworks finance, compliance, governance and administrative matters is led by the Capitalworks’ Group CFO, Andrew Hart, who manages a worldwide team of professionals. Andrew has overseen the finance, governance and administration of all investment funds within the Capitalworks group since 2007, including Mavovo Capital. Prior to Capitalworks, Andrew was a partner at Ernst & Young, where he led assignments across a broad base of clients, including multinationals, and industries, including retail, manufacturing, construction, advertising, transport, pharmaceutical and telecommunications. Andrew has a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and an honours degree in Accounting from the University of the Witwatersrand and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA).
Robert Oudhof
Robert has 19 years of financial services experience having spent 15 years at PwC South Africa and the last 4 years at Capitalworks as an Executive Director responsible for international finance and strategic projects. At PwC, Robert was an audit partner in the Banking & Capital Markets division wherein he led audit and risk consulting services across a range of clients, including investment banks, global markets, treasuries, retail banks and multinational group audits. Robert provided risk consulting services with an emphasis on credit, risk management, treasury, investment banking, technical accounting and regulation. Robert holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and an honours degree in Accounting from the University of Pretoria. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA).
Dr. Yvonne Muthien
Dr Muthien holds a PhD in Sociology and Politics from Oxford University (UK), and an MA from Northwestern University (USA). She has extensive executive management and board experience in commerce and finance, FMCG, telecommunications, as well as the public sector. Dr Muthien previously served as the CEO of Sanlam Group Services, as Vice-President of Coca-Cola Africa, and as Executive Director of MTN. Dr Muthien is the former Chairperson of Bankserv, the Chairperson of the Sasol Inzalo Foundation and non- executive Director of Thebe Investments. She has served on various other public and private sector boards in her career, including Transnet, SABC, Sanlam and Santam. Dr Muthien currently serves as Chairperson of the Rhodes Food Group (RFG), non-executive director of the SA Reserve Bank, and as non-executive director of the SA SME Fund.