DAVID MAKOVAH
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
David has won multiple awards including Executive Education Lecturer of the year 2012/2014/2015 at the Wits Business School, MBA Lecturer of the Year (Part Time) 2015 at GIBS. David is highly regarded in the banking and financial services sector in South Africa and beyond, having conducted engagements in countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Dubai, United Kingdom, Tunisia, Egypt, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and India.
He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a PhD in Project and Infrastructure Finance that focused on holistic measures for the more effective execution of infrastructure and project finance initiatives in sub- Saharan Africa.
David’s desire to teach business principles in a practical and engaging way at scale, drove his founding of Mr-Mak.
He is a passionate proponent of Africa’s potential through people and business, an avid reader and traveller, and a novice and very limited golfer.
He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a PhD in Project and Infrastructure Finance that focused on holistic measures for the more effective execution of infrastructure and project finance initiatives in sub- Saharan Africa.
David’s desire to teach business principles in a practical and engaging way at scale, drove his founding of Mr-Mak.
He is a passionate proponent of Africa’s potential through people and business, an avid reader and traveller, and a novice and very limited golfer.
JULIUS MAKOVAH
Co-founder
Julius is an investment banker and corporate finance advisor with a passion for the Agri-Business sector. He is a registered Chartered Accountant. Julius spent 12 years at the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (‘’IDC’’) which is one of the leading development financial institutions in the country. The first six years were spent in IDC’s Project and Corporate finance division where he advised IDC’s business units on valuations, financial structuring and negotiations of commercial terms and conditions of transactions. The transactions included, inter alia, IDC funding of BEE companies acquiring into listed or unlisted companies or funding of greenfield projects.
He spent an additional six years as a Senior Dealmaker in the IDC’s agro-processing sector where he performed due diligences on sugar mills, confectionary, blueberry, pasta and chicken processing companies/projects, often leading the due diligence team. He advised on the restructuring of loans in non-performing companies/projects which makes him a well-rounded financial advisor.
He is deeply invested in the development of the African continent and its people through building large scale agricultural businesses across the value chain.
He spent an additional six years as a Senior Dealmaker in the IDC’s agro-processing sector where he performed due diligences on sugar mills, confectionary, blueberry, pasta and chicken processing companies/projects, often leading the due diligence team. He advised on the restructuring of loans in non-performing companies/projects which makes him a well-rounded financial advisor.
He is deeply invested in the development of the African continent and its people through building large scale agricultural businesses across the value chain.
KURREN NAICKER
Co-founder
Kurren founded Tactus Capital in 2013 and serves as Chief Executive Officer of the firm. He has over 16 years of local and international corporate finance experience. Prior to founding Tactus Capital he was an Assistant Director at PwC Corporate Finance in South Africa where he gained exposure to multinationals, listed companies, large private companies and BBBEE investment companies.
Whilst at PwC Corporate Finance, Kurren established and successfully co-led the India/South Africa corporate finance team during which time he had gained extensive business networks and advised major Indian companies on acquisitions, BBBEE and joint ventures in South Africa. He was also on a short term secondment to the PwC Corporate Finance Mumbai office.
His core experience includes advising on BBBEE, company valuations, acquisitions, divestitures, equity and debt capital raisings, mergers, China and India inbound Mergers & Acquisitions and balance sheet restructuring. At Tactus Capital his core focus is on originating, executing and implementing transactions across all aspects of corporate finance and within the firm’s industry experience.
Kurren is passionate about giving back to the community and about mentorship, and provides pro-bono advice to a number of start-ups and established Black owned businesses. He is a non-executive director of GL events South Africa, a subsidiary company of the multinational GL events S.A. as well as a few private investment companies in South Africa.
Kurren is a registered Chartered Accountant
His core experience includes advising on BBBEE, company valuations, acquisitions, divestitures, equity and debt capital raisings, mergers, China and India inbound Mergers & Acquisitions and balance sheet restructuring. At Tactus Capital his core focus is on originating, executing and implementing transactions across all aspects of corporate finance and within the firm’s industry experience.
Kurren is passionate about giving back to the community and about mentorship, and provides pro-bono advice to a number of start-ups and established Black owned businesses. He is a non-executive director of GL events South Africa, a subsidiary company of the multinational GL events S.A. as well as a few private investment companies in South Africa.
Kurren is a registered Chartered Accountant