Board of Directors
Dr. Serge Belamant: Director since 1997, CEO and Chairman
Dr. Serge C.P. Belamant has been our chief executive officer since October 2000 and the chairman of our Board since February 2003. From June 1997 until June 2004, Dr. Belamant served as chief executive officer and a director of Net1 Applied Technology Holdings, or Aplitec, whose business was acquired by Net1 in June 2004. From 1996 to 1997, Dr. Belamant served as a consultant in the development of Chip Off-Line Pre-Authorized Card, which is a Visa product. From October 1989 to September 1995, Dr. Belamant served as the managing director of Net1 (Pty) Limited, a privately owned South African company specializing in the development of advanced technologies in the field of transaction processing and payment systems. Dr. Belamant also serves on the boards of a number of other companies that perform welfare distribution services and the provision of microfinance to customers. Dr. Belamant spent ten years working as a computer scientist for Control Data Corporation where he won a number of international awards. Later, he was responsible for the design, development, implementation and operation of the Saswitch ATM network in South Africa that rates today as the third largest ATM switching system in the world. Dr. Belamant has patented a number of inventions besides the FTS patent ranging from biometrics to gaming-related inventions. Dr. Belamant has more than 27 years of experience in the fields of operations research, security, biometrics, artificial intelligence and online and offline transaction processing systems. Dr. Belamant holds a PhD in Information Technology and Management.
Herman Kotze: Director since 2004, CFO, Secretary and Treasurer
Herman Gideon Kotzé has been our chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer since June 2004. From January 2000 until June 2004, he served on the board of Aplitec as Group Financial Director. In mid-1997 until October 1998, Mr. Kotzé worked for the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited as a business analyst. Mr. Kotzé served his articles from 1994 to 1996 at KPMG in Pretoria, South Africa, and in 1997 he became the audit manager for several major corporations in the manufacturing, mining, retail and financial services industries. Mr. Kotzé joined Aplitec in November 1998 as a strategic financial analyst. Mr. Kotzé is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Christopher Seabrooke: Director since 2005, CEO of Sabvest Ltd
Christopher Stefan Seabrooke has been a member of our Board since January 2005. Mr. Seabrooke has served on the board of directors of over twenty listed companies. Mr. Seabrooke is currently on the board of directors of the following five JSE Limited listed companies - Chief executive officer of Sabvest Limited, a finance and investment group, non-executive chairman of Metrofile Holdings Limited and Setpoint Technology Holdings Limited, nonexecutive deputy chairman of Massmart Holdings Limited and a nonexecutive director of Datatec Limited, which is also listed on AIM in the UK. Mr. Seabrooke is a member of The Institute of Directors in South Africa. Formerly, he was the chairman of the South African State Theater and the deputy chairman of each of the National Arts Council and the Board of Business and Arts South Africa. Mr. Seabrooke has degrees in Economics and Accounting from the University of Natal and an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand.
Antony Ball: Director since 2004, CEO of Brait Group
Antony Charles Ball has been a member of our Board since June 2004. Mr. Ball has held various senior leadership positions with the Brait Group, or Brait, since 1998 and has been the Chief Executive Officer of Brait since October 1, 2006. Mr. Ball has led the raising and governance of a number of Brait’s private equity funds and is responsible for certain of its private equity investments. Prior to assuming his current position at Brait, Mr. Ball served as joint deputy chairman of Brait from 1998 to March 2000. Prior to joining Brait, Mr. Ball was the Chief Executive of Capital Partners, which was the predecessor company to Brait and which pioneered the private equity market in South Africa, from 1991 to 1998. Mr. Ball began his career with Deloitte & Touche Consulting (1986-1991), where he co-founded its Strategy Group. Mr. Ball is a member of the board of Brait S.A. and its subsidiaries. Mr. Ball has been designated as a director by South African Private Equity Fund III, L.P., an affiliate of Brait, or SAPEF, pursuant to a contractual arrangement.
Alasdair Pein: Director since 2005
Alasdair Jonathan Kemsley Pein has been a member of our Board since February 2005. Between 1994 and March 2009, Mr. Pein served as the CEO of the Oppenheimer family’s private equity business (excluding Rest of Africa). During this period of time Mr. Pein served as a director of a number of private companies including companies in the Stockdale Street Group (formerly Southern Cross Capital Group), Central Holdings Limited and E Oppenheimer & Son International Limited. From 1995 to 2002 Mr. Pein served as President and CEO of Task (USA), Inc., a New York-based investment company. In addition, from 1998 to 2002, Mr. Pein was a director of Archangel Diamond Corporation Inc. and from 2001 to 2008, was a director of Arsenal Digital Systems, a privately-held US company that provides on-demand data protection services. Prior to 1994, Mr. Pein worked in London for Bankers Trust International mergers and acquisitions team. Mr. Pein is a qualified South African chartered accountant and completed his articles with Deloitte in Johannesburg in 1987.
Paul Edwards: Director since 2005, Executive Chairman of Merryn Capital
Paul Edwards has been a member of our Board since July 2005. Mr. Edwards is the executive chairman of Merryn Capital, a privately-owned financial services group. From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Edwards was executive chairman of Chartwell Capital Group. In January 2005, Mr. Edwards was appointed non-executive chairman of Starcomms Limited, a Nigerian telecommunications operator. Prior to that, Mr. Edwards was the chief executive officer of MTN Group, a pan-African mobile operator. Between 1999 and 2001, Mr. Edwards was the chief executive officer of the Johnnic Group in South Africa, of which the MTN Group was a subsidiary. Between 1995 and 1999, Mr. Edwards was the chief operating officer of MEASAT Broadcast Network, a Malaysian-based regional pay television operator. Between 1993 and 1995, Mr. Edwards was executive vice president of satellite television broadcaster Star TV, based out of Hong Kong. Between 1989 and 1993, Mr. Edwards was chief executive officer of Multichoice, Africa’s leading pay television operator. Mr. Edwards has a BSc and an MBA from the University of Cape Town.
Tom C. Tinsley: Director since September 2008, Director of General Atlantic LLC
Mr Tinsley has been employed by General Atlantic LLC, or GA, since 1999 and currently serves as a managing director of GA. Mr Tinsley has served on numerous boards of directors of both private and public companies in the United States. Prior to joining GA, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive of the management board of BAAN Company NV, a leading provider of enterprise software solutions. Prior to joining Baan Company NV, he was a director at McKinsey & Company, where he was employed for 18 years. Mr Tinsley serves on our Board as the nominated director pursuant to a contractual arrangement between us and investment entities affiliated with GA pursuant to which GA is entitled to designate one person to serve on our Board. Mr Tinsley received a MBA from The Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1978.