Kuseni Dlamini – Chairman
Kuseni Dlamini joined Fedgroup as Chairman in 2021. Kuseni is the former CEO of Old Mutual South Africa and Emerging Markets, as well as the former head of Anglo American South Africa, a member of the Executive Committee of Anglo American plc in London and was the Director of Anglo Platinum. Currently, he is Chairman of the Board of Massmart Holdings Limited, a leading African retail group, as well as being the Chairman of JSE–listed and leading global pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd.
Kuseni graduated from the Universities of KwaZulu-Natal and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He saw success early in his career after being named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, as well as being selected as the top 100 most influential people in South African mining by MiningX. The Mail & Guardian named him as one of the top 200 young people worth taking to lunch, while the Economist referred to him as "A Rare Commodity".
As part of his career in mining, he held several senior positions at AngloGold Ashanti and De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Kuseni has not only been successful throughout his career, but he has played an active role in many charitable organisations and causes. He is a member of the Global Agenda Council on Economic Growth and Poverty Alleviation, co-Chairman of the annual World Economic Forum Africa Summit, as well as the former Chairman of the Board of SANParks, where he was responsible for leading the development and implementation of a successful anti-rhino poaching strategy. He was also appointed Chairman of the Council of the University of Pretoria, the biggest contact university in South Africa.
Grant Field – Group Chief Executive Officer
Grant Field has been the CEO of Fedgroup since 2015, having worked for the group since 2002.
Field's unique approach is informed by his broad experience in the financial services industry, underpinned by his BSc in Engineering, an MBA and years of work within the IT space. After joining the company to help set up the IT department, his expertise in the aforementioned disciplines saw him being promoted to the position of Fedgroup's COO. He was personally responsible for initiating a software project to design a bespoke system specialising in the administration of all Fedgroup lines of business.
In his current position as CEO, Field is spearheading a client-centric, personalised approach to the provision of financial services, which is no longer the industry norm. This is made possible by the independence offered by the Fedgroup business model. In addition, Grant is ensuring that Fedgroup remains at the cutting edge of developments in the financial services space through the integration of technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence), IoT (Internet of things), peer-to-peer models and blockchain, amongst others.
Ade Animashahun – Independent Non-Executive Director
Ademola has a successful thirty-three-year track record in the financial services sector, which was gained in the UK and South Africa. He has a strong commercial outlook coupled with strategy and policy formulation and implementation.
Ademola is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries London, a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa and obtained MBA from a leading European business school. He has operated across a broad range of financial services organisations including a bank, insurance companies, asset management (including private equity) and financial services consulting organisations; in varieties of senior positions, which included an executive director and a managing director role.
Fedgroup benefits greatly from Ademola’s key skills in organisational leadership, business development, financial capital markets, financial and risk management, strategy design and implementation, customer service as well as continuous stakeholder engagement. He has the skills and experience for balancing organisational competing demands in the short and long term, optimising bottom-line profitability, and creating sustainable shareholder value.
Lerato Okeyo – Independent Non-Executive Director
Lerato Okeyo graduated from the University of Lesotho in 1997 with a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science, and in 2005 completed her Master's in Business Administration at the Wits Business School. She completed her MBA electives in finance at the Cranfield School of Management (UK).
Okeyo has years of experience in private equity investments, including heading a number of BEE investment companies, such as the CIDA Empowerment Fund. She served in various company leadership structures during her career, and in various capacities, including chairperson, independent non-executive director and trustee.
Walter van der Merwe – Chief Executive Officer – Fedgroup Life
Walter van der Merwe joined Fedgroup as CEO of Fedgroup Life thirteen years ago, when the decision was taken to transform Fedgroup from a specialist trust and participation bond company into a fully-fledged life insurance group.
Throughout the years that followed, Van der Merwe oversaw the process of acquiring new licenses, building new systems, innovating products and services, and employing the right people. Today, Fedgroup Life is an insurer licensed to conduct life insurance business, and Fedgroup Financial Holdings is a licensed controlling company.
Fedgroup continues to benefit from Van der Merwe's 32 years in the industry, actuarial expertise and his passion for Fedgroup's products and services, as well as treating customers fairly.
Scott Field – Non-Executive Director
Scott Field is the CEO of Fieldspace Property Group and a non-executive director of Fedgroup. He is passionate about the South African property industry and loves the art of building. Scott was previously Fedgroup's chief financial officer and has 11 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Scott completed his Honours Degree in Accounting at the University of the Witwatersrand and thereafter completed his articles and CA(SA) degree. Following his articles, he took a secondment to the United States with the firm RSM McGladrey.
Scott joined Fedgroup in 2006 and fulfilled various roles within the Group, ultimately taking on the position of chief financial officer before the Group’s restructure in 2015 when he was named Chief Executive Officer of Fieldspace, and non-executive director on the board of Fedgroup.
At Fieldspace the business is led with the entrepreneurial family spirit that was core to it when it was started. His property approach is relentless to ensure that the property portfolio remains relevant and robust and continues to offer value to our tenants’ businesses.
John Field - Honorary Founder
John Field was born in Sydney, Australia. He completed his degree in chartered accounting on a scholarship from the University of Western Australia in 1974. He then immigrated to South Africa with his wife.
Field completed his South African chartered accounting degree and MBA at the University of the Witwatersrand, also obtaining qualifications as a commercial and industrial specialist and as a trust and estate practitioner. In 1991 he joined Fedsure as managing director and 35% shareholder of its Participation Bond scheme, FedBond. Ten years later, he bought out Fedsure's 65% in the Participation Bond business and launched Fedgroup as an independent company.
Under his leadership, Fedgroup became a specialist South African financial services provider, constantly innovating and adding new products to the offering. Fedgroup is now one of the biggest holders of licences in the local financial services industry, which includes licences for collective investment schemes, asset management, life insurance, employee benefits, trust administration and fund administration.