We know the one thing that makes a business truly successful – is its people.
It’s the inspiring leaders who guide the company to even greater success. The expert teams that work together to make it happen. The passionate individuals who make the extra effort to exceed expectations. And our growing team of people are no exception.
Head of Banking Development
Matthew is a seasoned technology professional, with over 30 years’ experience in the manufacturing, beverage and human capital services industries, with the past ten years spent within the banking sector. Prior to joining Arise, he fulfilled the role of Regional Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Regions Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Standard Bank. In his CIO role he was responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of six banks technology portfolios and in his parallel roll of Regions CTO, he oversaw the infrastructure and technology operations for all countries outside the borders of South Africa. He has consulted to several bank executive committees and boards and is a standing member of several Risk & IT sub-committees.
Head of Risk and Compliance
Carla is a Certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM GARP) and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). She boasts extensive banking and consulting experience across various enterprise risk management disciplines such as governance, compliance and risk (e.g. operational, liquidity, market, treasury and credit risk). Prior to joining Arise she held the position of Senior Manager Financial Services Risk and Regulation at PricewaterhouseCoopers South Africa, where she was responsible for overseeing their financial services clients. Having held management positions at leading banks such as Standard Bank and Absa, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. She also holds a Master of Commerce from the University of Johannesburg, Operational Risk Manager Certificate from the Professional Risk Managers International Association (PRMIA), Certificate in Financial Engineering and Risk Management from the University of Columbia and a Bachelor of Commerce Honours (Economics) from Stellenbosch University.
Senior Manager: Banking & Innovation
Zahir is a seasoned IT and Innovation Specialist with more than 18 years’ experience. He began his career as a Developer on E-Business and Workforce Management systems in the telecommunications sector. Subsequently, he held several roles at Nedbank ranging from Business Analyst, Head Reward Analytics and Operations, Head: Rest of Africa Strategy and Special Projects to his most recent role of Senior Innovation Strategist in the Retail and Commercial Banking business.
During his extensive tenure at Nedbank, he led several innovation initiatives and played an instrumental role in architecting Nedbank’s investments in Ecobank and Banco Único. In addition, he was also tasked with the development, operationalization, and management of the post-acquisition programmes for both the Ecobank and Banco Único investments. Zahir holds a Bsc Hons Computer Science Degree and an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand.
Environmental, Social and Governance Specialist
Elan is a seasoned ESG specialist with 19 years’ corporate experience. His focus is on enhancing portfolio value across the “three capitals” – financial, social, and natural. Prior to joining Arise, Elan worked at an international consultancy, based out of London and Cape Town, where he advised a range of organisations including listed corporates, various arms of the United Nations, multilateral financial institutions, and various other financial institutions (EDFIs, EPFIs etc.) and international private equity firms. Elan is a Chartered Environmentalist (UK) and a registered professional environmental scientist (South Africa).
