Rhodes University Trust

The Team

Trustees:

 

Volunteers:

Geoffrey de Jager

Geoffrey was born and educated in South Africa. He graduated from Rhodes in 1973 with a B.Comm and from Natal University in 1975 with an LLB. He is married to Caroline and they have four children. He began his working life as a lawyer before going into banking. He was one of the founding directors of Rand Merchant Bank Limited where he remained as executive director in charge of Investments and Corporate Finance until he emigrated to the UK in 1987.

In the UK he co-founded two stock-broking firms, ES Securities Limited and RND International Limited which he disposed of in the 90’s. He has served on numerous boards including Rand Merchant Bank Limited, Lenco Holdings Limited and Malbak Limited.

Together with his twin brother, Douglas, he founded Anglo Suisse Investment Holdings Limited. ASI is an investment company with a diverse investment portfolio and interests in industrial property in the UK as well as manufacturing. Originally ASI’s manufacturing interests included packaging companies in Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the UK. By 2003 ASI had disposed of all its non UK manufacturing facilities and was also the first company to sell one of its subsidiaries to Black Empowerment when, through its South African holding company, Lenco, it sold House of Monatic to Brimstone Investment. In the UK, ASI’s principle business is Sharp Interpack Limited. Sharp is the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of rigid thermoformed plastic packaging with four factories in the UK and a sales office in Holland generating sales in excess of £100 million. It employs more than 600 people in the UK.

Geoffrey enjoys sailing and skiing and is occasionally seen on a golf course. He is a trustee of the Rhodes University UK Trust and is a Patron of the Sparrow Schools Foundation. He lives in Switzerland and also spends time in Oxford.

Mike Simson – Treasurer

Mike was in Botha House and received his B.Com (hons) from Rhodes in 1980 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloittes in Johannesburg. In 1984 he had an 18 month secondment to the London offices of Deloitte which turned into a 6 year assignment mainly in the firm’s corporate finance department. Since then he has been a director of fully listed group, Princedale and following its take-over worked for the acquirers, Chicago based industrial Group, Marmon on M&A. He is now a director of Buckingham Corporate Finance and also a non-exec director of Hallam Plastics. He is an avid golfer, bad skier and a rugby fan. He lives near the Thames in Chiswick and if he had more time would like to row again – the sport he fell in love with at Rhodes.

Andrew La Trobe

Andrew LatrobeAndrew started in Cory House at Rhodes in 1985, having moved across from St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown. He fulfilled his boyhood dream of playing rugby and cricket for Rhodes on Great Field. He left in 1989 with a B.Com (Hons) and a fiancee to continue his studies as a Rhodes Scholar in Oxford. He went back to South Africa to work for Standard Merchant Bank only to return to London with the bank in 1996. In order to keep his wife on her toes he moved his family to Singapore with Standard Bank in 2003. After a stint fulfilling his ambitions to swim in clear blue water and play on magnificent tropical golf courses he returned to London in 2005. He now works in the City for the Royal Bank of Scotland. He plays no golf and does too little trustee work (his wife wrote this) in order to spend time with his wife and five children. Andrew and Ingrid (Milner, 1986) are also involved in several educational initiatives in Grahamstown and he is particularly interested in supporting Rhodes University’s community outreach programmes.

Michael Chapman

Mike was at Rhodes from 1959 to 1963 having matriculated from Grey Port Elizabeth. He graduated with a BA and went onto to gain an MA at Oxford. At Rhodes he was Senior Student of Founders Hall and Chairman of the SRC. He represented SA Universities in Athletics, and gained an Oxford Blue, also for athletics before a quick fade. He lived in Canada and the USA where he was President and Vice Chairman of Wood Gundy, Inc. in New York. Subsequently he was Vice Chairman/Senior VP of the Bank, Montreal Nesbitt Burns International and Chairman of the Canada /UK Chamber of Commerce, Association of Canadian Investment Dealers and Canada Club. He is now retired as a French farmer in Provence and happy to give time to raise money for Rhodes. Mike helped found the Rhodes University Trust (UK) and was its first Chairman until 2005.

Carmel Weitzmann

Carmel obtained a BSc and an LLB (with Distinction) from Rhodes University. Having graduated from Rhodes, she relocated to London, where she went on to study the Postgraduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School, obtaining the LPC with Distinction. She worked as a parelegal at international firms including Clifford Chance, Baker & McKenzie and CMS Cameron McKenna, and recently joined PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal LLP. In her spare time Carmel enjoys going to concerts, theatre and exploring the many wonderful sights London has to offer.

Tom Holmes

Tom Holmes, Founder & Chairman of creativebrief and Co-Founder of the Edinburgh International Marketing Festival

Tom graduated from Rhodes University in 1980 with a BA Degree with majors in Psychology and Drama. After 20 years in senior management positions working for a number of the world’s leading advertising networks, Tom saw a gap in the market and launched creativebrief in October 2002.

creativebriefconnects buyers (clients with marketing budgets) to sellers (agencies and media owners) and is used by many famous brands, enabling them to find the most effective marketing partners, saving time, cost and confusion, allowing them to do this confidentially, in an objective and transparent manner. In the last two years alone creativebrief has been asked to work with over 80 major client companies generating over $1bn in reviews across all marketing disciplines and sectors.

creativebrief is based in Regent Street, London and it’s management division includes, uniquely in the sector, real client and agency experience at the top level: Tom is from the agency side and has had Account Management roles at WCRS, Saatchi & Saatchi,, Board Director at The Lowe Group and was Executive Vice President of Grey Worldwide.  Managing Director, Paul Duncanson, is from client side, with over 20 years leading the marketing teams at companies including Sony Playstation, Carlton, Andrex, William Grant and Coca-Cola.

This mix of experience at the top level of both client and agency allows creativebrief to have clarity of understanding of the issues and challenges clients and agencies experience on a daily basis in their working relationships.  This gives the team valuable, directly relevant experience no other company in this sector enjoys.

Tom is also Co-Founder of the Edinburgh Internationl Marketing Festival which he launched with great success in 2010 with fellow Old Rhodian William Burdett-Coutts.  EIMF is the newcomer to the City’s world famous festival calendar.  It’s a first of its kind globally; a celebration of the marketing industry, its creativity and commercial value. High profile speakers from leading agencies and brands, debates on hot marketing topics and exhibitions or work by award-winning creatives; the Festival has something to attract everyone with an interest in the skills and commercial impact of marketing.

Tony Granger


Tony was born in South Africa, and grew up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where he attended Sinoia High School. Many of his teachers were ex Rhodians and he didn’t need much persuasion to follow in their footsteps. He graduated from Rhodes in 1973 with a BA in law and economics, and then joined the British South Africa Police as a regular member, where he served as a detective in various divisions. During this time he graduated from UNISA in 1975 with a B.Comm and again from Rhodes with an LL.B in 1979. He was admitted to the Cape Bar in September 1980 as an advocate.

He later joined Old Mutual as a legal adviser and rose up to be head of Corporate Executive Services, before emigrating to the UK in 1987. He was President of the Institute of Life and Pensions Advisers (now FPI) in South Africa and is a dual qualified Certified Financial Planner CFPCM. in South Africa and the United Kingdom. He is also an FRSA – Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, Commerce.

In the UK Tony has been active in consumer education in the financial planning areas of pensions, investments, education fees planning, estate planning and death taxes, business wealth strategies, succession planning, trusts and other areas and is the author of 14 books on financial planning. He has worked as MD/CEO of a number of UK financial services groups and now has his own financial planning business, servicing individuals and their families, corporates and trusts. Tony is responsible for many ‘firsts’ in innovation in UK financial services, including the establishment of the first Annuity Bureau to get clients the best deal for pension annuities; the first enterprise investment scheme fund approved by the Revenue in the UK and the first Trust Review Service.

Tony is widowed (his wife Joy worked at one time in the Fine Art Department at Rhodes), with two sons, James, a PE teacher and Chris, a doctor in the British Army. He still plays Golden Oldies Rugby (when they let him on the pitch), and enjoys walking, reading and creating new concepts in financial planning.

Claire Collet – Secretary

Claire Collet graduated from Rhodes University with a Social Science degree in 1987 and from UNISA with Honours in Psychology in 1992. She also holds an accounting qualification.

Before emigrating to the UK in 2000, Claire spent 6 years working as Student Adviser at the East London Campus of Rhodes University. During her time there the campus grew from approximately 300 students to over 1000 and it was here that she developed a real love and appreciation of Rhodes.

Claire currently works as a Departmental Administrator for Cambridge University’s Careers Service and also offers part-time administrative assistance to the Rhodes University Trust UK.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, dressing up and punting on the river Cam, a skill she has recently acquired and does with varying degrees of success.

Volunteers

Several other old Rhodians also offer their services on a voluntary basis to the Trust

Jonathon Rees

Jonathon is a history and journalism graduate from the class of 1989. He spent ten years in journalism before starting a career in public relations. After four years in Dubai, in 2000 Jonathon moved to London where he runs a science communication company.

Ian Davidson

Ian was in Botha and graduated with a BA (Economics and Legal Theory) in 1981. He now lives in Cape Town where he runs Ian Davidson Communications a specialist digital communications consultancy.

Prior to working in digital communications , Ian spent the best part of 15 years working in the PR, Branding and Advertising industry in South Africa, with companies such as Lintas and Ogilvy & Mather, as well as Aristos Marketing (his own business which he started in 1995).

Ian very kindly volunteered his time to help us build this web site.

Nevin Weakley

Nevin was in Smuts, College and Walker Houses and graduated with a B.A. Honours degree in Economics prior to receiving an M.Sc Degree from Trinity College Dublin and an MBA from Strathclyde Business School in Scotland. Nevin now lectures in London in Finance. He represented Rhodes at rowing and rugby and in 2007 completed the Cape Argus Cycle Tour.

Simon Grint

Simon left Rhodes at the end of 1991 and moved to Johannesburg where he started his career with BMW SA. Over the next five years he moved up to a Regional Manager position working very closely with the dealer network to build their businesses and improve financial performance. He left BMW to open his own business which he sold on two years later as part of a move to the UK. Since then, he has qualified as a CIMA accountant, held senior finance positions in FTSE 100 companies and now offers Finance Director services to owner-managed businesses.