Team

 

Mr. Valk started his career in banking at ABN AMRO and ING in the Netherlands, where he worked in corporate banking and SME banking, with clients spread throughout Europe. Thereafter he was one of the founding partners of an internet start-up in Paris, France. He subsequently moved to FMO, where he managed both private equity and debt clients in Sub Sahara Africa. He then spent 9 years at the Alios Finance Group, Sub Sahara Africa’s largest leasing company outside South Africa, of which the last 8 years as group CEO. He managed a team of 250 people from many different nationalities, both Francophone and Anglophone Africa as well as Europe. During his tenure, the size of the company was tripled, and he built experience in setting up new leasing companies in a number of countries in Africa. He has experience in Francophone Africa and has a good command of French.

Mr Valk has an MA in International law from the University of Utrecht and University of East London, as well as an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management and IESE in Barcelona, Spain.

 

Mr. van Wijk started his banking career with Credcor, a subsidiary of BOE Bank in South Africa where he worked in consumer lending. During this time he was responsible for developing and launching of a vehicle finance product for the unbanked market in South Africa. He then joined Nedbank where he started as Snr. Manager Product for the Vehicle and Asset Finance division focussing on the Retail and SME markets. He rose through the ranks until he became Head of New Business Development. He then subsequently moved to Toyota Tsusho Africa in the role as General Manager Leasing and Insurance responsible for all their Distributors in Africa. He was tasked to establish the first leasing company for Toyota Tsusho Corporation‘s Toyota Distributor’s across Africa. He successfully established Tsusho Capital in South Africa, Kenya and Mauritius and become the Managing Director of the group.

In 2012, Sakkie decided to leave the company and focus on providing advisory services for financial institutions, manufacturers and funds involved in financial services in Africa. During this time he has been involved in projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa focussing on vendor finance programs across various asset types and market segments.
Mr. van Wijk has an Honours degree in Business Management and B. Commerce degree in Business Economics from the university of the North West in South Africa.