Sygnia SENS statement
Shareholders are advised as follows:
1. Notice of special general meeting
A special general meeting of shareholders of Sygnia will be held on Tuesday, 2 October 2018 at 10h00 in the auditorium of the offices of the company at 7th Floor, The Foundry, Cardiff Street, Green Point, Cape Town, 8001 regarding the election of three new directors as stated in the notice of the special general meeting and in compliance with the company’s Memorandum of Incorporation.
In terms of section 59 of the Companies Act, No 71 of 2008, the record date for the purpose of determining which shareholders are entitled to participate in and vote at the special general meeting is Friday, 21 September 2018. The notice of special general meeting has been distributed to shareholders today.
2. Changes to the board
Subject to the necessary approvals being obtained from shareholders as set out in paragraph 1 above, the board of Sygnia has appointed:
2.1 Mr Mcebisi Jonas as a non-executive director to the board of Sygnia with effect from 1 September 2018. Mcebisi (58) holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History & Sociology from Vista University and a Higher Diploma in Education from Rhodes University. He is a former Deputy Finance Minister of the Government of South Africa, a position he held between 2014 and 2017. Prior to his appointment to national government, Mcebisi played key leadership roles in managing of the Eastern Cape where he served as a provincial MEC of Finance, as well as MEC of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
He has also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Cape Development Corporation and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Investment and Marketing in the Eastern Cape, developing the investment promotion agenda for the province.
He is also the former chairperson and non-executive director of the Public Investment Corporation. Since June 2018 Mcebisi has served as an independent, non-executive director of the MTN Group Limited. Mcebisi is currently one of four independent Presidential Investment Envoys, appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to promote foreign investment in South Africa.
2.2 Mr Andre Crawford-Brunt as a non-executive director to the board of Sygnia with effect from 1 November 2018.
Andre started his career at Ivor Jones Roy in Johannesburg in 1994 which was bought out by Deutsche Bank. He subsequently spent 22 years at Deutsche Bank, working in senior leadership roles in Johannesburg, London and New York. His final position was that of Global Head of Equity Trading. Andre left Deutsche Bank in 2015.
Read also: Magda Wierzycka shuts Sygnia hedge funds, slams managers for investment ‘ruse’
Andre is currently the Managing Partner at Braavos Partners, a late stage global investment and financial advisory firm focusing on biotechnology and information technology companies. In addition, he is an advisor to and an investor in the £600 million Oxford Sciences Innovation Fund, a Chairman at Osler Diagnostics, a blood diagnostic start-up company spun out of the chemistry department at Oxford University, and a Chairman of PQ Shield, a start- up company focused on post-quantum cryptography working in collaboration with the Maths Institute at Oxford University. Andre is also a director and founder investor of Deep Science Ventures, and a director of Next Biosciences, the largest cord blood tissue bank in Africa.
2.3 Mr David Hufton as an executive director to the board of Sygnia with effect from 1 September 2018.
David (50) holds a Bachelor of Economic Science (Actuarial) from the University of the Witwatersrand and is a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa and a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in the United Kingdom. David is a former national Head of Consulting at Alexander Forbes where he had oversight of Alexander Forbes Consultants & Actuaries, Umbrella Funds, Asset Consulting, Insurance Consulting and Healthcare divisions. He also held various other leadership positions at Alexander Forbes over his 25 years with the company and served on the Alexander Forbes Financial Services Executive Committee.
Since joining Sygnia in February 2016, David has aided the growth of new and strategic initiatives and manages some significant operational units and key business lines. He was appointed to the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer in July 2018.
