Unpacking a Continent: Understanding Opportunities in African Property Markets

As momentum grows in African property investment and development, the time has come to unpack this continent and the significant opportunity and need that exists in its property markets.

We have assembled a formidable panel to delve into this exciting topic.

Panellists:
Prof François Viruly (UCT & URERU), Thomas Reilly (Investec/Growthpoint Africa Investment), David Morley (Actis) and Kevin Teeroovengadum (previously CEO of AttAfrica, multiple board member, currently on sabbatical).

Prof François Viruly is a well-known South African property economistand professor in Property Economics, Property Investment and Property Finance,with over 20 years' experience.  François previously held the positions of Chief Economist atthe Chamber of Mines, Head of Research at JHI and Head of School of the School of Construction Economics and Management at Wits University, and more recently Associate Professor at UCT and director of the UCT/Nedbank Urban Real Estate Research unit. He is also a non-executive director of the Accelerate Property Fund.

He is a Fellow of RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), past President and now the Executive Director of the African Real Estate Society and is the Acting Chair of the Ethics in Research Committee Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at UCT.  Professor Viruly has undertaken extensive research into the South African property cycle, the development of township commercial properties, and the application of Institutional Economics to the analysis of property markets in emerging countries. He also acts as an expert witness inproperty-related cases.

Thomas Reilly is Head of Africa Real Estate at Investec Asset Management and is the managing director for Growthpoint Investec African Properties. He is responsible for the overall management and strategy of the business, includinga specific focus on the raising of capital, property acquisitions and asset management activities. Before joining the firm, Thomas was the chief executive officer of the Sanlam Africa Property business which was listed on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius with three years of demonstrable track record. Prior to that he was the managing director of Sanlam Properties, the Group’s SouthAfrican property company.

Thomas has a long history in investment banking and property related fund management. He joined the Sanlam Group in 1999 and held various executive roles including Group Treasurer and Head of Market Activity where he was responsible for theSanlam Capital Market's financial market structuring and trading activities.  Prior to joining Sanlam he held various financial market roles in structuring and trading of derivative based products for ABSA Bank, now a member of the Barclays Group, having first joined the First Derivatives in 1994, a joint venture company between First National Bank and FirstCorp Merchant Bank.
Thomas holds an Honours degree in Economics from the University of South Africa.

"We are at work in the world's most dynamic andinteresting markets; creating real estate assets with the potential to transform Africa's urban landscapes."
David Morley has been working in growth markets for over two decades. He joined CDC in 1991 and was responsible for setting up its South Africa team in 1996, where he lived for seven years. David has been instrumental in a number of significant investments including Lenco in South Africa, Africa's Protea Hotels, TRAC Toll Concessions and the management buy out of Engro Chemicals in Pakistan.

Before joining Actis, David spent five years at Swiss-based commodities trader EDM Schluter & Co, much of it based in Africa. He holds a degree in economics and land economy from CambridgeUniversity, an MA in development economics from the University of East Anglia and an MBA from London Business School. David manages an opportunistic real estate fund, creating assets of institutional quality that are also green and enduring.

Kevin Teeroovengadum has extensive deal making experience in various sectors in Africa (Real Estate, Hospitality, Financial Services and Telecoms), M&A, structured trade/project finance. Overall, he has had extensive experience in various countries in Africa for last 18 years. He was a director at Actis focusing on Africa Real Estate Fund for 6 years (Fund 1 & Fund 2), led the exit of 2 key A-Grade Assets for Actis in 2012/13 and post Actis wasthe Founder CEO of AttAfrica which within 3 years became the biggest owner/manager of 6 shopping centres totalling 150,000 sqm in Ghana, Zambia and Nigeria. He is a regular speaker at major conferences in respect to Africa and Real Estate/Hospitality and is also an active writer. Currently, he is a Board Director and advisor of property companies, hotels and financial services companies in Mauritius and West Africa.

Sean Godoy is a property professional who has spent a decade working in various sectors of the property industry, in South Africa and theUK. He lived in London for the 4 years and relocated back to Johannesburg in early 2017. Most of his professional experience has been in property market analysis where he has developed a strong understanding of property markets and an interest in what makes them tick. More specifically, has a strong interestin cities and emerging economies.

Sean is passionate about South Africa, Africa, poverty alleviation, Proptech and education. In his own capacity and through his role on the executive committee of the South Africa Chamber of Commerce in London, he actively looks to promote and facilitate business and charitable activity between the UK and South Africa, and further afield. He is passionate about promoting the African property industry and the opportunities it holds.
Sean will moderate this panel.

This event is proudly brought to you by the South African Chamber of Commerce (UK) in partnership with  the Urban Land Institute UK