Brandt retires as Capricorn Group and Bank Windhoek chairman, stays in control of Capricorn Investment Holdings
Bank stallwart, Mr Koos Brandt, retires this Friday 30 June as chairman of the boards of Bank Windhoek and the Capricorn Group but will continue his involvement as non-executive director. However, he remains in control of the investment shell as chairman of the board of Capricorn Investment Holdings (CIH).
Equally astute banker, Mr Johan Swanepoel succeeds Brandt as chairman of the Bank Windhoek and Capricorn Group boards. Swanepoel who became the Managing Director of Bank Windhoek at the tender age of 39 in 1999, has been identified as Brandt’s successor several years ago, according to the succession plan approved by the board then. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Swanepoel first led the bank, and then the group since 2005 before the incorporation of Capricorn Investment Holdings.
Swanepoel retires as Group Managing Director of the CIH group, also on Friday 30 June 2017. He will remain a non-executive director of CIH but will no longer serve on the boards of Bank Gaborone and Cavmont Bank in Zambia. Both entities are also in the CIH stable.
“On behalf of the boards, management and staff of the group, we would like to thank Mr Koos Brandt for his vision, leadership and exemplary service as chairman of Bank Windhoek since 1990 and also of Capricorn Group, since its incorporation as Bank Windhoek Holdings in 1996. He was a founding member of Bank Windhoek in 1982 when one group of local entrepreneurs established a Namibian bank in competition to Swabank, the other local bank founded by a different group of entrepreneurs. Swabank eventually became lost in the myriad of shareholder changes that ultimately led to the formation of Nedbank Namibia.
“Brandt is a well-respected business leader with a passion for Namibia, a strong entrepreneurial spirit, a determination to succeed against all odds and an uncompromising stance on ethical behaviour. A true philanthropist at heart, he lives by the principle “let them know you by your deeds”. These values and humble attitude makes him stand out as a leader and guided the way that the Capricorn Group has conducted its business and engaged with its stakeholders since its establishment” stated current group Managing Director, Thinus Prinsloo.
