company profile - ascent forge group ™€¦ · · 2017-05-11stakeholder, advocacy and campaign...

COMPANY PROFILE

Operational andstrategic finance

Transaction advisory and business development

Business improvement and training

Governance, risk andcompliance management

Investor relations and integrated reporting

Stakeholder, advocacy and campaign strategy

Market strategy,insights and intelligence

Full suite of corporateaffairs solutions

Reputation, regulatory and brand management

Other specialityservices

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BUSINESS ADVISORY AND IMPLEMENTATION SERVICES

The Ascent Forge Group (Pty) Ltd | Business Advisory and Implementation Services 1

The Ascent Forge Group (Pty) Ltd is a boutique business advisory and implementation firm that provides integrated, shared value-add solutions to organisations globally. We have offices in South Africa and the USA.

We have a track record of delivering bottom-line improvements and organisational and stakeholder value. Working closely with our clients, we anticipate and overcome complex business challenges, realise opportunities and achieve lower costs and higher output.

We are dedicated to helping organisations enter new markets, scout for opportunities and partners, mitigate risk, manage change, and resolve issues whether it’s financial, operational, political, regulatory, legal, labour, reputational or transactional.

Capital allocation and efficiency frameworks Capital management expenditure Working capital management Cost management and cost savings strategies Financial health checks and financial fatal flaw reviews Financial accounting and reporting Incentive schemes Strategic management support Development of operational and long-term plans

WHO WE ARE WHAT WE DO

We focus on advisory and implementation services covering the following core areas:

1. | OPERATIONAL ANDSTRATEGIC FINANCE

The Ascent Forge Group (Pty) Ltd | Business Advisory and Implementation Services2

Business and investment case Identifying business opportunities Due diligence Preparation of financial models for valuations

and funding applications Corporate advisors to the resources and

industrials sectors Developing and implementing

growth opportunities

Synergy execution Transaction investor relations (development

of investment narrative for the market, roadshows, shareholder mapping and analysis, peer comparative analysis)

Transaction communications (pre-transaction, announcement day, 90-day post transaction and integration strategies)

Transaction brand transition strategies

Full turnkey business process optimisation (diagnostics, deep dive assessments, implementation and labour optimisation)

Business turnaround strategy Project management Supply chain diagnostics and strategy Contract management Training staff for operational efficiency

WHAT WE DO CONTINUED...

3. |2. | BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT

TRANSACTION ADVISORY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (M&A, CAPITAL RAISINGS, RESTRUCTURINGS & IPOS)


Audit reviews of various function disciplines Risk assessments Regulatory strategy advisory Development of guidelines, frameworks,

processes and standard operating procedures Service level agreements Governance and compliance training

Setting up investor relations functions and training of inhouse team Best practice investor relations programmes

(strategic counsel, corporate messaging, earnings support, collateral development, market intelligence and surveillance reporting, ongoing financial media outreach and digital investor relations communications strategies)

Investment community engagement (investor targeting, buy and sell side programmes, shareholder mapping and analysis, peer comparative analysis)

Investor community events

Investor communications (results, pre-close day, AGMs/special meetings and announcements) Roadshows (results and non-deal

roadshows, deal roadshows, debt and equity funding roadshows)

Capital markets research and perception audits C-suite management transition and

transaction support Integrated annual reports Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and training Sustainability index reporting

5. |4. | GOVERNANCE, RISK AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

INVESTOR RELATIONS AND INTEGRATED REPORTING



Setting up fit-for-purpose strategic corporate affairs function and training of teams

Licence to operate and integration strategies Development of governance policies,

standards, processes and toolkits Executive communications Thought leadership strategy External communications strategy

development Media relations (includes media relations

strategies, press release writing, profile building, crisis management, media roadshows and roundtables, media audits and perception surveys, media training, financial reporting programmes for journalists)

Media training and presentation coaching Public affairs strategy development and

support Employee engagement and change

communications

Social media: audits, guidelines and strategies Messaging and organisation positioning

(Content creation, development of unified narratives and message framework, key themes, thought leadership content and policy house views)

Community development programmes Digital marketing, advertising, and app

development (in partnership with www.iww.co.za)

6. | FULL SUITE OF CORPORATEAFFAIRS SOLUTIONS

5The Ascent Forge Group (Pty) Ltd | Business Advisory and Implementation Services

7. | MARKET STRATEGY AND INSIGHTS

Stakeholder risk audits (internal audit function e.g. review of government relationships)

Stakeholder identification, mapping, analysis, and intelligence (includes stakeholder analysis metrics and mapping stakeholders’ interests, influence, power base and position)

Developing stakeholder repositories

Stakeholder engagement plans Stakeholder campaigning strategy

development and execution Stakeholder roadshows (C-suite support) Advocacy campaign strategies Third-party stakeholder outreach programmes

Market studies Market segmentation analysis New market entry intelligence and insights Go-to-market strategies

8. | STAKEHOLDER, ADVOCACYAND CAMPAIGNING



Development of reputation risk registers Reputation research and insights Political analysis and regulatory risk

assessments (general intelligence and risk reports)

Development of policy dashboards Public policy advocacy (regulatory ‘defeat,

distend and delay’ tactics/strategies) C-suite strategic public affairs support and

business strategy

Government investigations: business continuity and reputational defence strategies

Public affairs and policy opinion polling Crisis communications guidelines and

simulations (C-suite) Brand health trackers Identifying partnership opportunities

9. | REPUTATION, REGULATORY,AND BRAND MANAGEMENT

Placement of temporary and permanent staff Skills training and development Localisation/indigenous strategy and

programmes in various geographies

10. | OTHER SPECIALITYSERVICES


Managing Director: Finance and Operations. His career spans more than 20 years in operational finance, strategic finance, business development, business improvement, M&A synergy execution, project management, stakeholder management, regulatory and governance advisory, and various other commercial aspects, mainly within the resources sector.

Gary has extensive experience advising boards, executives, senior management and operational teams of multibillion dollar global listed entities. His competitive advantage is his wide-ranging expertise in the resources sector, on-the-ground practical work experience at mining operations in multiple geographies in Africa for global listed companies, and a broad network of strong contacts in the resources sector globally.

Until February 2014, he was based in Ghana as the Vice President & Regional Head of Finance of MENA & Eurasia region of Gold Fields Limited, one of the world’s top gold producers with a primary listing on the JSE and secondary listings on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Swiss Exchange (SWX). He also served as Chief Financial Officer

(CFO) for two entities in Ghana (Gold Fields Ghana Limited and Abosso Goldfields Limited). At that stage Gold Fields Ghana Limited was the largest company within Ghana and biggest private sector employer, with the largest surface gold mine in Africa by mining volumes. Gold Fields Ghana Limited and Abosso Goldfields Limited had combined revenue of US$1.4 billion per annum.

Previously, Gary was the Financial Manager at Gold Fields Ghana Limited (Tarkwa mine) driving the full commercial aspect of the operation. He also occupied various other financial operational roles in South Africa for Gold Fields Ltd, of which some of the operations have subsequently been spun off into Sibanye Resources.

Prior to that, he was the Capital Reporting Manager for Barrick Gold Corporation for the Africa Region, currently the world’s largest gold mining company in the world with listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. Barrick’s assets in Africa was spun-off into Acacia Mining Plc in 2010.

ASCENT’S CORE MANAGEMENT TEAM

Gary Hamann


Managing Director: Market Strategy, Corporate Affairs, and Investor Relations. Her professional career spans 21 years in corporate affairs, investor relations, business development, market strategy, reputation and brand management, financial media, crisis management, integrated communications, public affairs, regulatory and advocacy support, stakeholder affairs, integrated reporting, research and market intelligence, compliance audits and forensic investigations, CSI strategy, and sustainable development reporting.

Sharda was an award winning financial and investigative journalist for more than a decade and is a co-author of two books. She has been referred to as a “Fixer” of sorts in some markets in Africa, managing regulatory and reputational risk, government fallouts, driving business development and market strategies for global listed companies. Over the years, she has successfully managed multiple crises for both listed and private entities in multiple geographies, particularly on the African continent.

Sharda has extensive experience advising boards, executives, senior management and operational teams of global listed and private companies whether it’s relating to strengthening governance and compliance, building reputational and brand equity in multiple geographies, raising awareness, gathering market intelligence and insights to preparing for M&A activity, equity and debt capital raisings, secondary listings, IPOs, restructurings, and unbundling of assets.

She has wide-ranging experience, particularly in the resources sector (mining and energy), financial services, retail, ICT, and media sectors, and is knowledgeable on the statutory requirements of JSE, LSE and NYSE listed companies. She is a member of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa. She has comfortably managed teams of over 20 people and enjoys mentoring.

A competitive advantage is her on-the-ground work experience and a broad network of strong contacts in the media, business, regulatory and/or political world across

Sharda Naidoo

ASCENT’S CORE MANAGEMENT TEAM CONTINUED...


Africa and in countries such as the US, Canada, the UK, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, and Australia. In her last full-time corporate role, she covered 18 countries in Africa including South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia,Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Malawi, Swaziland, Lesotho, Burkina Faso, Cote d’ Ivoire, DRC, Mali and Egypt.

Until August 2016, she was an Executive at Liberty Holdings, a JSE and Nairobi-listed financial services company (insurance and investments) with a presence in 18 countries in Africa. She sat on the Executive Committee (Exco) of Liberty Group Arrangements Customer Facing Unit – comprising the B2B Liberty Corporate, Liberty Health and Liberty Africa Insurance businesses – driving the Group’s growth, expansion, and acquisitive strategy in chosen markets in Africa.

Previously, she was Managing Director of Capital Markets and Investor Relations (Africa) for FTI consulting, a New York-listed global business advisory firm, where she led the expansion of the practice in Sub-Saharan Africa and advised on cross border transactions in Africa arising from Europe, North America, Middle East, and Asia. Before leaving FTI due to a mountain bike accident, she was the lead advisor on an M&A transaction in the oil and gas sector, involving 32 countries across Africa as well as Malaysia, the UK, and Singapore. Her clients were primarily mining, energy and financial services companies.

Prior to that she was Regional Head of Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations for the MENA & Eurasia region of Gold Fields, one of the world’s top gold producers with primary listing on the JSE and secondary listings on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Swiss Exchange (SWX). In this capacity, she covered Ghana, Mali, Finland, and South Africa with exposure to the Peru, Philippines and Australian operations. She also travelled extensively to North America and Europe as part of investor roadshows and global strategy meetings, and was a representative on the International Council of Mining & Metals in London.

In the corporate world, Sharda also served as Head of Communications and Media Relations for HSBC Investment Bank Southern Africa.

She has also conducted research and market intelligence on Africa for US and UK-based companies and hedge funds. For 15 years she worked as a financial investigative writer and editor for South Africa’s top financial publications (such as Mail & Guardian, Business Day, Sunday Times, Financial Mail) and contributed to some of the leading US and UK financial publications, such as Financial Times. She has co-authored two books – one of which was distributed at the WTO meeting in Mexico in 2003.

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.ascentforgegroup.com

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company profile - ascent forge group ™€¦ · · 2017-05-11stakeholder, advocacy and campaign...

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