Our People

Kokkie Kooyman – Global Fund Manager
B.Com(Hons), CA(SA)
University of Stellenbosch & University of Cape Town.

He is responsible for managing the Sanlam Global Financial and Sanlam Global Best Ideas Funds.

Kokkie established SIM Global in 2004.  Prior to joining Sanlam Investment Management, Kokkie spent five years managing the local and global financial fund at Coronation Fund Managers. Before joining Coronation, Kokkie spent 10 years at Old Mutual Asset Management in various investment management roles of escalating responsibility, ending his career at Old Mutual as the head of the financial services sector.

Kokkie has a AA rating with Citywire UK. He has been awarded the Investment Fund Manager of the Year award (Category: Specialist Financial) for 2010 and 2011.

Douw Steenekamp – Fund Manager
B.Compt (Hons), CA (SA)
UNISA

Douw heads up the industrial analyst team and takes responsibility for the research process of the Sanlam Global Best Ideas Fund.

Douw started at SIM Global in July 2011. Prior to joining SIM Global he co-founded Orthogonal Investments, a boutique asset manager managing domestic long only balanced, bond and equity mandates. During his time there he also co-managed the Nedgroup Investment Equity Fund. He spent 15 years with Old Mutual Asset Managers (now OMIGSA) where he held several research positions, including head of the industrial sector research team, before assuming responsibility for the value equity style boutique in 2002.

In this capacity he was responsible for the development and implementation of the unit’s investment philosophy, the management of various value style portfolios and the marketing of the boutique’s capability. During his tenure at OMAM, Douw was at various times the manager of the OM Global Equity fund, OM Consumer fund, OM Value fund and OM High Yield Opportunity fund unit trust portfolios, in addition to a number of institutional client portfolios.

Jacques du Plessis – Chief Operating Officer
B.Tech Financial Information Systems
Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Jacques is responsible for all operational functions within SIM Global.

Jacques joined SIM Global in April 2009 from the Sanlam Investments Finance department where he worked for 13 years.

Catherina is responsible for researching international companies in the Financial sector.

Catherina has been with SIM Global since May 2008. After completing her articles at KPMG in 2001, she joined Gensec as a graduate trainee. In 2004 she joined Sanlam Investment Management as a bank analyst and in 2006, left for London to work in the Emerging Market team at Schroeder’s Investment Management.

Jacobus Oosthuizen – Senior Global Equity Analyst
M.Compt, CA(SA), CFA
University of the Free State

Jacobus is responsible for research international companies in Brazil & India.

He was working for SIM Global on secondment since July 2006 and has been permanently employed by SIM Global since November 2009. He previously worked for Rand Merchant Bank as an investment analyst on a proprietary Emerging Market Corporate Bond portfolio (2003-2006) and held various risk and capital management

positions in RMB Treasury between 2002 and 2003. He completed his articles with Ernst & Young in 2001.

Laura Ford – Global Equity Analyst
B.Com
UNISA

Laura is responsible for researching international companies in the Financial sector.
 
Laura spent eight years at Coronation Asset Management of which three were spent as Research Assistant to Kokkie and the financials team. She joined SIM Global in 2004 to assist Kokkie in the newly established business.

Guy Shirtliff – Junior Equity Analyst
B.Bus Science Hons (Finance – Non-CA)
University of Cape Town

Guy is responsible for assisting the equity analysts in their research.

Guy joined the SIM Global team in December 2009 after working in the Client Service division of Sanlam Investment Management for over 2 years. He completed the ASISA Investment Management Professional Induction program in 2009.

Russell Morse – Global Trader

Russell is responsible for all daily trading on the funds.

He joined Sanlam Investment Management from Coronation Asset Management where he worked as an equity trader.

Liesl Basson – Research Assistant
B.Com, MBA
University of Stellenbosch

Liesl is responsible updating financial models and assisting with research on Global Financial stocks.
 
Liesl has extensive experience in the asset management industry, having worked in the industry for 14 years. These included appointments at Metropolitan Asset Management as manager for Investment Services and at Coronation Asset Management as project coordinator for the operations team. Liesl joined SIM Global in July 2006.

Stacy Renecke – Research Assistant
B.Acc.(Hons), B,Compt.
University of Stellenbosch, UNISA (Hons) 

Stacy is responsible updating financial models and assisting with research on Global Financial stocks.
 
Stacy is a Sanlam bursary holder and worked as a financial controller at Sanlam while completing her honours degree. She completed her articles at Mazars in 2011. After a short stint as internal auditor at Sanlam, she grabbed the opportunity to joining the SIM Global team as a research assistant in October 2011.

Nora Geldenhuys – Marketing & Client Services Officer,
ND Personnel Management, Higher Certificate in Financial Markets & Instruments
Cape Technikon

Nora is responsible for all client service and marketing related functions.
 
Nora joined Sanlam Investment Management from Plexus Asset Management in 1998. She started her career at SIM in the Equity Research department reporting directly to head of research. Over the next 6 years she held positions in the Strategic Development and Marketing Departments. Nora joined the SIM Global team in August 2004.

Mishka Louw – Personal Assistant
Professional Receptionist & PA Diploma

Mishka is responsible for all the PA functions in the team as well as office management.

Mishka started at SIM Global on 1 April 2010. Previously she was the PA to the Private Equity team at Old Mutual Investment Group for 8 years.