wilderness safaris board of directors

Wilderness Safaris buy-out: investors include Bono, Branson, Pierre Omidyar and Mo Ibrahim

The iconic safari company has announced that it has sold 58% of its shares to two groups, one of which has a Founders Board that reads like a Who’s Who of the world’s billionaire philanthropists. Safarious deputy editor, Tony Weaver reports.

Wilderness Safaris grew from a tiny outfit founded by bush guides, Colin Bell and Chris McIntyre in Botswana in 1983 – and then joined by the late Russel Friedman – into a tourism and conservation behemoth spanning eight countries: Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Seychelles.

Wilderness Safaris announced on July 12 that it was selling 34% of its shares to the social impact investment fund, The Rise Fund, managed by the giant US equity group, TPG Growth. This represents a total of just over 80-million ordinary shares.

In a separate announcement, Wilderness Holdings said it was selling a further 24% of ordinary shares – just over 60-million – to African Wildlife Holdings, an affiliate of FS Investors. The shares bought by FS Investors were the entire holdings previously held by Jochen Zeitz, Puma SE, and Kering.

The shares acquired by The Rise Fund were the entire holding held by Wine Investments Limited, described on the Wilderness Holdings website as “a subsidiary of The Travel Corporation, an international travel group with over 25 global award-winning brands owned by the Tollman family and which also controls Cullinan Holdings Limited.”

While little information is available about African Wildlife Holdings, The Rise Fund’s Founder’s Board reads like a Who’s Who of the world of philanthropy, tech, a bit of rock ‘n roll and industry.

They are – Bill McGlashan, David Bonderman and Jim Coulter, founding partners of TPG Capital; Jeff Skoll, first president of eBay; rock star Bono; philanthropist Lynne Benioff, wife of flamboyant tech billionaire, Marc Benioff ( Salesforce.com );British billionaire, Sir Richard Branson (Virgin); Mellody Hobson, vice chair of Starbucks, former chair of the board of directors of DreamWorks Animation and wife of Hollywood director-producer, George Lucas; Reid Hoffman, co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn; Sudanese-British philanthropist and telecoms billionaire, Mo Ibrahim; Indian Mahindra conglomerate chairperson, Anand Mahindra; philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple founder, Steve Jobs; billionaire philanthropist and founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar; and Unilever CEO, Paul Polman.

Chief Executive of Wilderness Holdings, Keith Vincent said;

“Wilderness has always been dedicated to a purpose-driven approach based on our 4Cs sustainability ethos of Commerce, Community, Culture and Conservation. We welcome our newest shareholder, The Rise Fund, and are proud to be standing shoulder to shoulder with such like-minded individuals. We are [now] even more committed to our founding vision: to conserve and restore Africa’s wilderness and wildlife by creating life-changing journeys and inspiring positive action.”

For his part, the Chief Executive of The Rise Fund, Bill McGlashan said;

“This is a great opportunity to partner with an important Africa-grown company to help them expand their business while building on their long track record and history of sustainability and environmental and social impact across the continent.”

While Mike Stone, Chief Investment Officer of The Rise Fund said,

“This investment marks a major milestone in the relationship we have built with Wilderness Holdings. Keith and his leadership team ranks as one of the very strongest in Africa, and Wilderness Holdings has the potential to create significant environmental and economic impact on the continent.”

In all the countries where it operates, Wilderness works closely with local community leaders and drives local economic growth by creating stable, well-paying jobs for members of those communities. The fund is managed by TPG Growth, a private investment firm with approximately US$13.5 billion in assets under management. The Wilderness investment is its second foray into Africa. The fund will be represented on the Wilderness Holdings board by Yemi Lalude and Jide Olanrewaju.

Source: Safarious.com, the Botswana Government Facebook page Image credits: Bono by Web Summit, Richard Branson by Chatham House, Pierre Omidyar by JD Lasica, Mo Ibrahim by World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland

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Well here is some cool news…

As of July 12, 2018 Wilderness Safaris, famed for awesome safari camps such as Mombo and Bisate, has been bought out by a number of very wealthy investors including Bono, Sir Richard Branson, Luarene Jobs (Steve Jobs’ widow), and many others … the list of investors reads like a who’s who in the world of philanthropy, tech, and rock n’ roll!

Here is the full press release:

The iconic safari company has announced that it has sold 58% of its shares to two groups, one of which has a Founders Board that reads like a Who’s Who of the world’s billionaire philanthropists.

Wilderness Safaris grew from a tiny outfit founded by bush guides Colin Bell and Chris McIntyre in Botswana in 1983 – and then joined by the late Russel Friedman – into a tourism and conservation behemoth spanning eight countries: Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Seychelles.

Today (July 12, 2018) it announced that it was selling 34% of its shares to the social impact investment fund, The Rise Fund, managed by the giant US equity group, TPG Growth. This represents a total of just over 80-million ordinary shares.

In a separate announcement, Wilderness Holdings said it was selling a further 24% of ordinary shares – just over 60-million – to African Wildlife Holdings, an affiliate of FS Investors. The shares bought by FS Investors were the entire holdings previously held by Jochen Zeitz, Puma SE, and Kering.

The shares acquired by The Rise Fund were the entire holding held by Wine Investments Limited, described on the Wilderness Holdings website as “a subsidiary of The Travel Corporation, an international travel group with over 25 global award-winning brands owned by the Tollman family and which also controls Cullinan Holdings Limited.”

While little information is available about African Wildlife Holdings, The Rise Fund’s Founder’s Board reads like a Who’s Who of the world of philanthropy, tech, a bit of rock ‘n roll and industry.

They are: Bill McGlashan, David Bonderman and Jim Coulter, founding partners of TPG Capital; Jeff Skoll, first president of eBay; rock star Bono; philanthropist Lynne Benioff, wife of flamboyant tech billionaire, Marc Benioff ( Salesforce.com ); British billionaire, Sir Richard Branson (Virgin); Mellody Hobson, vice chair of Starbucks, former chair of the board of directors of DreamWorks Animation and wife of Hollywood director-producer, George Lucas; Reid Hoffman, co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn; Sudanese-British philanthropist and telecoms billionaire, Mo Ibrahim; Indian Mahindra conglomerate chairperson, Anand Mahindra; philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple founder, Steve Jobs; billionaire philanthropist and founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar; and Unilever CEO, Paul Polman.

Chief Executive of Wilderness Holdings, Keith Vincent, said “Wilderness has always been dedicated to a purpose-driven approach based on our 4Cs sustainability ethos of Commerce, Community, Culture and Conservation.

“We welcome our newest shareholder, The Rise Fund, and are proud to be standing shoulder to shoulder with such like-minded individuals. We are [now] even more committed to our founding vision: to conserve and restore Africa’s wilderness and wildlife by creating life-changing journeys and inspiring positive action.”

Chief Executive of The Rise Fund, Bill McGlashan said “this is a great opportunity to partner with an important Africa-grown company to help them expand their business while building on their long track record and history of sustainability and environmental and social impact across the continent.”

Mike Stone, Chief Investment Officer of The Rise Fund said “this investment marks a major milestone in the relationship we have built with Wilderness Holdings. Keith and his leadership team ranks as one of the very strongest in Africa, and Wilderness Holdings has the potential to create significant environmental and economic impact on the continen

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Matome joins OWS to recruit for substantive Managing Director

The Board of Okavango Wilderness Safaris (OWS) has announced the appointment of Joseph “Joe” Matome as the Caretaker – Managing Director of OWS.

He will assume this role from the 1st Of November 2023. A primary task for Joe will be to head the search for a substantive MD of OWS. We anticipate that this process will take 3-4 months to achieve. Joe with play a key role in assisting the business to find the very best MD, with a deep search commencing across Botswana and further afield.

We have chosen not to rush this process to ensure we get the right leader for this very special business. Joe is no stranger to the tourism and conservation sector. Having been the lead of the Debswana Tourism Project, Masedi Farming Initiatives and many others. Today these projects are the blueprint which are being used across Botswana today.

Joe has also been a board member of the Kalahari Conservation Society for over 20 years and, he is currently its chairman. He further sits on the Mokolodi Trust Project and the Children in the Wilderness Board too. “We are extremely pleased to have Joe in this role. He has a unique set of skills that will ensure we set up our business for success well into the future.

Joe has a deep love for conservation, communities and safari, all the attributes of a great Wilderness team member, the future looks very bright for OWS, ” said Board Chair Kabelo Binns.

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• Company Wilderness Holdings Limited

BW0000000868

Leisure & recreation, business description: wilderness holdings limited.

Members of the board: Wilderness Holdings Limited

Company details: wilderness holdings limited.

Wilderness Holdings Ltd.

373 Rivonia Boulevard

2128, Rivonia

Guided Tour Operators

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Matome is new Wilderness Botswana Managing Director

As wilderness localise the position he is the first indigenous motswana to lead the company, dikarabo ramadubu.

Former Debswana Executive, Joseph Matome has been appointed the first substantive indigenous Motswana Managing Director of Wilderness Botswana with effect from 1st November 2023, Botswana Guardian can reveal.

Matome got the nod after responding to an advertisement currently circulating on national newspapers. Wilderness Botswana is a world- renowned leading conservation and hospitality company proudly founded in Botswana in 1983 then known as Okavango Wilderness Safaris ( OWS).

Wilderness predominately operates in the Delta in Moremi Game Reserve in places such as Mambo, and Linyanti Vambura – to mention but a few.

Matome, a former Group Corporate Development Manager at Debswana, was allegedly introduced to Wilderness staff on Wednesday this week by the Chairman of Wilderness, Kabelo Binns.

Sources say Motome was appointed MD not because Wilderness wants to simply localise the position, but was by far probably the most qualified person for the role.

He ranks among the most competent Batswana in the field of conservation, corporate governance, and hospitality in the country.

Motome is also chairman of Kalahari Conservation Society ( KCS), a Trustee of Mokolodi Foundation, an actor or repute, and has served in the Debswana Board as Secretary.

Chairman of Wilderness Botswana, Kabelo Binns could only rave that Motome comes from a “long history of conservation, hospitality and a community work and I am happy to have him on- board”.

Among his duties at Debswana, Matome was responsible for Debswana’s projects such as Masedi Tourism Project and Peo Venture Capital ( Pty) Ltd. Peo was a business development initiative set up by De Beers Holdings Botswana in 1997 to promote and facilitate establishment of commercially viable enterprises in Botswana as well as promote the involvement of Batswana as owners in this business.

Peo has since inception, funded over 60 businesses, at an investment value of more than P36 million in both loans and equity, creating over 1300 sustainable jobs in the process.

The Masedi Farm Project on the other hand was established as part of a broad socio- economic investment and citizen empowerment by generating employment opportunities in rural areas, creating model farming enterprises and demonstrating the viability of Agro- industry in the country.

2023-10-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://enews.mmegi.bw/article/281573770380971

Dikgang Publishing

Okavango Wilderness Safaris Names Joe Matome Interim MD

• Matome is a highly respected figure in tourism and conservation
• Ex-Debswana Tourism Project and Kalahari Conservation Society

GAZETTE REPORTER

Joseph “Joe” Matome is the Caretaker Managing Director of Okavango Wilderness Safaris (OWS) effective from 1st November 2023, the company has announced.

Matome, a highly respected figure in the field of tourism and conservation, is set to steer the company until the search for a permanent Managing Director concludes, which is estimated to take three to four months.

“We have chosen not to rush this process to ensure we secure the most suitable leader for this exceptional business,” OWS stated, emphasising their commitment to finding a candidate who aligns with their vision and values.

Unique skills set

Matome’s extensive experience, including leading the Debswana Tourism Project and serving on the board of Kalahari Conservation Society for over two decades, positions him as an ideal guide in this transitional phase.

The Chairman of the OWS Board, Kabelo Binns, expressed his enthusiasm about Matome’s appointment, emphasising his passion for conservation, community, and safari.

Binns noted that Matome’s unique skills set is instrumental in laying a solid foundation for OWS’s future endeavours.

Founded in Botswana in 1983, OWS has emerged as a pioneer in sustainable tourism, leaving a positive footprint on the communities, ecosystems, and conservation efforts in Botswana’s pristine wilderness.

1,000 employees 

With over 20 camps and a workforce of more than 1,000 employees, the majority of whom are Batswana, OWS has become a significant contributor to the country’s economic and social development.

The Wilderness Training Academy, established over 18 years ago, has trained over 1,000 Batswana, offering free Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA) accredited courses.

Additionally, OWS directs at least 80 percent of its procurement expenditure towards Botswana-registered entities, underlining its commitment to supporting local businesses.

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