The launch of the R3.1 billion Atterbury Property Fund is the latest feather in Atterbury’s cap and Wouter de Vos, the new CEO of the fund, is well placed to take this new division into the future. An investment specialist with over 21 years of experience, he has specialised in private investment banking and co-owned a boutique investment firm.

Tell us a bit about your background.
I matriculated at Warmbaths (Bela Bela), then studied BCom at the University of Pretoria. I love sport, but unfortunately I’m a Jack of all trades and master of none! At school I played first team rugby, and I was the captain of the cricket first team. My current interests are golf, (my handicap is 11) cycling (I’ve finished the Argus eight times) and running, but haven’t won any awards besides the odd kettle after a golf day! I’ve been married to Jane for 22 years and we have two kids, Megan, 18, and Jason, 16. Megan is currently studying at Stellenbosch University and Jason is at school at Bridgehouse in Franschhoek. Jane and I lived in Pretoria since university and relocated to the winelands close to Cape Town in 2008.

I spent most of my working life – 18 years – with Investec… an incredible journey and an unbelievable business school. Not just the learning, but the people and networks one meets along the way. Only once you step out of the corporate comfort zone do you realise how important good relationships are in life.

How and when did your path cross Atterbury’s and how did you end up as part of the team?
I’ve had good business and personal relationships with Atterbury since the early 2000s, and have known Louis and the team for many years. When I left Investec we knocked on Atterbury’s door to become the “big brother” in a newly planned fund. One thing lead to another and Louis asked me to join the APF on a full-time basis, with a mandate to grow it and package it for a future listing.

Did Rand Merchant Holding’s recent purchase of 25.1% of Atterbury have any bearing on the launch of the Atterbury Property Fund?
It did not have a direct bearing on the launch of the fund, but having an investor of the calibre of RMH as part of the Atterbury stable definitely has various major benefits.

The fund is currently not listed, but is that something that might change in future?
Yes, it’s definitely part of the thinking. However this is way down the line. We will also only list or participate in some kind of liquidity event if it make sense from the perspective of access to capital and funding costs. For now we keep our heads down and grow the fund as well as we can.

The new Atterbury Property Fund will be the investment vehicle for Atterbury assets in SA, Namibia and Mauritius. What about other territories in which Atterbury is active, such as Europe and elsewhere in Africa?
AttAfrica focuses on Africa and AttEurope on “emerging” Europe. The APF is focused primarily on South Africa, with exposure in Namibia and Mauritius. Atterbury as a group has various internationally focused businesses and strategic partnerships, and we try not to cross invest, but rather become specialists in our target markets.

You specialised in private clients’ investment banking and now you are running a massive unlisted property fund. Are the principles very different or are there in fact similarities, and how would you articulate that?
I’m not running the fund alone; there is a team of seasoned property and investment specialists in the Atterbury Group. My role is to tap into this expertise, use some of my own experience and hopefully collectively make the best and most informed decisions at any point. I’ve learnt many lessons from many successful people during my working lifetime. Different investment professionals would give different principles different weightings. Some of mine include:
• Be opportunistic, but invest for the long term with a good safety margin (don’t be greedy!)
• Be patient through cycles and don’t panic. I believe in economic equilibriums.
• Doing a good deal doesn’t always mean it has to be the very best deal on your side… too many good deals are aborted due to one party suffocating the deal to death.

On a personal level, what has been your biggest investment learning over your career?
Patience. We all know the effects of compound wealth creation – patience in property is paramount.

As an investment specialist who worked with private clients; if you were to give a regular individual investment advice, what would be your top tips?
Invest in yourself. Diversify.

Read more about the launch of the Atterbury Property Fund here.