Honouring a Legend in Private Equity: SAVCA Lifetime Achievement awarded to André Roux

By Samantha Pokroy

It was an absolute privilege to present the SAVCA Lifetime Achievement Award to André Roux, my mentor and Sanari Capital’s chairman through the years, at the recent Southern African Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SAVCA) annual conference. As we celebrated this titan of the industry – a pioneer and “godfather” of private equity not only in South Africa but across the continent – we also reflected on 40 years of private equity history, tracing back to the first, ground-breaking management buyout led by André in 1984.

I was moved by the spontaneous standing ovation for André early in the proceedings. Vuyo Ntoi, SAVCA Chairman, eloquently articulated the importance of recognising our industry veterans, preserving our collective legacy, and drawing inspiration from their wisdom and adaptability. As he thanked André for his role, the entire audience rose to their feet with resounding applause. Despite André’s ill-health due to his ALS diagnosis, he graciously acknowledged and thanked the crowd.

After the applause subsided and I regained my composure, I shared that André is not one for ‘back-patting’. During my early days at Ethos, he explained with earnestness why he had finally purchased a new Mercedes after many years. I had to reassure him that it was acceptable, and in fact, crucial for juniors like us to see a glimmer of hope amidst our hard work. This was his nature – not flashy, but grounded, authentic and hard-working.

It was therefore easy to align this Lifetime Achievement award with SAVCA’s spirit and commitment to growth, learning, and inclusivity. While our objective is to honour someone whose impact has resonated profoundly with us all, we also focused on distilling invaluable insights, history and learnings in a must-watch video and website for the benefit of the next generation of private equity practitioners and leaders.

View the full Lifetime Achievement website here.

André’s son, Paul Roux, delivered a moving acceptance speech on his behalf, a fitting conclusion to a memorable ceremony.