Lease Funding in Durban

As CEO and founder of Geddes, Brent leads with vision, integrity, and a deep commitment to supporting South African SMEs. He spends his days staying closely connected to the business, ensuring that the company remains on course to realise its mission: to be the most approachable and effective supplier of funding to small and medium-sized enterprises in the country.

Brent’s career is a testament to the belief that one size does not fit all, neither in financing nor in experience. After starting his professional journey at Accenture, he spent 11 years at Rand Merchant Bank, working across various high-impact roles in Private Equity, Treasury, RMB’s Africa strategy, and Commodities Trading. In 2008, he founded South Africa’s largest pomegranate production business, gaining hands-on entrepreneurial experience that would later shape the foundation of Geddes.

Combining his background in investment banking with the realities of building and running a successful agricultural SME, Brent developed a unique perspective on the challenges local businesses face. From access to capital and markets to navigating red tape and rising operational costs, he’s lived the journey of the very entrepreneurs Geddes now supports.

This personal experience inspired Brent to create a funding platform built on creativity, agility, and understanding. At Geddes, he has fostered a culture that treats every business individually, evaluating each funding application on its own merits and growth trajectory so that promising SMEs can seize opportunities and take the next step toward a sustainable future.

Brent brings a grounded leadership style to Geddes, shaped by years of hands-on business experience and a belief in people over processes. He is known for thinking big while encouraging action—his personal mantra, “Think big, start small, and start now,” guides how the business moves forward.

A natural entrepreneur from a young age, selling books and anything he could at local stations, Brent continues to lead with curiosity and courage. While he’s proud of many career accomplishments, he considers raising his children to be kind, honest, and empathetic people one of his greatest achievements. He’s also candid about the lessons learned along the way, including the importance of due diligence in business decisions and the value of building relationships on trust and shared purpose.

Warren spends his day staring at spreadsheets (his decision, not ours). He is passionate about working closely with you to help find the best structure for you to raise funding for your business.

Get to know Warren

• When I was little I wanted to be a…
  Jedi.
• My mantra is…
  Previous failure is a prerequisite for success. Learn from the things you do wrong so that the next time you can be more prepared.
• What’s something you failed at and learnt a lesson?
  Becoming a Jedi. Apparently, The Force isn’t real. Go figure.

Craig is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Geddes, where he plays a pivotal role in captaining deals and serving on the credit committee and leading the marketing department. With a strong foundation in operations, sales, and marketing, Craig draws on his entrepreneurial background to guide strategic decisions and drive the company’s growth.

Armed with a business studies qualification, Craig’s career spans international trade, founding and scaling a successful distribution business, and holding management roles within a global sports brand. In 2019, he returned to the startup world as one of the three original founders of Geddes—bringing with him both practical experience and a deep understanding of what it takes to build and sustain a thriving business.

Craig’s mission at Geddes is personal: to find better ways to help SMEs raise capital for growth. Having been through the challenges of entrepreneurship himself, he knows how tough the journey can be. This first-hand perspective helps him relate directly to Geddes’ clients and shape solutions that are both practical and impactful.

What Craig enjoys most about his role is meeting the entrepreneurs behind the businesses, the people who are building livelihoods around their passions. He’s inspired daily by their resilience and tenacity, and recognises the emotional highs and lows that come with running a business. That empathy informs how he assesses risk and opportunity.

In supporting South African SMEs, Craig believes in keeping an open mind. For him, evaluating a business means looking beyond its past performance and focusing on the potential ahead. It’s about identifying and unlocking growth opportunities others might overlook.

His operational expertise enables him to implement effective internal systems and processes, while his entrepreneurial journey provides a unique lens through which to assess and structure business loans. Craig’s ability to spot opportunities and develop innovative strategies has also been central to building Geddes’ deal flow and market presence.

A firm believer in continuous learning, Craig readily admits that failure is part of the process. He sees value in trying new things, failing forward, and using those lessons to improve. For him, resilience and drive are essential – not just in business, but in building something meaningful that lasts.

Armed with a willingness to grow and an unwavering sense of integrity, Diaz plays a key role in building and refining Geddes’ internal systems. He approaches his work like a puzzle—every challenge is an opportunity, every issue a clue to a smarter, more efficient solution.

As a developer, Diaz’s mission is to innovate and optimise systems that support every aspect of the business, driving efficiency through iteration and automation. He thrives on the freedom to create, experiment, and continuously expand his knowledge base. For him, one of the most rewarding aspects of working at Geddes is the space to learn and the support of a team that values both growth and collaboration.

Before joining Geddes, Diaz worked as a consultant in the financial sector, an experience that gave him a unique third-party perspective on the critical role money plays—not just as a resource, but as a foundational element in the structure of any business.

Diaz is constantly challenged by the world to solve problems—both personal and professional. He finds his greatest success not in single accomplishments, but in the moments where failure leads to learning, relationships are strengthened, and obstacles are turned into progress. Guided by his personal mantra, “Every day can’t be the best day, do what you can right now,” Diaz brings consistency, creativity, and curiosity to everything he does.

Faye plays a vital role in shaping how the company connects with business owners across South Africa. With a focus on clear communication, strategic thinking, and creative execution, her mission is to ensure that every piece of marketing helps SMEs feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow with Geddes funding solutions.

What she enjoys most about her role is the opportunity to craft messages that resonate, helping simplify finance and build trust with business owners. Working across multiple projects and platforms, no two days are the same, and it’s this variety that keeps her energised and engaged.

Supporting South African SMEs requires empathy and a deep understanding of the challenges they face. For Faye, that means keeping the business owner’s perspective at the centre of every campaign, post or event, translating what can be complex financial services into simple, accessible language that speaks to their needs.

Her background includes hands-on experience in both marketing and communications, where she developed strong skills in brand storytelling, digital strategy, and audience engagement. This foundation has equipped her to support the marketing function at Geddes with clarity, creativity, and purpose.

Driven by a passion for meaningful work, Faye is motivated by the impact financial inclusion can have on small business success. She believes that powerful marketing has the ability not just to inform, but to open doors – and that’s what keeps her inspired.

A personal milestone Faye is proud of is taking initiative to lay the groundwork for a more robust marketing function within the business. As she continues to grow in her role, she’s driven by a long-term vision: to help expand the marketing department and play a key part in growing Geddes into a leading name in SME finance across South Africa.

Granville is passionate about helping SMEs reach their full potential through tailor-made, time-effective legal and commercial solutions. At Geddes, his mission is to contribute to the company’s growth by working closely with clients to understand their specific business needs and goals—ensuring that no promising enterprise goes unnoticed.

With a background in a traditional law firm, Granville brings a results-driven approach to every client interaction. He is committed to achieving the best possible outcomes and believes that meaningful relationships are built by understanding each client on an individual level. This personal connection allows him to provide thoughtful, strategic support that aligns with their long-term ambitions.

What he enjoys most about his role is the variety of work and the opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs from all corners of the business world. For Granville, every deal is a new challenge—and a new chance to learn, collaborate, and contribute to the success of South African SMEs.

Granville is also a firm believer in the value of persistence and personal growth. One of his proudest achievements is earning a place on the roll of admitted attorneys in South Africa—an accomplishment that reflects his dedication and perseverance. At the same time, he has learned that fear of failure can hold you back from reaching your full potential. Overcoming that fear, he says, has been one of the most important lessons in both his personal and professional journey.

As a Credit Facilitator at Geddes, Juanita is driven by a clear mission: to empower South African clients through tailored financial services that fuel growth and long-term success. With a strong passion for helping others, she thrives on building relationships, understanding unique business needs, and being a trusted source of support for SMEs across the country.

What Juanita values most in her role is the opportunity to interact with clients daily—offering meaningful guidance and playing a hands-on role in their financial journeys. She understands that every SME has its own challenges, goals, and aspirations, and believes that personalised, empathetic service is key to unlocking their full potential.

Her professional background in Retail Banking and Foreign Exchange laid a solid foundation for her work at Geddes. Years of experience in customer service have sharpened her ability to communicate effectively, anticipate client needs, and deliver solutions that truly make a difference. These skills now allow her to confidently support businesses with strategic, results-oriented financial services.

Deeply motivated by impact, Juanita approaches each day with the belief that financial support can be transformative when delivered with care and clarity. Her mantra, “Adapt and Succeed,” reflects her commitment to resilience, growth, and continuous improvement—both for herself and the clients she serves.

One of her proudest achievements was leading initiatives that significantly improved customer service and client satisfaction during her time in the financial industry. On the flip side, her early struggles breaking into the banking sector taught her perseverance and the power of persistence—lessons that continue to shape her approach to work today.

Though she once dreamed of being a teacher, it’s clear that Juanita has carried that same passion for helping others into her current role—where she supports, educates, and empowers South African businesses every step of the way.

Nikki is committed to making a positive impact within the team, and feels inspired by the diverse portfolio of clients she gets to work with every day at Geddes. Her mission is to safeguard the interests of both our clients and the Geddes group.

While supporting South African SMEs with financial services, it’s crucial to connect with them on a personal level and understand the unique challenges they face in their day-to-day business operations. By approaching the support of SMEs with a personal touch, we can establish meaningful connections, tailor solutions to their needs, and ultimately contribute to their growth and success in a more impactful way.

My past experience not only working for a regulator but also working for regulated entities, enables me to understand the necessity and thought behind legislation and regulations, the risks to which a regulated entity is exposed, and how to mitigate against those risks. My experience in client services taught me that every client is unique and should be treated as such.

My favourite thing about my role at Geddes is the opportunity to work in a dynamic and innovative environment, where I am surrounded by colleagues from whom I learn something new every day.