Craig White

Distribution, sports, and startups

Armed with a business studies qualification, Craig’s career has spanned international trade, starting and growing a successful distribution business, and working in management for a global sports brand. In 2019, Craig returned to the world of startups, becoming one of the early founders of Geddes.

His experience puts him in a position to implement the correct internal systems and processes while his practical experience has helped him understand what it takes to be an entrepreneur and what is needed to thrive as a business. This is very helpful when assessing and structuring business loans.

Identifying opportunities for South Africa’s SMEs

Craig has a talent for identifying opportunities, developing innovative strategies, and executing them to achieve outstanding results. His expertise in sales and marketing has been instrumental in the success of many of the brands he has worked with as well as the development of Geddes’ deal flow. This has helped them to establish a strong presence in their target markets and grow their customer base.

Get to know Craig

• When I was little I wanted to be a...
  Pilot
• What’s something you failed at and learned a lesson?
  I fail at things I try all the time. It's more about trying new things and learning from them to be better in the future. Having the resilience and drive to do this is key.
• What would you say is your mission at Geddes?
  To find a way to support SMEs to raise capital for their growing business. Knowing first-hand how tough and frustrating it is, it’s a personal mission.
• What do you love most about your job?
  Getting to meet all the entrepreneurs who are doing really cool things to make a living and live out their passion. Entrepreneurship is a lonely world with daily highs and lows and its great to see the resilience and tenacity of the business owner
• What would you say is the most important thing to keep in mind when supporting South African SMEs with financial services?
  To have an open mind about their growth opportunity and by doing that you can't judge past performance on future results. It’s a blend of seeing the past but also the opportunity that is at hand.
• What past work experience do you have that directly impacts or prepares you for your work at Geddes and how?
  Having been an entrepreneur it's very easy to relate to the challenges our customers face.