Ricky Klopper

Ricky to the Rescue

My background in the business rescue space has shown me first-hand what can happen when things go wrong for an SME. Luckily, I also learnt how to mitigate these risks so small businesses can live to fight another day.

I’m the first point of contact for clients who are enquiring about a potential business funding opportunity with us. I am motivated to help lift more South Africans out of poverty. Access to finance is one area that I believe holds back a lot of South African businesses from growing and employing more people. This is something that motivates my work at Geddes.

Get to know Ricky

• When I was little I wanted to be a…
  Detective. That never transpired, but you could say my role — investigating businesses — makes me the Sherlock Holmes of Geddes Capital.
• My theme song is…
  You Only Live Once by the Strokes
• What's something you failed at and learnt a lesson?
  I thought I had found my dream job, and I didn’t get it… life had other plans for me. I took a job that forced me to adapt and grow and opened just enough doors to get me to where I am today. This taught me that when you look past the disappointment of failure, there is almost always some other opportunity that springs from it. My biggest phases of personal growth have always come after failure, not success.
• What's something you succeeded at that you're proud of?
  I co-contributed to the South African chapter of a book to be published by INSOL International which is on ESG in Restructuring. I am proud that we reached the publication deadline despite having various other work commitments.