Top corporate financier to speak at Nederburg Auction

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Mongezi Mtati

In yet another break with tradition, this year's Nederburg Auction, taking place in spring for the first time in the 33-year history of the event, will be featuring two keynote speakers. The managing director of the Rioja Wine Exporters' Association, Tom Perry, will be joined by Mutle Mogase to address the guests on Saturday, 29 September 2007.

Mogase is the executive chairman of Vantage Capital, the black-owned private equity fund with interests in mining, financial services and technology. He has been at the helm of Vantage Capital since its inception in 2001, and is also a partner in the exclusive wine label Epicurean with premier of Gauteng, Mbhazima Shilowa; Ron T Gault, formerly of JP Morgan Investment Managers; and Moss Ngoasheng, chairman of Safika.

A BComm graduate from the University of Cape Town, it was while he was on campus that he developed his interest and knowledge in wine, joining the university wine society in 1984. By the late 80s he was conducting tastings in the townships and in 1989, led a team of top South African winemakers to conduct what was probably the first tasting in Soweto under the auspices of the then Wine Foundation.

Mogase is also the chairman of the SA Venture Capital & Private Equity Association and serves on the Board of African Bank Investments Limited.

Says auction manager Christine Joubert: “We are delighted at the opportunity to have Mutle Mogase as a speaker. His entrepreneurial accomplishments are an inspiration. His involvement in wine and wine education and his innovative and resourceful approach to financing and business in general, will add an interesting dimension to the discussion on building a culture of wine appreciation in South Africa.”