About
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Bio:
Heather Sonn is a founding Director of Gamiro Investment Group, a company that invests in and grows
businesses in the green energy, most notably green hydrogen currently, property development, business
process outsourcing, events and financial services sectors. The company is committed to creating successful
sustainable legacy businesses based in South Africa through sound commercial practices as well as delivering
positive social returns.
Educated in South Africa and the United States, Heather holds a BA from Smith College in Massachusetts and
an MSc (International Affairs) from Georgetown University.
Heather began her career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Merrill Lynch in New York focused on global
branded consumer goods and leveraged buy-out transactions. She has held senior executive positions in
investment management, stock-broking and the banking industry in South Africa. During her tenure as the CEO
of a stock-broking firm, the training, employment and promotion of women professionals were actively
pursued and implemented. The business also supported the launch of a successful hedge fund business,
women-owned and run. She served as deputy CEO of the largest women’s investment company in South
Africa, WIPCapital that served over 200,000 women beneficiaries via its Trusts, and that grew its asset base
through an acquisitive strategy for the empowerment of its stakeholders. As a senior executive of Barclays in
London she was responsible for formulating the commercial banking strategy for global philanthropy
organisations and testing the globally-integrated banking model. She served in an oversight capacity of the
formulation of the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan, a social compacting process between key
stakeholders in industry, government and labour to achieve maximum industrialisation impact for South Africa.
She has held directorships in listed, local and international companies in the green economy, financial and
retail sectors, and Gamiro-owned, companies. She is a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, in the second
class, named Kilimanjaro, and is a global moderator.
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