Once upon a time in 1977, three entrepreneurs: Laurie Dippenaar, GT Ferreira and Pat Goss started a small financial structuring house in Johannesburg. They called their company Rand Consolidated Investments (RCI) and built the business on the foundation of Traditional values. Innovative ideas.
They called their company Rand Consolidated Investments (RCI) and built the business on the basis of Traditional values. Innovative ideas.
After Pat stepped down, a new partner, Paul Harris joined. A few years later the entrepreneurs merged their successful lending and financing business with Johann Rupert’s Rand Merchant Bank and changed the name RCI to RMB. RMB became part of the broader FirstRand group in 1998.
Making history
The entrepreneurs managed to expand their business from a R10 000 start-up into a financial services empire that would become one of the largest financial services firms in sub-Saharan Africa. In 1998 they established FirstRand Limited through the disposal of Anglo American's interests in FNB and Southern Life, and the merger of these assets with RMB and Momentum. This was one of the largest transactions in the history of financial services in South Africa.
Today, FirstRand Limited is the largest listed financial services group (by market capitalization) in Africa.
Our ability to think differently, our collaborative spirit and our entrepreneurial mindset continue to set us apart and enables us to deliver on the founder members’ brand promise: Traditional values. Innovative ideas.
"One of the primary features of our environment that I believe has contributed to our competitive distinction is our ability to unlock discretionary energy and liberate specialist talent."
Laurie Dippenaar
"We had influence, but we never used it unfairly. We actually tried to instil a very democratic, owner-manager culture in the bank."
GT Ferreira
"Those early days were tough and the three of us went without salaries for nine months. I had a small overdraft, but we lived from hand to mouth."
Paul Harris