Company News | Friday March 24, 2023
Message from incoming joint CEO’s
Message from incoming joint CEO’s Writing this letter has been a very humbling experience for us. It reminded us of when we first met Hilton Davies in 2007. At that time, we all had similar views regarding the ‘right’ of each South African to ‘enjoy’ the benefits of ‘private gold ownership’.  We also shared serious … Continued
Message from incoming joint CEO’s
Writing this letter has been a very humbling experience for us. It reminded us of when we first met Hilton Davies in 2007. At that time, we all had similar views regarding the ‘right’ of each South African to ‘enjoy’ the benefits of ‘private gold ownership’.  We also shared serious concerns about the state of the global economy and the fiat based monetary system. There was an instant ‘meeting of the minds’. We worked tirelessly to commercialize our relationship and very soon afterwards, in November 2007, started trading on behalf of our clients with Rand Refinery Limited. We remember the Krugerrand price then was R 5,646. What followed shortly afterwards was the start of the ‘Global Financial Crisis’. Business poured in and we assisted many fellow South Africans to get into ‘gold’.  Today, the Krugerrand price is R35,255.
We saw then how clearly we could empower and protect people through the private ownership of physical gold and make their world a more secure place. In a world of increasing financial complexity and anxiety we knew that SA Bullion would be the place where we could make a difference. This is the very same inspiration that continues to drive us today.
It has been an incredible honor for us to serve and now lead this great company of ours. Hilton and his talented wife, Helen, have taken it from an idea to becoming the leading precious metals investment management firm in South Africa. We have been fortunate to work closely with Hilton over the last 16 years at SA Bullion and as we step in as joint CEO’s, we thank Hilton for his sterling mentorship and for entrusting us to continue his legacy.
We wish Hilton and Helen well with their retirement plans, travelling and spending time with their loved ones. We are also looking forward to working with Salman Kajie as our new Chairman of the Board. Salman brings 12 years’ worth of international business development experience, having been instrumental in the commercialisation of foreign and domestic direct investment in South Africa.Â
While we have seen great success, we are eager to do more. While we are admirers of tradition, we understand that to advance requires innovation.
What lies ahead is a corporate restructuring that will see Imran and Clint O’Brien become the major and controlling shareholder in SA Bullion and thereafter, the establishment of a special SA Bullion staff trust that will see our long serving and loyal employees become shareholders of the company they have helped to build. We thank the entire SA Bullion staff for their hard work and dedication and are incredibly pleased with this announcement.
We also thank our new strategic shareholder, Unipalm Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd. Unipalm is a shareholder in MultiChoice, MTN, Northam Platinum and numerous other companies. It is their modus operandi to only get involved with companies where they can add value and where there is significant potential for growth.  They have an incredible track record and have proven many times that they can achieve success.  Unipalm is represented by Salman Kajie.
The future growth and expansion of SA Bullion, locally and internationally, is very much connected to technology.  We have built world class products and services and will now focus our efforts on technology enhancements to drive forward efficiencies and to increase our customer footprint in all our business channels. As technology evolves, we will evolve with it and ahead of it.
We also plan to deliver an institutional offering to enable South African pension funds to invest in physical gold and are working closely with the regulators to finalize this offering.  This division will be managed by our legal head, Mrs. Nebula Papapetros.  Nebula is an admitted attorney and has recently joined SA Bullion.Â
We are recently reminded of a quote: “We need to believe in the impossible and remove the improbable. This starts with clarity of purpose and a sense of mission that will lead us to imagine the impossible and deliver it.’ Success requires talent, resources and perseverance. SA Bullion has proven that it has all three in abundance. As the new joint CEO’s, we cannot ask for a better foundation. Let us build on this foundation together.  Our business is only a success because of you, our loyal customers and business partners. We thank you for your patronage!Â
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Warm Greetings, Â
Imran O’Brien & Clint O’Brien
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