Gary Harlow

Gary Harlow graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1979, qualifying as a chartered accountant (SA) in 1982, an associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK) in 1983 and as a fellow chartered management accountant (UK) in 1996. His career was forged in merchant and investment banking. In the early 1990s, he became an adviser to the African National Congress in developing black economic empowerment strategies and in 1992 was instrumental in the creation of Thebe Investment Corporation, South Africa’s first broad-based black-owned company. Gary served as joint chief executive officer of Msele Corporate and Merchant Bank, South Africa’s first black-controlled merchant bank.

In 1996 Gary was appointed group chief executive officer of Unihold Limited, where he remains executive chair. He led its transition from an engineering conglomerate to an international IT and telecommunications group, followed by a delisting through a management buyout in 2002. Gary continues to serve on numerous private and public company boards.

He is also chair and/or director of various subsidiaries of the Blue Label Telecoms Group.