Dineo Skwambane

Dineo is a seasoned development finance practitioner with extensive financing experience spanning over 20 years. Strong foundation was solidified at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Financing experience is augmented by specific sector knowledge within the clothing, textiles and footwear industries as well as tourism. For a number of years funding experience was focussed on small, micro and medium enterprises targeting youth and women led businesses, skills were attained and sharpened whilst at the Umsobomvu Youth Fund (UYF).

As the Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at IDF Capital, 2020 into 2021 saw a focus on enterprise supplier development (ESD), purchase order funding, expansion, start-ups, early stage and tech businesses from investment, post investment and value creation aspects. IDF Capital has assets under management of R1,5bn managing multiple funds as a general partner. Dineo is also the Chairperson of the board of Innovent Asset Management, Managing Trustee of Gibela Fund Trust and Non-Executive Director of Prilla 2000 a cotton spinning company wholly owned by the IDC and she chairs the Audit Committee too.

Prior to joining IDF Capital, Dineo spent 10 years at the IDC. The last 6 years she spent as a Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Head managing a team of 12 investment professionals with a total book of between R1,7bn and R2,2bn (i.e. debt, mezzanine debt and equity). During that time she led turnaround efforts of capital invested in portfolio companies and led the improvement of the impairment rate from 60% to below 24% over a period of 4 years. Other experience whilst at the IDC include being the Chair of Approval Committee for the DTIC Clothing Incentive Scheme for 5 years, Board member activities on IDC investments, IDC appointed representative on the DTIC Black Industrialist scheme, Investment Committee Chair of Isiyande Women’s Fund and Investment Committee Chair of the IDF Capital Fund (IDC and Sefa).

Before the IDC she spent a year as Project Finance head at the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) and before that she was at Umbosobomvu Youth Fund for more than 5 years. During her last few years at UYF she was the Director of Enterprise Finance managing a full spectrum of enterprise finance activities for small and medium businesses and micro-finance. She managed a staff compliment of 44 professionals. She was a member of UYF Executive and Investment Committees. Before that she had overall responsibility for UYF financing activities as the manager for SME Funds with funds under management of R850m. She also managed partnerships with First Rand Bank and Business Partners.

Before that she spent 2 years as an Investment Associate at the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), 4 years at the IDC as a business analyst and accounts manager and 3 years serving accounting articles at Ernst & Young (EY).