meet our management team

Nick Downing
CEO and Chief Investment Officer

Born and educated in the UK Nick has been involved in international investment banking and asset management since 1986 with a well proven track record in fund management.

Nick began his career in investment banking in 1986 with Nomura Securities, first in Tokyo and then in London. In 1992, he moved to Cape Town and completed an MBA at Cape Town University. As an investment consultant, he developed model portfolios based on investment trusts. Joining Appleton Asset Management as the senior fund manager in 1996 he was appointed as an investment representative, and given responsibility for the management of private client portfolios, pension funds and the top-performing Appleton Visionary Growth Fund, a unit trust which he started in 1998, also the top-performing fund in the “Domestic Growth” sector in 1998 and 1999. In 2001 he founded Overberg Asset Management.
• Born London, UK (’64). Educated in UK
• Qualifications: BA Cantab (’85); MA Cantab (’89); MBA UCT (’93)
• Corporate finance: Nomura Securities, London and Tokyo (’86 to ’92)
• Asset management (since ‘93)
• Appleton Asset Management: Senior fund manager (’96 to ’01)
• Appleton Visionary Growth Fund: Top performing unit trust in S.A. “Domestic Growth” sector in ‘98/’99. Fund manager (’98 to ‘00)
• CEO of Overberg Asset Management (since ’01)

Gielie Fourie
Chief of Systems and Administration

Gielie has a B Comm (Acc) and MBA (Cum Laude), which he applies in conjunction with theories and skills gained from his vast experience, towards company research and financial analysis.

After completing his B Comm (Acc) at Stellenbosch University Gielie joined a firm of auditors in Stellenbosch to complete his auditing articles. This was followed by an MBA at Unisa, majoring in Advanced Financial Analysis and Applied Decision-Making models. Gielie joined his family hotel business in Caledon where he served the hotel industry and the Caledon community in various leadership capacities. At Overberg Asset Management Gielie applies the theories and skills gained from his vast experience towards company research and financial analysis.
• Born in Kalk Bay, Cape Town 1946
• B Comm (Acc) Stellenbosch 1969
• CFA (SA) 1993 (Commercial and Financial Accountant of South Africa)
• MBA (Cum Laude) Unisa 1996
• Regulatory Examination (RE5) 2011

Rodney Reid
Company Investment Compliance Officer

Rodney has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a Certified Associate of the Institute of Bankers (S.A.) and a Fellow of the Institute of Financial Markets. He was formerly group investment manager at Norwich Union Life Assurance Society and senior manager at Syfrets Trust Limited. He subsequently joined the Appleton Group as the group secretary, investment representative and chief compliance officer. He has been a past chairman of the Fund Managers’ Association of South Africa and of the Institute of Financial Markets in South Africa. He was also a member of the Financial Markets Advisory Board and served as an Executive Director of the Investment Management Association of South Africa.

• CAIB & FIFM
• Previously Group investment manager at Norwich Union Life & senior manager at Syfrets
• Previously Appleton Group secretary, compliance officer and investment representative
• Past Chairman of Institute of Financial Markets
• Past Financial Markets Advisory Board member

Brett Birkenstock
Chief of Client Service

Brett is responsible for client relations management on a national level. He has been with the company since 2008 at the Somerset West office and more recently at the branch office in Johannesburg. Each client will benefit from his personal service, which provides the link and efficiency between client and asset manager, ensuring the success of each portfolio is guaranteed.