Meet the team
ROBERT HERSOV
Founder of the S-Group
Rob Hersov is a South African entrepreneur and private investor who has founded and owns a number of companies. He is the Chairman and Founder of Invest Africa, African Capital Investments and AltCaplnvest. He also serves on a number of advisory boards (Chairman of VistaJet and Sard Verbinnen).
Robert founded Marquis Jet Europe (sold to NetJets), Sportal, and Adoreum (sold to an MBO). He served on the Board of Richemont, was CEO of Telepiu (Italy) and worked alongside Rupert Murdoch at News Corp (New York).
He has worked as an investment banker with Goldman Sachs (NY) and Morgan Stanley (London). Robert graduated from the University of Cape Town (B.Bus.ScHons) and attained his MBA at Harvard Business school.
TONDERAI CHAVHANGA
Tonderai Chavhanga is a relationship-centric dynamic business development enabler with a proven track record of leveraging a multi-faceted global network of leaders to create value-adding business partnerships built on shared value and trust. Tonderai has been bridging relational and opportunity gaps for public and private entities across Africa in various sectors, including Financial Services, Mining, Agriculture, Energy, Fintech and non-profit. He is passionate and fully dedicated to leveraging his relationships skills and knowledge to be a catalyst for business growth in Africa by connecting people to opportunities.
Tondi is the founder Africa Connect International, director at African Degital Media Solutions and Co-Founder of the S-Group.
Tonderai spent 13 years as a professional rugby player, where he represented South Africa’s national rugby team, the Springboks, Stormers, Lions, Sharks and Newport Gwent Dragons.
Dylan Mackenzie
Dylan Mackenzie is the Co-Founder of the S-Group, conceptualized and Co-Founded The Lion Cage and was previously a Director at Deliquory Services. Dylan has an extensive understanding of luxury travel and goods with deep and broad contacts amongst the high-net and ultra-high-net worth arena, worldwide.
Experienced in curating judicious partnerships and nurturing key relationships. Dylan is solution-driven, and people and results-orientated. A decision maker and momentum accelerator.
Successful seed-capital raises and the conclusion of sale for large entities – Dylan’s consultation has strong communication and leadership conducive for execution. He builds rapport effectively and establishes trust, vital to leading global connectivity.
Dylan has a passion for wildlife and travel experiences, with a non-executive position as Luxury Safari Ambassador at The Safari Guys and Embassy Direct.
As an avid sportsman and public speaker, Dylan is afforded salient audiences in the most dynamic situations.
Megon Chavhanga
Megon Chavhanga is the founder of Mkoma Africa, Co-CEO of the S-Group and former COO of Africa Padel. She studied BA Social Sciences at RAU and her career background includes Acting Chief of Staff within the South African Presidency which included running a non-profit dedicated to supporting cancer, HIV/Aids and healthy lifestyle programmes in underserved communities. As the founder of Mkoma Africa, she had the opportunity to explore her creative side and developed an animated TV series called “Super Impi”, around empowering the youth through sport (specifically rugby) and acted as the creative director for a segment on CNN African Voices.
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020, Robert aka “The Chief” Hersov, realised the strength of the Smutby DNA, and the powerful bond of the brother- and sisterhood. He saw an opportune time for himself, Tonderai Chavhanga, Dylan Mackenzie and Megon Chavhanga to launch the S-Group, offering many more groups focused on business and new niche interests.
“The mission of the S-Group is to become the world’s most aspirational and exclusive private members’ club, offering access to extraordinary people doing extraordinary things, but where the good of one’s fellow member and the greater good of the club is more important than the individual. Members will strive to do everything possible to help their fellow member, expecting nothing in return, other than the knowledge that the member one helps will pay this goodness forward to other members. So, go and pay the goodness forward.”
– Rob Hersov
Smutby was founded as a rugby WhatsApp group, in 2015 during the Rugby World Cup, by Sean Flanagan who is affectionately known as “The Original”.
Sean added two great friends of his to the group, Ken Kinsey-Quick (the Sheriff) and Rob Hersov (the Chief) – both are convinced they were the first to be invited to the group! These three gathered more members, and after the World Cup final, the group quickly veered “off-piste”. There were more non-rugby related conversations (jokes, philosophy, business, sport, and of course politics), with the core values being open-mindedness and generosity – a network of friends, and friends of trusted friends, but very much invitation only. The name of the group became “Rugby, Smut and Philosophy”, which morphed into other iterations, but ended up as Smutby.
They established some basic ground rules, and formed an advisory board (of sorts). Some great characters stepped up: Dino Peros, Hans Otterling, Marty Ryman, Ron Mackenzie, Dorian Prosdocimi, Adrian de Fay, Wlodek Paszkowski, Krassi Guergov, Kate “the Kiwi” Hersov, Paul Hinks, Hugh Warrender, Sander le Bon, Troy Eldridge, and Dale Smiedt.
As the group grew, rules of engagement had to be established, as the more sensible members challenged the wilder, more libertarian-minded.
Smutby is a living, breathing, swirling and an ever-expanding organism – made up of extraordinary people doing extraordinary things – a powerful brother- and sisterhood. Smutby has become a “way of life”.
S-GROUP TIER 1 ELITE GROUP CHANNELS
- S-Vest 2.0 Global
- S-Vest SA
- S-Biz SA
- S-Biz Global
S-CONNECT TIER 2 PREMIUM GROUP CHANNELS
- S-Connect Africa
- S-Connect Crypto
- S-Connect Women
- S-Connect Rugby
- S-Connect Travel
S-CONNECT TIER 2 GROUP CHANNELS
SMUTBY TIER 2 GROUP CHANNELS
S-GROUP MEMBER DIRECTORY
S-GROUP MERCHANDISE
S-GROUP BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENTS
S-GROUP SOCIAL NETWORKING GATHERINGS
“The Strength of the Wolf is in the Pack.”
At the S-Group, we do business and life together. The S-Group has made life-changing – and even life-saving – moments possible for many of our members.
Our community serves to accelerate the endeavours of our members, and we strive to expand the networth of each member’s network.
Our channels
The S-Vest 2.0 and S-Vest SA channels are our daily trades and investment groups, curated by select professional contributors offering their insights, entry and exit points, and overall analysis of the markets (mainly SA and US equities).
These two channels are the easiest to attribute monetary value to, should one focus on the channel and advice. Membership of the S-Vest SA group channel, our JSE focused trading group comes complimentary with S-Vest 2.0.
Our business groups, S-Biz South Africa and S-Biz Global, are where our entrepreneurs and corporate chiefs get to connect and make things happen. These groups enable our members to find suppliers, render services, and exchange contacts and insights – linking you to what you need via a single message.
Our S-Connect group channels are sector, interest or location focused. This enables our members to discuss and debate affairs strictly relevant to the group’s description. Examples include: S-Connect Africa, S-Connect London, S-Connect Women and S-Connect Biz Tech.
Our platform enables members to connect professionally and socially, and is dedicated to engaging in projects that expand foreign investment on the African continent as we continuously strive to build a better world together, and pay the goodness forward.
The Smutby group channels are spaces for our members to banter and have a laugh, bonding over interests such as sport. We believe that sustainable business relationships are created through solid friendships.
Access to member directory
The S-Group’s website gives our members access to the member directory, according to which tier they are subscribed to. There is also access to an archive of informative and entertaining webinars, with guests including Jordan Belfort, Bob Diamond, the late Shane Warne, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Connect with us
Connect with us virtually, or in person at an S-Group Business Networking event or at one of the high–profile S-Group Social Networking Gatherings.