In 2012 Neil Holzapfel and Lesego Serolong founded Raise the Children (RTC). Lesego, being an orphan herself, has always had a deep desire to give back to the community that raised her, and so has Neil, who wanted to effectively and sustainably give back to the country. The couple, together with the RTC community, strive to empower the many orphans in South Africa that share Lesego's story.
CO-FOUNDER | DIRECTOR (USA, ZA), TRUSTEE (UK)
Neil Holzapfel is a founding member of an investment advisor called Pactorum and sits on the boards of various companies operating across the continent. He graduated magna cum laude in Government and Slavic Languages and Literature from Harvard University and completed a master’s degree at Cambridge University. He is based in Cape Town.
CO-FOUNDER
Lesego Serolong-Holzapfel is the CEO and founder of Bokamoso Impact Investments Bokamoso Foods, and Moedi Wines. Her Bokamoso companies work in the bee-keeping value chain to drive small-scale rural employment and income growth. Lesego holds a MSc in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and a BA in International Studies from the City College of New York. She is based in Cape Town.
Raise the Children is a registered charity in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and South Africa. The boards and trustees from the three different countries meet collectively under the guidance of one board chair.
global board chair
Philip Giannecchini is the Executive Director of a private charitable foundation supporting over 30 organizations globally, and Chief Financial Officer at a Hong Kong-based family office. Phil has more than ten years of experience in asset and wealth management. He is based in Los Angeles.
director (ZA)
Yolanda Miya was the first woman to be appointed to Deutsche Bank SA as MD. In 2020 to join Mamo Property Holdings, a family-owned property development company founded by her late father, Jacob Motlogeloa, a successful Soweto entrepreneur. An advocate for inclusive growth and excellence and through her passion for development, She is based in Johannesburg.
trustee (uk)
Ipek De Vilder has more than 25 years’ experience in Global Emerging Markets Equities. After beginning her career in Equity Research and Strategy at Société General and Deutsche Bank (DB), Ipek has spent more than 16 years as Director of EM Equities at DB. Ipek holds a BA and a Masters from Oxford University and Westminster Business School respectively. She is an experienced charity Governor and Trustee. Ipek is based in London.
director (USA)
Lisa Thompson is an equity portfolio manager at Capital Group. She has 34 years of investment industry experience and has been with Capital Group for 28 years. Earlier in her career, as an equity investment analyst at Capital, Lisa covered companies in Latin America, emerging Europe, West Asia and Africa. Before joining Capital, Lisa was a securities analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co. She was also a securities analyst and quantitative analyst at the Nomura Research Institute in New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania and the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. Lisa is based in New York.
director and treasurer (USA)
Chris Petzy owns a short-term rental real estate company. He also consults with entrepreneurs and operators looking to scale their small businesses. He is married with two young boys and enjoys spending time with his family, golfing and skiing. Chris serves as the Treasurer for Raise The Children International. He is based in New Hampshire.
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