"Catherine will be handing over a company that is ready to reach new altitudes" says chairman Herman Bosman.
On Thursday Endeavor South Africa announced that Catherine Townshend will be stepping down as its managing director, to be replaced by Alison Collier.
The statement said that during Catherine’s tenure, Endeavor had contributed meaningfully to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in South Africa, raising the profile of South Africa’s most promising scale-up companies, launching and supporting the FNB Business Innovation Awards, enabling Endeavor Catalysts’s first investment in Africa and enabling a strong community of business leaders and founders to contribute meaningfully through mentorship, and more recently partnering with Discovery Business Insurance to create healthier businesses.
Endeavour SA chairman and 2019 CFO Awards judge Herman Bosman (pictured) said:
“Endeavor is in a good space and Catherine will be handing over a company that is ready to reach new altitudes in its next season.”
Catherine said:
“I am extremely proud of our team and what we have accomplished. I feel it is time to transition and start a new chapter. It has been the most rewarding and remarkable journey. A rare privilege to work with such a committed team, donors, community and founders who are South Africa’s future employers and change makers. I look forward to joining the Endeavor Venture Corp and wish Alison much success as she leads the organisation onwards and upwards.”
The statement said that Alison will continue to drive the high-impact entrepreneurship strategy to achieve the growth plans of the organisation. “Alison has deep expertise in global partnerships and brings a wealth of expertise to Endeavor South Africa.”
After graduating from UCT, she joined McKinsey as a strategy consultant where she focused on the FMCG industry working across the African continent with many global brands, including Coca Cola. More recently, Alison worked for SABMiller and Unilever in strategy and global procurement roles, and thus understands how entrepreneurs can gain support from corporates in the supply chain.
Alison has been close to and benefited from Endeavor’s support in a different capacity after leading Endeavor Company, BOS’s international business development. Alison’s familiarity with the challenges and thrills of building a scale-able business strategy leaves her in good stead to serve her community well.