CEO Today Africa Awards

SOUTH AFRICA www.ceotodaymagazine.com 52 CEO Today Africa Awards 2017 NEIL ROETS CEO of Debt Rescue FIRM PROFILE The key to a successful African business – “Think about the why” What do leadingbrands, much-lovedbrands, and the industry giants have in common? How do they connect with their customers and essentially get customers to do their marketing for them? They think long and hard about the “why” of their business. In many cases, it boils down to thinking about a client’s client, the communities in which we operate, and how you can contribute to a better future for all. “This may sound like the softer, PR side of a business model, but it’s the key to tailoring products that really speak to your clients’ needs and will help your company survive tough economic environments,” says Neil Roets, founding member and CEO of Debt Rescue. “Consider what successful property developers and green building designers are doing at the moment – they’re creating liveable spaces for their client’s client. They’re thinking about what an employee will need to enjoy occupying the space or how a retail customer will move throughout a new shopping mall, and how they can create products today that will future proof the asset that a property buyer will be investing in. This is how we should all be thinking about the ‘why’ of our businesses,” says Neil. Established in 2008, Debt Rescue has grown into one of the biggest debt counselling companies in South Africa. The company has helped many thousands of desperate consumers to repay their debts in smaller instalments over longer periods of time by working with creditors to reschedule repayments of outstanding loans. “In our business, we deal with people who want a better future for their children and their children’s children. For many people, money issues are very personal. How you spend it, how you earn it and how you save it can give rise to deep-rooted emotional issues. Understanding human needs and nature has become the key to helping us help South Africans who are committed to rehabilitating their credit records and becoming debt-free,” says Neil. Debt Rescue has forged a number of ties with credit providers and industry stakeholders in South Africa. Neil says that the partnerships they have created and continue to seek out in the industry rely on a shared common vision. “Currently more than ten million people in South Africa are in severe debt according the National Credit Regulator. Poverty, unemployment and over-indebtedness is a reality in our country and it will take a combined effort from citizens, financial institutions and debt consultancies like ourselves to change track. To give our clients’ clients – in other words an indebted person’s dependents and children – a better future, we’re focusing on why people want to get out of debt and creating clear-cut paths to help them get from A to B. Nine times out of 10, it’s because they want a better future for the next generation. That’s exactly what we’re setting out to achieve,” says Neil. With a national footprint, Debt Rescue has assisted consumers nation-wide and has become one of the most respected debt counselling companies in the industry. The company has twice been voted the best debt counselling firm in South Africa by both the public and by the major role players in the industry which included the major banks. ABOUT NEIL ROETS Neil Roets is the founder and CEO of Debt Rescue, the second largest debt counselling company in South Africa, and is actively involved with the executive management and development of Debt Rescue. A lawyer by profession and an entrepreneur at heart, Neil started his first business at the age of 9, operating out of his junior school classroom in the Central Free State. He obtained his LLB degree from Potchefstroom University in 2002 (now the University of the North West) and in 2004 was admitted as an attorney of the Supreme Court. His interest in banking law was sparked by his first professional appointment during articles at Straus Daly Attorneys Inc where he gained a thorough grounding in commercial law and credit agreements. In 2006, Neil co-founded Erasmus Roets, a firm of attorneys specialising in conveyancing and sequestrations. Having identified a need in the market for a professional debt counselling service, and convinced that the fallout from a faltering global economy was about to hit South Africans, Neil became a Registered Debt Counsellor with the National Credit Regulator, and Debt Rescue was established in 2008. Three years later, he also co-founded Rescue Auctioneers to assist indebted customers to sell their properties through private auctions, thereby allowing them to pay off the shortfalls owing to the financial institutions, and avoid sequestration. Neil has devoted the last eight years to establishing the systems, controls, resources and policies to support Debt Rescue’s growth strategy through the identification of innovative, income-generating services and partnerships with key stakeholder groupings, including retail partners, banks and attorneys. A natural marketer, Neil was also the driving force behind Debt Rescue’s award-winning campaigns in 2015. During 2017, he received an award for Significant Contribution to the Debt Counselling Industry at the Annual Debt Review Awards. Neil is also a qualified UK solicitor, having completed the UK Qualified Lawyers Transfer Examinations and is an attorney, conveyancer and Notary Public of the High Court of South Africa. www.debtrescue.co.za