Group Shared Services
Group Shared Services
Leadership
Gerald Burton
Group: Sales & Marketing Director
Gerald Burton
Group: Sales & Marketing Director
Dip Gen. Man
60 years oldWith over 31 years of experience in Vehicle and Asset-Based Finance at WesBank, Gerald Burton brings a wealth of expertise. Gerald has spent over 15 years in various Executive Management roles spanning both the Retail and Corporate segments. As an experienced and accomplished business leader, Gerald is recognised for his commercial acumen and strong entrepreneurial leadership qualities. His primary focus lies in developing new business across all Merchant West products and markets. Gerald holds a Diploma in General management from Henley Business School – London.
Keri Kirsten
Group Chief Information Officer
Keri Kirsten
Group Chief Information Officer
BCom (Hons)
57 years oldInitially starting his career in Software Development, Keri Kirsten soon started specialised in Fleet Management Systems. Throughout his 25-year career, Keri has held various specialist and management roles with entities such as Investec Fleet, LeasePlan (CIO) South Africa, and Absa Vehicle Management Solutions (MD). In 2013, he transitioned from the corporate fleet world to join Abela, a private fleet consultancy. Alongside his partners, they ventured into building a Full Maintenance Leasing business. In 2018, Merchant West Holdings acquired a controlling stake in the company, leading to a name change to Merchant West Fleet. Keri now serves as the Managing Director, bringing his extensive experience to the strategic leadership of the Fleet division at Merchant West. Furthermore, his past positions in IT and as a CIO contribute valuable expertise in systems and data to the team, a resource that is currently being utilized. Keri also assumes a dual role, concurrently serving as the Chief Information Officer for Merchant West. Keri holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree in Business Information Systems from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Thomaides (Thomas) Kruger
Director: Group Risk
Thomaides (Thomas) Kruger
Director: Group Risk
BCom (Fin. Man), MBA
46 years oldThomas Kruger commenced his career as a graduate at Standard Bank in 2000. Over 12 years, he garnered extensive experience in Personal & Business Banking and Corporate & Investment Banking. Thomas specialised in Corporate and Investment Banking Credit, focusing primarily on Investment Banking Debt Leverage and Structured Finance portfolios during his tenure at Standard Bank. In 2013, he joined Merchant West as the Head of Credit. In June 2020, Thomas was appointed as the Group Risk Director. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Financial Management from the University of the Free State, as well as a master’s in business administration from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), further enhancing his qualifications and contributing to his leadership role in risk management at Merchant West.