Our Team
Finance
Leadership
Slade Thompson
Managing Director: Merchant West Asset Finance
Slade Thompson
Managing Director: Merchant West Asset Finance
BCom (Hons), CA(SA)
48 years oldSlade Thompson is an accomplished business leader with more than two decades of experience spanning finance, sales and operations in the automotive retail, rental and leasing industries in southern Africa. His career includes senior executive positions at Deloitte, Barloworld, WesBank and Toyota. He is recognised for his integrity, analytical capability and strategic leadership, having led diverse teams to deliver award-winning performance. Slade holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Honours, Accounting and is a Chartered Accountant. He is also a graduate of numerous leadership development programmes from GIBS and the Stellenbosch business school.
Lizelle Bosman
Chief Financial Officer
Lizelle Bosman
Chief Financial Officer
BCompt Accounting (Hons),CA (SA)
46 years oldAfter completing her articles in 2004, she began working with multinational companies, primarily operating in South Africa and across the broader African region. Her responsibilities largely focused on ensuring both in-country compliance and adherence to internal company regulatory and reporting requirements. Over the past six years, she has worked within the financial services industry, where she played a key role in streamlining processes to meet a wide range of corporate compliance obligations.
Raymond Schulz
Head of Fleet Solutions
Raymond Schulz
Head of Fleet Solutions
BA, BCom, BCom (Hons)
58 years oldRay started his business career at Standard Bank with roles such as Business Development Officer in Asset Finance, as well as Manager Transport Sector acting as Specialist and supporting Truck & Trailer OEM’s and clients in structuring of Finance solutions. After being head-hunted by UD Trucks to support the OEM as a Finance specialist, he lead and implemented UD Finance, a retail finance business in the form of an ABSA Alliance. This business still operates today within the UD Trucks group structures. In 2006 he took over the Marketing function as well for UD Trucks and implemented a major Brand name change from what was known as Nissan Diesel. After 11 years at UD Trucks, he then moved to Ctrack Telematics as Regional Director in the Western Cape. After being promoted to COO of Ctrack Fleet management in there Irene Head Quarters, he was involved in sales, marketing and operational strategy for this Global group. Ray also supported companies as Consultant on the Automotive and Fleet Management space. He currently manages the Merchant West Fleet Solutions business and still supports the Transport Sector transactions for the Asset Finance team. Ray has a wealth of Industry experience over the last 25 years. He holds a BA degree in Sports Management and Economics, and completed two degrees parttime, namely BCom in Transport Economics & Business Management (Marketing), as well as a B.Com Hons degree with Strategic Management and International Business as majors.
Ricco Strydom
Head of Property & Working Capital Finance
Ricco Strydom
Head of Property & Working Capital Finance
BCom Economics
33 years oldRicco Strydom is an accomplished finance professional with a strong foundation in economics and specialised lending. He completed his BCom Economics degree at the University of Pretoria before beginning his career at Liberty Group, where he gained valuable experience within the financial advisory environment. In 2016, Ricco joined Merchant West, starting in the Asset Finance division where he progressed through various portfolio, sales, and sales management roles. His commitment to client‑centric solutions, combined with a strong technical understanding of structured finance, enabled him to advance into senior leadership within the organisation. He currently heads both the Working Capital Solutions and Commercial Property Finance divisions at Merchant West, where he is responsible for strategic direction, sales leadership, and the development of innovative funding solutions across both divisions. He is deeply committed to developing high‑performing teams and fostering strong collaboration across the group to support Merchant West's strategic objectives.
Matthew Simpkins
Managing Director: Merchant West Specialised Finance
Matthew Simpkins
Managing Director: Merchant West Specialised Finance
B Com Hons (Invest. Man), CFA
43 years oldMatthew Simpkins is a seasoned debt capital markets professional with over 16 years of industry experience. In 2009, he joined the head office of a JSE-listed financial services company, where he developed expertise in debt capital markets, structured finance, securitisation, asset and liability management (ALM), and treasury management. During his 10-year tenure, Matthew played a pivotal role in leading the origination and structuring of various debt-funding transactions, collaborating with both local and international investors. In 2020, Matthew brought his wealth of experience to the Merchant West Group, where he currently holds the position of Managing Director of Merchant West Specialised Finance. Matthew is a CFA® charter holder and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree in Investment Management from the University of Johannesburg.