Ben Lowther

Ben is the co-head of the general sector team (consumer, food and agriculture, healthcare, hospitality and services, industrials, and retail) at RMB. His transaction experience includes mergers and acquisitions, disposals, and private equity investments with a particular focus on crossborder M&A. He has worked on many high-profile M&A transactions in Africa, mainly in the consumer and retail sectors.

Before joining RMB, he worked in investment banking for Nomura in London and, before that, as co-head of Nomura’s South African investment banking team in 2016. Ben was one of the founding partners of independent advisory firm, Newman Lowther & Associates, which operated from 2005 to 2016 and in a strategic partnership with Nomura from 2009 to 2016.

Transactions he has been involved with include the sale of a 33% stake in Promasidor to Ajinomoto by Tana Africa and controlling family; the creation of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (US$6 billion EV) through a three-way merger of the Coke bottling assets of Coca-Cola Sabco, SABMiller and TCCC; and the proposed ZAR7.3bn disposal of Peermont Global to Sun International. On the buyside, he has advised the GBP 2.1 billion acquisition of Dimension Data plc by the NTT Group; The Coca-Cola Company’s acquisition of ABInBev/SABMiller’s stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa for US$3.2 billion; Heineken’s acquisition of control of Distell and Namibian Breweries and merger with Heineken South Africa; and the ZAR 3.3 billion acquisition of Freeworld Coatings by Kansai Paint Co Ltd. He was also involved in the GBP 6.1 billion take private of Mediclinic International plc by a consortium consisting of Remgro and the Mediterranean Shipping Company.