Johannesburg – Kroll has strengthened its advisory team in South Africa, with the appointment of Jo Mitchell-Marais and Ken Afrah as managing directors and Gregor Böttcher as director, across its Cape Town and Johannesburg offices.
Kroll is a leading independent provider of global financial and risk advisory solutions.
The appointments reflect growing demand for restructuring and special situations expertise, while strengthening Kroll’s ability to support corporates, lenders, and investors through complex restructurings across sub-Saharan Africa.
Jason Kardachi, Global Co-Head of Restructuring at Kroll, based in Grand Cayman, commented: “We combine deep local expertise with global reach and strong connectivity across legal and financial ecosystems to support clients navigating increasingly complex situations.”
Jo Mitchell-Marais is both a Business Rescue Practitioner and restructuring professional with more than 20 years of local and international experience.
Most recently, she built and led a restructuring team at a leading financial services firm, delivering solutions across the continent.
Jo serves as Chairperson of SARIPA.
Ken Afrah joins Kroll with a 15-year career in restructuring and financial advisory experience gained across the UK and Africa.
Ken previously served as Partner in a leading turnaround and restructuring practice in Africa, where he led several high-profile mandates.
Gregor Böttcher brings more than a decade of experience in restructuring, operational performance improvement, and complex stakeholder management.
Gregor serves as Chairman of the Western Cape Regional Board and as a National Board Member of SARIPA, the Southern African Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners Association.
They will work alongside existing Managing Directors Stefan Smyth and Alison Timme, and Director Wessel de Jager.
The senior-led team has advised on some of South Africa’s most complex restructurings, including the successful business rescue of Ster-Kinekor.
This expanded team will draw on Kroll’s wider capabilities across Africa, including its Investigations Diligence and Compliance (IDC practice), led by Oliver Stern, alongside Asset Recovery and Fund Solutions expertise.
“Cross-border capital flows and increasing financial connectivity with Asia are creating both opportunities and challenges,” says Stefan Smyth, Managing Director, Kroll.
“At the same time, South Africa’s economy is modernising, de-industrialisation is accelerating, and clients are navigating inflationary pressure and softer consumer spending.
“We’re here to help clients protect, restore, and maximise value against this backdrop.”
These appointments follow Kroll’s continued regional expansion, including the opening of its Mauritius office in 2025, led by Luvy Thacoor.
Smyth concluded: “We are pleased to welcome Jo, Ken, and Gregor to Kroll and look forward to building on our momentum in South Africa and across the continent”.
