About Us

Synercore Holdings is a science-led investment company focused on innovation within the food industry in Sub-Saharan Africa. Along with an acute awareness of market developments and opportunities, Synercore aims to deliver research-backed and commercially viable food solutions within growing markets. With the acquisition of various food and research companies, Synercore has established itself as a sustainable and dynamic group, with a unique service offering to the food industry.

At Synercore we believe that “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, to quote Aristotle.

Through the establishment of synercore:

We have created a sustainable and dynamic group and environment, with the focus on ‘collective intelligence’, delivering a unique value proposition to the food industry in Africa.
We continuously strive to better service our customers and expanding customer base, through quality products and services, as we believe our customer is the main stakeholder in our business.
We have created a platform for growth and sustainability within the individual companies in the Synercore group, to be able to focus on their respective core competencies.

Through these initiatives, we aim to create the most competitive food innovation and ingredients supplier in Sub-Saharan Africa, both in terms of quality, cost and customer service.

Food Safety Management System Certifications

Within Synercore Food Holdings we are committed to maintaining and expanding on Food Safety Management Systems, RSPO and Religious certifications to meet international recognized standards.

Current certification within the group is summarized as follows:

Allmark Foods in Midrand has been upgraded from ISO 22000 to FSSC 22000 certification in 2017. The site is also SANHA Halaal, Kosher and RSPO certified.
Allmark Foods in Cape Town (Klapmuts) is HACCP certified. The site is also SANHA Halaal certified and Kosher certification can be requested per product.

Our key words to success

Our Culture

Our culture in simple terms is defined as our way of life, the manifestation of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. It is the habits, traditions, behaviours and legacy of our organisation and is summarised as follows:

“To foster passionate, innovative and like-minded individuals to create a sustainable business based on respect, trust and compassion towards each other, our customers, our community and our environment.”

Board of Directors

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Mr. Hannes Wagener

Independent Chairman of the Board

Mr. Wagener, B.Eng. Mech. (Ind.), retired from Parmalat South Africa in early 2016 after a successful career within the Food Industry spanning more than 35 years, serving as Operations Director for companies such as Langberg Foods: Division of Tiger Brands, Towerkop and Parmalat. During his employment at Parmalat (that commenced in 1998) he served as director on the board of all 5 Parmalat Africa companies. As Operations Director and Industrial Executive for Parmalat, Mr. Wagener was responsible for driving operational excellence within the group, with the group managers for Industrial SA, rest of Africa, Research & Development, Quality, Technical and SHER reporting to him directly. He is highly regarded by his peers and respected in the industry, and his contribution was instrumental in establishing Parmalat as one of the leading dairy companies in Southern Africa.

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Mr. Kobus Nel

Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr. Nel, CA (SA) CFA, is a co-founding member of Fairtree Capital established in 2006 and currently holds the position of Chief Executive Officer. Fairtree Capital, based in Cape Town, South Africa is an African investment manager that manages alternative and long only investment portfolios across all global asset classes for institutional clients and high net worth individuals. Under Mr. Nel’s leadership, Fairtree has excelled, and with the company’s investment philosophy firmly entrenched, Fairtree has continued to deliver high-quality returns to investors. The products currently under management include a variety of equity, fixed income, credit, commodity, volatility arbitrage, balanced and multi-strategy mandates, with over R30 billion ($2,25 billion) combined assets under management.

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Prof. Pieter Swart

Non-Executive Director

Prof. Pieter Swart obtained a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Stellenbosch and is highly regarded as an expert in the field of protein purification, enzymology, analytical biochemistry and endocrinology. Prof. Swart received numerous awards during his career which include the Chilton Fellowship for study in the US (1988-1989), the Oppenheimer fellowship for sabbatical studies in the UK and US (2004 & 2010), the Welcome Trust Fellowship (2004), Rector’s Award for service at the University of Stellenbosch (2011-2014), the Rector’s Award for Research at the University of Stellenbosch (2010) and a Distinguished Service Award at the Department of Biochemistry at Stellenbosch University (2015). He has supervised/co-supervised 46 Masters- and 24 PhD students during his tenure as lecturer and departmental chair (12 years) at the University of Stellenbosch. In 2015, he was elected as the Vice-Dean of the Science Faculty at the University of Stellenbosch University. In 2017 Prof. Swart will continue his research interests as the Director of the Analytical Biochemistry and Research and Development at Innovative Research Solutions. Prof. Swart is internationally regarded as an expert in steroid biochemistry, enzymology and protein purification.

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Mr. Darryl Clayton

Non-Executive Director

Mr. Darryl Clayton’s career started with a firm base of practical food industry experience. A third-generation baker pastry-cook with additional qualifications in Flour Milling and Food Hygiene through educational organisations such as New Zealand Trade Certification Board, Wheat Research Institute – DSIR New Zealand, City & Guilds of London and the National Association of British & Irish Millers. During a 15-year period with Australasia’s largest food group – Goodman Fielder, Darryl held executive positions over 11 years in sales, marketing and general management within the business units of Milling and Ingredients in both New Zealand and Australia ending as General Manager Serrol Australia. Darryl left Australia for a 2-year experience building food production divisions in the UAE for the Allana International Group and then settled in Cape Town in 2000. Over the past 17 years Darryl has co-founded 16 companies selling one to Danisco (DuPont) in 2008 where he held the senior executive position to 2018 of Regional Director – DuPont Nutrition and Health Sub Sahara Africa. Darryl is an active member of the Institute of Directors SA and a Certified Business Advisor (CBA) with the Institute of Business Advisors SA. Darryl is highly rated by his peers for his knowledge of global baking technology, business processes and compliance and his entrepreneurial skill.

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Adv. Frikkie Erasmus

Group COO & Company Secretary*

After completion of his military service Adv. Frikkie Erasmus graduated with two degrees from the University of Stellenbosch (Bachelor of Arts 1996 and Bachelor of Laws 1998). His working career started abroad being employed in a financial environment in the United Kingdom and Mauritius. Upon his return in 2001 he completed his advocacy training at the Cape Bar and was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa in that same year. He worked for Old Mutual in a managerial capacity for 7 years whilst also completing his Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning (cum laude) from the University of the Orange Free State following which he joined one of the original companies that was later to become part of the Synercore Group in 2009. He holds a Masters of Law degree with subjects in International Trade and a research paper covering Food Law.

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Dr. Tertius Cilliers

Chief Executive Officer*

Dr. Tertius Cilliers started his career as a Research Technologist at the ARC Dairy Laboratory at Elsenburg in 1995, after obtaining his B.Sc. degree at Stellenbosch University. In 2000 he joined Parmalat South Africa as a Research Technologist, at which time he completed his honours degree at Stellenbosch University. In 2004 he accepted a position at Woolworths as a Senior Dairy Technologist, and shortly thereafter co-founded Research Solutions, a dairy ingredients and research and development company, in 2005. In 2010 Research Solutions was acquired by Danisco BV, which later was bought by DuPont, and served as Technical Applications Director and Senior Applications Specialist during his employment. He obtained his Master’s degree in Biochemistry (cum laude) in 2007 and his doctorate in 2015 at Stellenbosch University. In 2016, he co-founded the company Synercore Holdings, specializing in ingredient and product solutions within the food industry, and serves as the Chief Executive Officer since inception. He is registered as a professional natural scientist since 2005, and currently is appointed as an extraordinary lecturer at the Food Science Department and an external advisor to the Faculty of Science’s Advisory Board at Stellenbosch University.

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Mr. Hannes Visser

Chief Financial Officer*

Mr. Hannes Visser, a seasoned finance professional with a wealth of experience spanning South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. He is a highly accomplished Chartered Accountant, holding a B.Com CA (SA) (Cum Laude) and the prestigious Chartered Global Management Accountant designation. Additionally, he holds a Masters in Business Administration (Cum Laude) from Henley Business School. Mr. Visser embarked on his career at PwC, where he laid a solid foundation. Over the course of the past 14 years, he has honed his expertise in the food industry, making significant contributions to renowned companies such as Bidvest Foods, Pioneer Foods, and PepsiCo. His role at Synercore currently sees him serving as the Chief Financial Officer.

Notably, Mr. Visser held pivotal positions in his previous roles. He was Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Pioneer Foods, Strategy and M&A, and Finance Lead for Go-To-Market at PepsiCo. With his extensive background in finance and his remarkable track record, Mr. Hannes Visser is a highly respected professional in the field, bringing exceptional value to Synercore.

* Indicates members of the Executive Management Team (EXCO)

Corporate Governance

On completion of the first year of governance by the board it is clear the assessment of risk in stakeholder performance has already activated many programs of change, some started in 2017 and others within 2018 and plans on Improved programs for 2019 are In place.

In line with operating to King IV a number of Executives have been trained in the 16 principles and on director responsibilities with the Institute of Directors. Positive results are seen in decision making forums and ongoing training will continue as a priority to effectively meet our commitments to all stakeholders.

“It is clear that good corporate governance makes good sense. The name of the game for a company in the 21st Century will be conform while it performs.“ – Mervyn King (Chairman: King Report)