Baby Zinhle Soko

A dedicated and results-driven professional interested in the world of investments, particularly investment analysis in equities, debt, or fixed-income securities. I have worked in the private debt space as a credit analyst which has also sparked an interest in risk analysis. I am a critical thinker and also have a passion for creating and implementing investment strategies and creative problem-solving. I possess strong multitasking skills, with the ability to simultaneously manage several projects and schedules.

Sanlam Alternative Investments – SME Private Debt

March 2024 – Present 

Responsibilities and Exposure:

• Evaluated potential investment opportunities by conducting initial screenings to identify viable deals.
• Deal Structuring: Prepared comprehensive term sheets and legal terms for loan agreements, including the pricing of loans to ensure competitive and profitable rates.
• Due Diligence: Conducted in-depth financial analysis to assess the financial health and creditworthiness of potential borrowers.

Performed detailed analysis of the industry and market trends, including competitor analysis and customer segmentation, to evaluate market positioning and potential risks.

• Analysed the broader economic, financial, and social impact outlook to understand how these factors affect the borrower and the potential investment.
• Ensured compliance with relevant regulations, including FICA, Competition Commission, and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements.
• Prepared comprehensive Credit application papers for presentation to the investment committee where I also provided well-supported recommendations and conclusions to facilitate decision making.

Sanlam Investments Group Strategy

March 2023 – July 2023

• Developed a comprehensive value creation dashboard for the ABSA transaction, focusing on identifying and evaluating various types of synergies such as cost savings, revenue generation, operational efficiency, and system optimization.
• Contributed to the development and maintenance of the group Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) scorecard.
• Conducted competitor analysis within the South African asset management space. Evaluating market trends, competitor strategies, and industry positioning.
• Evaluated three strategic options for the disposal of the ABSA property fund acquired as part of the ABSA Asset Management business acquisition. 

Sanlam Investments Group Finance

March 2023 – July 2023

• Performed a variety of monthly reporting tasks and ad-hoc assignments, including preparing and updating the loan schedule to accurately account for interest
• Preparing monthly management accounts and monitored financial performance.
• Preparing and processing monthly journals, including fee income journals, IFRS10 journals, and IT cost journals.
• Preparing IS forecasts for various reporting entities.
• Extracted budget reports for monthly review, facilitating budgetary control and financial planning.
• Involved in the step acquisition transaction of Simeka, contributing to the strategic expansion and integration efforts within the company.

Sanlam loyalty and reward/reality

August 2023 – December 2023

• Prepared comprehensive business management reports, providing detailed insights into the performance and operational metrics of the loyalty and rewards program.
• Prepared a budget report and conducted variance analysis, identifying discrepancies between budgeted and actual figures, and providing explanations for significant variances to support effective financial management.

Sanlam Group financial reporting

January 2022-February 2023 and 2024 Intereim and year end

• Led the preparation of financial statements for Sanlam Life Company.
• Prepared notes for the Group's Annual Financial Statements (AFSs).
• Utilised expected value models to conduct business analytics, enabling informed decision-making by predicting outcomes and assessing risks associated with various business strategies.
• Compiled and presented the SNLACB strategic investment report, involving the valuation of all unlisted assets within the Group's portfolio to determine the fair value of investments accurately.

Bachelor of Business Science: Finance with Accounting (BBusSci)

University of cape town, cape town, western cape

January 2017 - June 2021

Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting (PGDA)  

University of cape town, cape town, western cape

January 2021 - June 2022

SAICA Initial Test of Competence (ITC)

University of cape town board course, cape town, western cape

March 2024

SAICA Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) 

University of cape town board course, cape town, western cape

March 2023