Mariam Haroun, Managing Director
Mariam graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2002 and joined Mallinicks Inc (now Webber Wentzel) to serve her articles. She was admitted as an attorney in 2005 and joined Jeftha Twala Inc (now Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr), one of the first wholly owned black law firms in the country. During this time, she also completed the International Copyright Law summer program at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Mariam has experience in a wide range of practice areas, both in the private sector and the government sector and also in the field of public private partnerships.
Her work in the private sector has included advising on the most suitable model for particular enterprises and the structuring for new, small and medium businesses, including guidance on corporate governance.
Her experience includes the drafting of shareholders agreements, sale of shares agreements, sale of business agreements, joint venture agreements, loan agreements, supply and distributions agreements, service level agreements, television production agreements, agency and consultancy agreements, commercial property leases, employment contracts, licensing agreements and the undertaking of legal due diligences. Her experience also includes agreements in cross border transactions, specifically the export, finance, supply and distribution arrangements between a Netherlands based company and fresh produce companies in the agriculture sector in the Western Cape.
In the government sector Mariam has gained experience in the gas and energy sector. She was also was closely involved and assisted with the ‘corporatisation’ of the SABC from a state-owned entity into a company under the Companies Act and the Broadcasting Act. This project included extensive policy auditing, consideration and drafting of a broad range of commercial agreements including specifically television broadcasting, production and licensing agreements, and advising on corporate governance.
Andrew Allison, Consultant
BBusSci LLB LLM (Tax) MTP (SA) ACMA, CGMA, Adv. Dip. Digital Marketing
Andrew is an admitted attorney, Chartered Management Accountant, corporate finance and BEE expert, and organisational problem solver and fixer. He specialised for 7 years as an M&A, corporate and commercial lawyer, working for high-end law firms in London and Johannesburg. Since leaving practice in 2010, he has focused on building structure and order into fast-growing businesses, guiding them through the various stages of investment and preparing them for exit.
As an executive and business leader, Andrew has built and managed multi-disciplinary teams, spanning Finance, Operations, HR, Legal, BEE and IT, and has looked after governance, compliance and risk. These teams have supported a number of different businesses, customarily operating in the marketing, education and technology fields.
He is a seasoned campaigner in all matters relating to corporate structuring and finance: company acquisitions and sales; share subscriptions, sales and buybacks; BEE ownership deals; employee share schemes; business off-shoring; debt finance; and much, much more. In 2014, Andrew managed the sale of digital marketing agency Quirk to WPP Plc, reportedly one of the biggest transactions in South African advertising history.
Andrew has a keen interest in education and skills development, transformation and BEE, and technology and communications. He currently serves as a non-executive director of the Advertising Standards Authority, and as a Public Representative of the Press Council of South Africa, and previously chaired the Regulatory Affairs Council of the Interactive Advertising Bureau between 2013 and 2017.