South Ocean Holdings
Board Of Directors
Natasha Lalla (49)
BCom, BCom (Hons), CA(SA) Independent Non-Executive Director
A chartered accountant, member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, and member of the Institute of Internal Auditors of South Africa, Natasha also holds a post-graduate diploma in Advanced Banking (2003) and a certificate in International Treasury (2012).
Jen-Hao (Kevin) Yeh (50)
BSc (Actuarial Science) Independent Non-Executive Director
Kevin is a certified financial planner, a member of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa, and a Top of the Table member of the Million Dollar Round Table
Johannes Van Rensburg (61)
BCom (Acc), BCom (Hons), M Com Bus Management Non-Executive Director
Johannes has been a director and partner at Eureka DIY Solutions for the past twenty years. He and his sales team have been pivotal in developing the company from a small start-up into the powerhouse it is today.
Matthew (Matt) Hohman (54)
Matt is Chief Legal and Strategy Officer at SOLV Holdings, overseeing strategy and legal matters for its 20 companies. He is also CEO of Solv Africa, managing SOLV’s African investments. He joined the Board as a non-executive director on 10 March 2025.
Non-Executive Director
Matt has served as a C-level executive or partner for 20 years. He has led expansive growth at multiple companies, including leading numerous mergers and acquisitions.
Lawrence Chen (46)
MSc (Industrial and System Engineering) (USA)
Independent Non-Executive Director and Deputy Vice Chairperson
Lawrence began his career in Hong Kong’s equity capital market, where he worked on the marketing strategy for and execution of IPOs and SPOs.
Andre Smith (58)
Higher National Diploma: Mechanical Engineering
Chief Executive Officer
Andre is a qualified mechanical engineer with 30 years of experience in the cable industry. He has been employed in several senior management and executive positions in the manufacturing, sales, export, and technical areas of the industry.
Werner Basson (41)
BAcc, BAcc (Hons), CA(SA) Chief Financial Officer
Werner is a qualified chartered accountant who completed his articles at one of the ‘big four’ audit and advisory firms. He later gained managerial experience with the firm before joining a JSE- listed group as CFO in 2012.