Well-known businessman Peter Matlare, the deputy chief executive officer of Absa, has died from Covid-19 complications. He was 61.
Matlare served as the CEO of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the chief strategy and business development officer of Vodacom and later as the head of Tiger Brands, where he oversaw the expansion of the company into Nigeria and Kenya.
Matlare was named as an independent non-executive director of Absa in 2011 and was appointed the group’s deputy chief executive officer with responsibility for banking operations in the rest of Africa in August 2016.
He played a key role in Absa’s separation from its British parent company Barclays, which included the rebranding of Barclays-branded subsidiaries as “Absa” in a number of African countries.
“By adopting the Absa name, we are leveraging our rich African heritage in order to drive relevant initiatives that will further unlock our continent’s potential, deepen regional integration and support accelerated growth,” he said in February of 2020, after rebranding banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Matlare also attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on a number of occasions as part of Absa’s delegation.