The business rescue credentials of Corporate Renewal Solutions

Jan van der Walt - Senior Business Rescue Practitioner

Jan van der Walt's senior business rescue practitioner status

Jan van der Walt is classified as a Senior Business Rescue Practitioner by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) in terms of regulation 127 (2)(c)(i).

His senior business rescue practitioner status warrants that he has actively engaged in business turnaround practice before the effective date of the Act, or as a business rescue practitioner in terms of the Act, for a combined period of at least 10 years.

Regulation 127 (5) stipulates that a senior business rescue practitioner such as Jan may be appointed as the business rescue practitioner for any company size as classified in Regulation 127 (2)(b) - large, medium or small - as defined by the public interest score.

As an interim measure, CIPC presently grants interim licenses to business rescue practitioners only when nominated by companies or close corporations entering business rescue. An interim license is valid only for the case in question.

Any company or close corporation wishing to appoint Jan, or any associates of Corporate Renewal Solutions, as it's business rescue practitioner, is requested to complete the Business rescue client submission form.

Jan van der Walt's business rescue credentials

Turnaround management experience stretching over 28,5 years of large companies as accountable executive or as advisor managing large project teams.
Intimate knowledge of new business rescue legislation and regulations by virtue of having been involved in its drafting since 2005.
Detailed knowledge of business rescue by virtue of his current doctorate studies in business rescue.

Turnaround experience

Presently the CEO of Corporate Renewal Solutions (CRS), a black-empowered turnaround consulting firm, Jan van der Walt has 28,5 years' experience in turnaround management.

Jan's informal sector turnaround experience (informal creditor workout) is highly transferable to formal Chapter 6 turnaround (business rescue), especially in light of his knowledge of the new business rescue legislation.

In his turnaround practitioner career he served as both senior accountable executive and in advisory positions in numerous turnaround situations in a variety of industries ranging from the public sector, to private sector clients as large as R5bn turnover.

He has wide experience in devising and implementing leadership, strategic, financial, organisational and operational solutions in turnaround projects.

Turnaround/business rescue skills

Investigating the affairs of the business.
Crisis stabilisation and emergency management.
Turnaround/business rescue viability assessment.
Crafting of the turnaround/business rescue plan.
Stakeholder management, including negotiating acceptance of the turnaround/business rescue plan.
Implementing the turnaround/business rescue plan.
Stewardship as a director.

Business rescue industry knowledge

Jan regularly publishes, lectures and presents talks and papers on turnaround and Chapter 6 business rescue, as well as web mastering websites, blogs and internet discussion groups. Some of his papers, presentations and websites are listed below.

He has appeared on television and in the press locally and in neighbouring countries.

Turnaround Management and Corporate Renewal Book - a South African Perspective - Edited by Neil Harvey

Jan's firm Corporate Renewal Solutions (CRS) is proud to have sponsored 50% of the final editing cost of this prestigious book on corporate renewal, turnaround and business rescue.

Ntombi Langa-Royds, chair of CRS, contributed the chapter "Human Resources Leadership in a Turnaround".

Jan contributed the following four chapters:

"The Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa (TMA-SA)".
"Turnaround Situations".
"Operational Aspects of a Turnaround".
"A Turnaround Practitioner's View on New Business Rescue Legislation".

To obtain more information about this book and where to purchase it, see Turnaround Management and Corporate Renewal.

Business rescue industry activities

Jan founded the Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa (TMA-SA) in 2005. Having served as CEO in the past, he is the present Certification Director. Jan is earmarked as the CEO of the Certified Turnaround Professional Governance Board of TMA-SA, Chair of its Standards Subcommittee and member of its Education Subcommittee. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD).

Jan is a member of the Business Rescue Sub-Committee of the King III Commission on Governance. He edited the final draft of the Business Rescue Practice Notes.

Jan was invited to dti and the USAID Financial Sector Program workshops, made submissions, and was privately consulted by the dti and the USAID Financial Sector Program with regard to new business rescue legislation (Chapter 6 of the Companies Act No. 71 of 2008, the Companies Amendment Act No. 3 of 2011, and the Companies Regulations, 2011). He did so in his private capacity and as CEO/Director of TMA-SA.

Lately, he has been involved in discussions with the USAID Financial Sector Program regarding admission requirements for business rescue practitioners, including examination, experience and ethical requirements.

Chief Executive Officer: Corporate Renewal Solutions (CRS)

Click on the photograph for enlarged version.

Jan is bound by the Code of Ethics of the Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa (TMA-SA).

See Jan van der Walt's membership certificate of the Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa (TMA-SA).

Listen to Jan's BNPC Turnaround Seminar Interview with GABZFM Radio broadcast on 11 August 2010.

Contact details

Email address:

Cell: +27 82 853 1414

Land line: +27 11 477 4414

Fax line: +27 86 510 6184

Jan van der Walt's qualifications

Presently busy completing a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) at the Gordon Institute of Management Science of the University of Pretoria, where his research interest is predicting business rescue resolution. Passed the first year of Directed Learning with the top exam marks in class.
MBA (Stanford Business School), where he studied with a Fulbright Scholarship and specialised in strategy.
Honours B.Sc. in Operations Research (University of South Africa).
B.Sc. Industrial Engineering degree (cum laude) (University of Pretoria).

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Jan van der Walt's industry activities

Recent papers and presentations

Date	Topic
10 July 2011	Quoted in Sunday Times: Creditors Aim to Cash in on New Business Rescue Provisions. Turnarounds: Does Business Rescue Have the Right Remedy.
27 May 2011	Launch of Neil Harvey's book Turnaround Management and Corporate Renewal: A South African Perspective. Chapters contributed by Jan van der Walt: "The Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa (TMA-SA)" "Turnaround Situations". "Operational Aspects of a Turnaround". "A Turnaround Practitioner's View on New Business Rescue Legislation".
26 May 2011	Managing a Turnaround and Corporate Renewal Venue: Wits Business School, 2 St. David's Place, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2183 Brochure: Managing A Turnaround And Corporate Renewal 2011 "A Turnaround Practitioner's View on New Business Rescue Legislation"
15 September 2010	Opinion on Khaya Ngqula's role in SAA's turnaround results. Ploeg die SAL nog met Ngqula se kalwers? - Sake24
16 - 17 August 2010	Listen to the BNPC Turnaround Seminar Interview with GABZFM Radio broadcast on 11 August 2010. Newspaper clips: The business rescue conversation - the facilitator. The business rescue conversation - the economist. Venue: Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC) headquarters, Gaborone, Botswana.
7 July 2010	Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa Lecture Series Johannesburg. "A Point of View on Business Rescue 2"
12 May 2010	Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa Lecture Series Johannesburg. "A Point of View on Business Rescue 1"
6 May 2010	Managing a Turnaround and Corporate Renewal, Wits Business School. Johannesburg. "Business Rescue: A Turnaround Practitioner’s Perspective"
7 Dec 09	King III Final Report: The requirements and implications for public, private and non-profit organisations (222k). Cape Town. "Final recommendations for Business Rescue procedures"
5 Nov 09	Women in Management and Leadership Conference (243k). "New business rescue legislation as per Chapter 6 of the new Companies Act"
14 Oct 09	Audit, Risk and Governance Summit '09 (501k). "New business rescue legislation as per Chapter 6 of the new Companies Act"
29 Sep 09	King III Final Report: The requirements and implications for public, private and non-profit organisations (91k). Johannesburg. "Final recommendations for Business Rescue procedures"
16 Sep	Leadership excellence and corporate governance conference (1120k)
18 to 20 Aug 09	Business rescue: Demystified and Operationalised (422k).
30 Jul 09	Corporate Governance Forum 2009: (269k). "Analysing the importance of business rescue legislation and its implications for your company"
09-03-07	A corporate conversation on business rescue (167k) or A corporate conversation on business rescue (105k).
08-08-07	Business rescue legislation comments which constitutes TMA-SA's submission to dti on the business rescue provisions of Chapter 6 of the Companies Act (B61 - 2008)
08-07-30	Business rescue legislation - a turnaround practitioner’s perspective on changes in B61-2008 compared to the 2007 draft - Business rescue panel discussion, Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa.
08-07-29	Business rescue legislation - implications for companies and directors - Corporate Governance conference.
08-05-12	Turnaround situations (Wits Business School turnaround management conference)
07-05-15	Turnaround situations (Wits Business School turnaround management conference) (591k)
07-05-03	Business rescue process - Business rescue panel discussion, Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa (140k).
07-03-30	Business rescue legislation comments which constitutes TMA-SA's submission to dti on the business rescue provisions of Chapter 6 of the Companies Act 2007 (772k).
06-11-04	Improving turnaround and business rescue in South Africa - how government can contribute, and how TMA-SA can assist - presentation to National Treasury and Department of Trade and Industry (588k).
06-11-04	Overview of the Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa (545k).
06-09-06	Implications of new business rescue legislation for private equity in South Africa (Private Equity Africa 2006 conference) > (556k).
06-05-15	Contrasting informal turnaround with turnaround during insolvency 2006 (Wits Business School turnaround management conference) (770k).
06-05-15	Developments in the South African turnaround industry 2006 (Wits Business School turnaround management conference) (326k).

King III Committee on Corporate Governance

Jan is a member of the Business Rescue Subcommittee of the King III Commission on Governance. He made a substantial contribution towards the business rescue provisions in the following publications:

King III Report on Governance for South Africa (iPaper format).
King III Code of Governance for South Africa (iPaper format).
King III Practice Notes: Guidance on business rescue (172k).

Industry associations

In 2004 he initiated what was eventually named the Task Group for Organising the Turnaround and Business Rescue Industries, which included 100 representatives from various stakeholder groups in industry in its Work Group and Advisory Group.

The Task Group spawned:

ABASA - Association of Business Administrators of South Africa - a past proposed business rescue regulatory body in terms of new business rescue legislation, where he served on the Interim Executive as Treasurer. ABASA has since merged in to the Certified Turnaround Practitioner Governance Board of TMA-SA.

Turnaround Management Association - Southern Africa (TMA-SA), the establishment of which Jan initiated and concluded as a founder member after having been a member of the Chicago Chapter of the TMA before.
- He was voted onto the initial board of TMA-SA as director in 2005.
- 2005: Director and Chief Executive Officer.
- 2006: Director and Chief Operating Officer.
- 2007 - 08: Director and Chief Operating Officer; Informatics Director.
- 2009: Director and Chief Operating Officer.
- 2010 - 2011: Director: Certification.
- He also serves on the International Committee of TMA.

Business rescue legislation and regulations

As the representative of TMA-SA, Jan has been actively involved in submissions to government and government workshops on new business rescue legislation and business rescue regulations as contained in Chapter 6 of the Companies Act No. 71 of 2008, Companies Amendment Act No. 3 of 2011, and Companies Regulations, 2011.

For his assessment of how the new legislation will affect turnaround and the rescue of financially distressed companies, please see Business rescue in South Africa.

Turnaround/Business Rescue industry web sites

Jan maintains the following turnaround-related web sites, blogs and forums:

Corporate Renewal Solutions Blog with news and views about the topics and industries of turnaround, corporate renewal, business transformation and business rescue in South Africa.
Corporate Renewal Solutions.
CRS Business Rescue.
CRS Business Transformation.
CRS Turnaround Management.
CRS Management Consulting.

Do you wish to place your company or CC into business rescue?

Please complete the Business rescue client submission form.

We will respond with an opinion on the appropriate approach for you to take, implications that you should be aware of, and costs involved.

Business rescues are already underway. Either extension to appoint a business rescue practitioner is granted by CIPC, or CIPC licenses business rescue practitioners on an interim basis.