In this first episode, Mergon CEO Pieter Faure invites founder Francois van Niekerk to reflect on his personal business journey and the pivotal events that shaped his leadership and Mergon’s establishment. They explore core leadership principles such as having a learning mindset, giving power away, and prioritising the organisation over personal gain, all fundamental to Mergon's culture throughout its 45-year history.

Purchase Francois’ book 'Doing Business with Purpose' here.

Founder Francois van Niekerk and Mergon CEO Pieter Faure journey through the halls of Francois' entrepreneurial career in the 1990s. They explore some of the bold investment decisions he made during a time of political and social unrest, business partnership principles, and his growing understanding of stewardship.

Purchase Francois’ book 'Doing Business with Purpose' here.

What does it mean to be a steward of your business instead of its owner? Mergon founder Francois van Niekerk explores this question with host Pieter Faure in this episode. They reflect on how the understanding of ‘God owning it all’ shaped Mergon’s views on partnership, generosity, and power dynamics in capital ownership, ultimately leading to the Mergon Foundation becoming its majority shareholder.

Purchase Francois’ book 'Doing Business with Purpose' here.

In this final episode, Francois and Pieter reflect on the post-2008 years when Francois transitioned his leadership and took on more of a mentorship role, emphasising a move from 'success to significance'. They explore his ongoing philanthropic endeavours alongside his book, ‘Doing Business with Purpose’, exchanging personal anecdotes and recounting years of shared experiences.

Purchase Francois’ book 'Doing Business with Purpose' here.

Over the last 40 years, Mergon has grown into a multi-faceted organisation that has learned how to leverage cross-industry insight and experience. In this final episode of the series, Pieter Faure, Neil Hart and Keri-leigh Paschal reflect on Mergon’s mission, structure and culture. They share how the values of ‘It’s not about us,’ ‘we’re in it together,’ and ‘we’re stewards on a journey’ have enabled Mergon to become catalysts for kingdom impact.

In this episode of Our Mergon Journey, Pieter Faure, Almero Strauss and Keri-Leigh Paschal comment on the growth pains Mergon experienced in maturing as a organisation. There is an art to blending commercial interests and credibility in the market with being overtly Christian - and they share how embracing a learning culture, and intentionally building a unified brand identity, have been key to Mergon's success.

In this episode of Our Mergon Journey series, Pieter Faure interviews Lauren Cloete-Henning and Keri-leigh Paschal about the origins of Muthobi, Nation Builder and Ziwani. Within the context of a global shift in thinking about corporate social responsibility, these different Mergon initiatives have been serving as a bridge between business and positive social impact, for more than a decade.

In this episode, Pieter Faure, Neil Hart and Danie Vermeulen discuss the Mergon Foundation journey, and what they have learned about redemptive practices in philanthropy. They explain the reasons for shifting from a traditional funder-donor approach, to a strategic partnership approach that now focuses on three regions: South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle-East.

In this episode, we dive deeper into Mergon’s journey as investment entrepreneurs. We discuss Mergon’s portfolio mandate, personal experiences in early-stage investing in South Africa, and finding those elusive instances where prayer, timing, leadership and due diligence converge. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in Mergon’s approach to investing in start-ups.

In this episode, Pieter Faure, Almero Strauss and Lauren Cloete-Henning share some of their learning experiences as a small new team. At the time, there simply was no blueprint available for operating in the diverse environments of entrepreneurial investment, philanthropy, and corporate social impact. Undaunted, the team added a kingdom-minded mandate, and found their own way forward.