Small business financier Business Partners has appointed Jeremy Lang as its new MD, effective January 1.

Lang will succeed Ben Bierman, who is retiring after more than 35 years of service.

As MD since April 2016, Bierman led Business Partners through many challenges, including a low-growth South African economy and the Covid-19 pandemic, the company points out.

During his tenure, Bierman steered the company to extend support to an increasing number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across South Africa. The company has approved more than R8-billion in business finance to SMEs, which in turn facilitated more than 93 000 jobs, it states.

Lang has more than 20 years of experience in financial services, 17 of which have been with Business Partners, where he has been a part of the executive management team since 2016.

He holds a BCom degree from the University of Cape Town, is an Associate General Accountant certified by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and has completed the Executive Development Programme at Stellenbosch University.

He recently returned from Harvard Business School where he was enrolled in the Advanced Management Program.

Lang has held various operational and leadership roles at the company.

In his most recent role as CIO, he was responsible for the company’s investment activity, post-investment and portfolio management.

His appointment as an executive director in August 2021 coincided with the implementation of the company’s five-year strategy and he is indicated to have played a pivotal role in its execution.

Lang says he is excited about the potential of leveraging technology to deliver finance quicker and more efficiently to SMEs.

He aims to achieve notable growth in both the number of investment transactions and the value of finance approved to SMEs within the next five years.

In line with the company’s purpose, Lang will continue to drive transformation through inclusivity, targeting black-owned and women-owned businesses with the Business Partners product and service offering.

“My vision is to have a positive impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem through an enhanced and expanded Business Partners Limited offering of innovative financing, extensive support and relevant technical assistance for entrepreneurs.

“By building on the successes achieved in the past, we will deliver increased growth and job creation through the support and service to entrepreneurs,” he comments.