OUR TEAM
We are like-minded individuals, passionate about growth and making an impact.
Well before the crisis, we saw the world of work changing, becoming more flexible, adaptable and global. Our team operates with this in mind, leveraging global expertise, drawing on talent from different parts of the world and working in a dynamic, virtual team environment.
In fact, we see ourselves as more of a tribe!
Among our tribe members:
SAAR BEN-ATTAR: STRATEGIST AND MANAGEMENT INNOVATION EXPERT
Saar is the Founder of Ascent Growth Partners. He likes to bring imagination and data-driven insights together, to help clients discover new pathways to growth, becoming more sustainable, future-fit organisations. He speaks regularly in conferences, most recently featured at Future Energy Asia. An avid reader, Saar is known to his team as Chief Instigator, which he accepts is often meant as a compliment though at times is accompanied by some very constructive feedback.
Philani Sangweni: Entrepreneur, Executive and Early-stage investor
Philani is a former Financial Services executive, who helps clients embed innovation thinking and processes. Passionate about backing diverse entrepreneurs who are using innovation to solve some of the most meaningful problems facing the world today, Philani is also the founder and managing partner of E4Africa, a venture capital firm focused on investing in innovation driven entrepreneurs in South Africa, in which our South-African office is an LP. He brings over 15 years global experience as a management consultant, executive, entrepreneur and investor, to solve messy challenges, the ones we like the most.
CHARMAINE RAUTENBACH: BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY & IMPACT
Charmaine has been part of the Ascent Growth Partners Tribe for about 2 years. She is passionate about delivering value and helping companies and individuals become all they can be. She brings her passion for delivery to of the biggest challenges facing organisations of growing, being sustainable and having a significant impact on the world we live in. Charmaine loves solving complex problems and bringing all the pieces together to solve the real problems, the ones that matter most.
FLORIN BORA: STRATEGIST AND TECH ENTHUSIAST
Florin is a strategy advisor and entrepreneur with extensive experience across all major European markets. His ambition to bring simplicity and transparency to some of the most critical issues that corporations are facing is reflected in his core metric for project success: the client asking ‘Why did we not think of this ourselves?’ at the end of an engagement.
Florin is a strong believer in ‘outcome first’ – a mentality he fostered while running several venture-backed tech start-ups. He continues to be part of several UK and US VC networks and always includes insight developed through these partnerships in his client work and his interactions with the Ascent team.
CHRIS TAYLOR: STRATEGIST AND OPERATIONS EXCELLENCE ADVOCATE
Chris is driven by the search for enlightened thinking, supported by unerring execution. His background in Strategy development, Turnaround projects and heavy industry optimisation have distilled the truth that good thinking is only as good as the execution that backs it up.
Chris thrives on the magic moments when external expertise and client knowhow merge to co-create solutions. High energy teams and robust problem solving sessions are the bread and butter of his project approach. The nuance of problem solving with team members of diverse cultures, contexts and geographies is what keeps him excited about the Ascent Tribe approach.