Hamish Rudland
| Hamish Rudland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Hamish Bryan Wilburn Rudland |
| Known for | Being a businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Bridgette Rudland |
| Relatives | Simon |
Hamish Bryan Wilburn Rudland is a Zimbabwean entrepreneur with interests in logistics, agriculture and financial services. His company Magister Investments holds a controlling stake in Southern Africa’s biggest sugar producer, Tongaat Hulett. He also had an interest in Pioneer Transport.
Background
He has a brother named Simon.[1]
Education
Rudland was educated at Falcon College in Esigodini. [2] Hamish Rudland holds a Bachelor's Degree specializing in Information Technology, General Management and Tourism from Massey University.[3][4]
Businesses
His company Magister which is registered in Mauritius engineered the consolidation of Zimplow and Unifreight subsidiaries. Zimplow and Unifreight are Zimbabwean registered companies.
Hamish Rudland and his brother Simon Rudland formed Pioneer Transport in 1995, growing their business into Pioneer Corporation Africa through the acquisitions of other leading transport businesses, including Unifreight – owners of Swift Transport – Bulwark, and Clan.
In 2015, Simon Rudland launched the Rudland & George cigarette brand.
The Rudlands have been active investors on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, holding significant stakes in assets such as Zimre, through his investment vehicle Day River Corporation, and in agriculture company CFI. [1]
The Hamish family, in particular Hamish’s brother Simon, is best known in South Africa for their tobacco business Gold Leaf Tobacco Corporation, which alongside a number of other manufacturers has been accused of flooding the South African market with cigarettes that are priced in a way that suggests they somehow avoid paying the steep excise “sin” tax normally imposed by the South African Revenue Service.
Gold Leaf and the Rudlands have consistently denied any wrongdoing, but in the mid-2000s, Simon was arrested in South Africa for cigarette smuggling — although the case went nowhere — and in 2019 he survived a hit on his life in Johannesburg as he was arriving for a meeting of the Free Trade Independent Tobacco Association, which represents the smaller manufacturers.
The market share of these cheap cigarettes rocketed during the initial Covid-19 lockdown, with Gold Leaf being the biggest beneficiary, according to a University of Cape Town study.
According to the study, Gold Leaf sold 30% of all cigarettes during the initial lockdown in 2020, during which cigarette sales were technically illegal, up from 12% pre-Covid — and maintained much of this market gain after the ban was lifted.
Hamish Rudland said his company Magister had no involvement or interest in Gold Leaf Tobacco Corporation.[5]
Tongaat Hulett
In January 2022, Hamish Rudland won a shareholder vote that gave him control of Tongaat Hulett. On 18 January 2022, at an EGM, Tongaat shareholders approved the proposal by Magister to underwrite a R4 billion rights offer for the company.
One of the resolutions shareholders also had to vote on was related to appointing Hamish Rudland as a new director on the Tongaat Hulett board as part of the proposed deal. [6]
Positions Held
Rudland is a board member in Agriterra Ltd which invests in agricultural businesses and civil engineering projects in Africa.
He is also a board member in Zimre Property Investments Ltd and Truworths Zimbabwe Ltd.[3]
Hamish Rudland sits on the Board of Scanlink (Pvt) Ltd and TSL Ltd. He is Emeritus Reinsurance Non-Executive Director.[4]
His other directorships include ZIMRE Holdings Limited, Tredcor Zimbabwe, Dry Fly Trading t/a JCB Link and Umfurudzi Park.[2]
Networth
In 2019, Hamish Rudland was reportedly worth around US$250 million. [7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Zim’s Wealthy Rudland Family Set To Take Over Tongaat Hulett, NewZimbabwe.com, Published: November 18, 2021, Retrieved: January 24, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 TEFCO, TEFCO, Published: No Date Given, Retrieved: January 24, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hamish Bryan Wilburn Rudland, Bloomberg, Published: No Date Given, Retrieved: January 24, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hamish Rudland, Emeritus, Published: No Date Given, Retrieved: January 24, 2022
- ↑ Zimbabwe Tobacco Barons’ Planned Capture Of Tongaat Hulett, NewZimbabwe.com, Published: January 18, 2022, Retrieved: January 24, 2022
- ↑ Rudland takes over Tongaat, The Herald, Published: January 19, 2022, Retrieved: January 24, 2022
- ↑ Robson Sharuko, DeMbare sponsor shot in South Africa, The Herald, Published: August 2019, Retrieved: January 25, 2022
