Thaven Naidoo

Regional Coordinator, Southern Africa

Thaven has experience in various sectors, ranging from agriculture and mining to media and technology, as well as adaptation and development. He first became involved in PFAN through the development of the adaptation work stream, before becoming regional coordinator. Adaptation has since been mainstreamed into PFAN’s work, a move he believes has been very positive.

Passionate about innovation and with a deep understanding of the challenges facing entrepreneurs, Thaven enjoys seeing projects grow from concept to financial close. “We’ve seen world-class, large scale projects find investment in Southern Africa, and in East Africa we’ve seen many smaller innovative projects achieve finance.” The market, he says, is full of good ideas that become great projects thanks to the guidance of PFAN’s coaches.