Naspers and Prosus Name Nico Marais as New Permanent CFO
South African technology giant Naspers Limited and its European division Prosus NV have officially appointed Nico Marais as their Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The 51-year-old finance expert, who has worked with the companies for over 25 years, had been serving as temporary CFO since December 2024. His promotion was approved by both companies’ boards.
Marais replaces Basil Sgourdos, who retired after nearly 30 years as CFO. During Sgourdos’ time, Naspers grew from a media company into a global tech investor, most notably through its early investment in Chinese tech giant Tencent.
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Why This Appointment Matters
Experience Counts – Marais knows these companies inside out. He helped list Prosus on the Amsterdam stock exchange in 2019 and simplified how Naspers and Prosus own shares in each other.
Strong Teamwork – Company leaders say Marais works well with new CEO Fabricio Bloisi, who took over in July 2024. This teamwork will be important for future growth.
Good Timing – The companies are doing well financially. Prosus made 3.5 billion in profit last half−year up 741.5 billion (up from $866 million).
What Marais Brings to the Job
Helped create Prosus’ stock buyback program that returns money to shareholders
Managed the companies’ borrowing and debt strategies
Expects Prosus to make $6.2 billion this year with 20% growth
Will join Naspers’ board immediately and Prosus’ board next year
Other Big Changes at the Companies
South Africa CEO Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa will join the Naspers board in 2025
New CEO Bloisi is focusing on making e-commerce businesses profitable
The group plans to list more companies, including payment service PayU
They have $20 billion ready to invest, especially in AI and fintech
What’s Next?
With Marais as CFO, Naspers and Prosus want to:
Keep growing their successful investments (like Tencent, Delivery Hero, Swiggy)
Make their online shopping businesses earn more money
Find new opportunities in artificial intelligence and digital payments
Possibly take more of their companies public through stock listings
The leadership team believes Marais’ long experience will help guide these plans while maintaining the financial discipline that has made Naspers and Prosus so successful.
Simple Explanation of Key Terms:
CFO = The executive who manages a company’s money
Prosus = Naspers’ European division that holds its international tech investments
Stock buyback = When a company buys its own shares to increase their value
Listing = When a company sells shares to the public on a stock exchange.
