About us

A global,
best ideas
hedge fund

Cuthman Capital is an independent, owner-managed asset management company with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dedicated to managing a focussed mandate, we protect and grow wealth over the long-term by investing in opportunities worldwide. Cuthman Capital was founded with the intention to professionally manage proprietary capital. 

Cuthman Capital is a fully independent business. It is overseen by portfolio managers and long-time friends, Tobie Lochner and Peter Wille, who met as students at the University of Stellenbosch in 2001. Both fiercely independent thinkers, the duo’s insatiable curiosity saw them seeking out opportunities to learn about the world of business the moment their academic careers commenced. 

Studying the learnings of investment masterminds, making shrewd investments from a very young age and networking with thought leaders and innovators were some of the things that fuelled their entrepreneurial spirit and gave birth to the idea of one day creating a performance-orientated investment business. 

Following over a decade of experience – each as portfolio managers of award-winning funds – Tobie and Peter manage Cuthman Capital, together with experienced commercial attorney, Thandi Wille, and a team of talented financial analysts and management experts.

Team

Tobie Lochner

Tobie Lochner

Director & Portfolio Manager

Tobie Lochner is an investment professional with over a decade of experience in financial markets. Together with Peter Wille, he is responsible for managing Cuthman Capital’s assets. Prior to founding Cuthman Capital, Tobie was a shareholder and managing director of Peregrine Capital, a hedge fund management business focused on equity, real estate and fixed income. During his 11-year tenure, he worked as an investment analyst and portfolio manager. He also had a number of operational responsibilities. Under his leadership, the funds he oversaw won a number of best performance awards. Before joining Peregrine Capital, Tobie completed his articles at FirstRand Bank. He holds a B Acc (Hons) degree from the University of Stellenbosch, is a CFA charterholder and a Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)). In addition to spending quality time with his family, Tobie has a number of interests including golf, aviation and wildlife.

Peter Wille

Peter Wille

Director & Portfolio Manager

Peter Wille has over a decade of experience as an analyst and portfolio manager, and as a former Head of Research at Nedbank Private Wealth. He manages Cuthman Capital’s assets together with Tobie Lochner. Peter’s career started in 2005 with BoE Private Clients, which was later rebranded as Nedbank Private Wealth. His responsibilities included managing the investment team and co-managing the Nedbank Private Wealth Equity Fund, which won the Raging Bull Award for Best SA Equity Fund during this period. In 2008, he launched the Nedgroup Investments Private Wealth Preference Share Fund, which he successfully managed for 11 years. He completed a BCom (Actuarial Science) and BCom Financial Risk Management (Hons) at the University of Stellenbosch and he is a CFA charterholder. Peter enjoys hiking, surfing and spending time with his family.

Thandi Wille

Thandi Wille

Chief Operating Officer

A commercial attorney by training, Thandi is responsible for legal and operational support of Cuthman Capital. Before joining the team, Thandi was the Group Legal Counsel at Updraft, a niche legal consulting and software company that specialises in the provision of contract drafting and contract management software. At Updraft, she gained excellent operational business experience through managing various aspects of this rapidly growing technology business. Prior to her time at Updraft, Thandi practised as a commercial attorney, specialising in competition law, at Werksmans Attorneys in Cape Town. She also worked as a case manager and researcher at the Competition Tribunal of South Africa, where she gained extensive competition law experience. Her qualifications include a BComm (Law) and LLB (completed at Leiden University in the Netherlands) from the University of Stellenbosch and an LLM in Commercial Law from the University of Pretoria. She is passionate about travelling, nature and spending time with her family.

Justin Klassen

Justin Klassen

Chief Financial Officer

Justin Klassen oversees the finances and fund operations of Cuthman Capital. A chartered accountant, he has an in-depth understanding of financial services and investment management industries gained while working at various top firms. Before joining the Cuthman team, Justin was the head of finance at Sanlam Collective Investments, where he was responsible for the day-to-day financial operations of the management company, the collective investment scheme, and hedge fund schemes. Prior to working at Sanlam, he was the financial manager at Sygnia Asset Management. He played an integral role in establishing their management company and collective investment schemes. He was also involved in the listing of Sygnia Limited on the JSE in 2015. Justin completed his accounting traineeship at KPMG in Cape Town where he was afforded the opportunity to audit a wide range of clients within the financial services industry. This included the audits of asset management companies, collective investment schemes, medical schemes, retirement funds, private equity funds, private companies and trusts. Justin’s qualifications include a B.Bus.Sci (Finance Honours) and PGDA from the University of Cape Town. He is a big sports lover, outdoor enthusiast and an avid reader.

Tertius Pelser

Tertius Pelser

Analyst

Tertius Pelser is one of Cuthman Capital’s financial analysts, and is responsible for trading, research and company analysis. He has several years of experience in corporate finance and private equity under his belt, having previously worked as a private equity associate at Ascension Capital Partners and as a corporate finance associate at Pallidus Capital. He completed his articles with PwC in the Banking and Capital Markets division, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant CA(SA). He is a CFA charterholder and holds a B Acc (Hons) degree from the University of Stellenbosch. Tertius enjoys being in nature, trail running, reading, travelling, and spending time with his family and dog.

Dirk Visser

Dirk Visser

Strategic Advisor

Dirk Visser is a strategic advisor to Cuthman Capital. In addition to contributing to Cuthman Capital’s investment process, Dirk is a senior lecturer at Monash Sustainable Development Institute in Australia, teaching in the Monash MBA and various executive education programs. He previously worked as a sustainability and strategy specialist for Nedbank, developing and implementing a positive impact business strategy aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and advising on climate change and responsible investment. Before that, Dirk worked for the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, developing and presenting executive education programmes, managing a CEO initiative on climate change and assisting companies with their sustainability strategies. He completed a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Masters of Philosophy in Futures Studies at the University of Stellenbosch. Dirk has a keen interest in politics, is an avid sports fan and enjoys spending time with his family.