Jacko Maree
John Maree | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Helenius Maree August 30, 1955 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Other names | Jacko Maree |
| Occupation | Banking executive |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | CEO of Standard Bank (1999–2013), Deputy Chairman of Standard Bank Group (since 2016), Chairman of Liberty Holdings Limited (since 2015) |
John (Jacko) Helenius Maree (born 30 August 1955 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a prominent South African banking executive who dedicated his professional life to Standard Bank. He held the position of CEO for fourteen years and has served as deputy chairman since late 2016.
Early life
Maree is the son of John Maree, a business leader, and Joy du Plessis, a Springbok golfer. He completed his secondary education at St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown in 1973. He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Stellenbosch before pursuing a Master of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 1980. Additionally, he earned a Program for Management Development (PMD) qualification from Harvard University.
Career
Beginning his career at Standard Bank in 1980, Maree initially worked within corporate finance at Standard Merchant Bank (SMB). By 1991, he advanced to managing director of SMB and, four years later, assumed the role of managing director at Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank. In November 1999, he was elevated to CEO of Standard Bank Group. Soon after his appointment, Maree opposed a proposed merger with Nedbank; this transaction was eventually blocked by the South African government in June 2000 to maintain market competition.
In October 2009, under Maree’s leadership, Standard Bank sold a 20% shareholding to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) for $5.5 billion, enhancing its strategic partnership with Chinese markets. That same year, he managed the consolidation of Standard Bank’s Russian operations with a 33% holding in investment bank Troika Dialog.
Maree stepped down as CEO in March 2013 and was succeeded by Sim Tshabalala and Ben Kruger. He continued to work with Standard Bank focusing on client relations until August 2015. During his leadership as CEO, the bank’s stock value increased by 383%. In November 2016, he was appointed deputy chairman of Standard Bank Group. Furthermore, in January 2015, he took on the role of chairman at Liberty Holdings Limited.
In April 2018, President Cyril Ramaphosa named Maree one of four Special Envoys tasked with attracting $100 billion in investments ahead of the presidential Investment Conference.
Honours
On 12 November 2020, Maree was honoured with a Lifetime Achiever Award at the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies annual ceremony.
Marriage
Maree wed Sandra Margaret on 2 May 1981 and they have two daughters together.