Carl Neethling 2025 Speaker

Carl Neethling is a founder of ACN Capital, previously known as Acorn Private Equity, and a respected private equity industry operator and Chief Executive Officer with 18 years’ experience in private equity and the broader asset management industry. He has successfully managed several multi-billion rand funds as the principal across various sectors and has served as a member of various boards, including listed & public companies, within the healthcare; wellness; food and education industries. Entrepreneurial by nature, Carl co-founded Acorn Private Equity (now ACN Capital) in 2009, and has developed a reputation as a renowned dealmaker having successfully led the business through multiple capital raisings, investments and divestments. As Chief Investment Officer at the time, he assumed the lead role in Acorn’s divestment of the BEAR division (of the Grassroots Group) for R763m (returning a realised IRR of 52.4% over 7 years and 33.65x money) as well as the acquisition of Ascendis Animal Health for R770m, with Carl and his team being awarded with the Private Equity Deal of the Year award for both transactions. Carl also heads up a hedge fund with around R1,8bn in AUM, primarily on behalf of the Neethling family office, that is run by his team at ACN Capital. Carl specialises in the mid-market private equity space and has gained vast experience in investment within the health, education, technology and food sectors. He has international experience in the USA and UK where he previously served as Global Investment Controller for private equity investments in partnership with Goldman Sachs and other influential investors including Blackstone, Citibank and ABN Amro. Carl’s extensive network gained through his private equity dealings are supplemented by a far-reaching network originating from his family’s diverse business interests. Carl is a firm believer in deploying active capital and his unique mix of operational and investment experience across various industries empowers him to provide a well-tested perspective on strategy and post transaction value creation.