Prosus and Naspers have officially appointed Nico Marais as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective immediately, following unanimous approval by their boards.
Marais, 51, brings over 25 years of financial leadership experience within the group and has served as interim CFO since December 2024. During this period, he played a pivotal role in major strategic milestones, including the listing of Prosus, the unwinding of crossholdings between the two companies, ongoing share repurchase programmes, and debt capital market operations.
A qualified Chartered Accountant, Marais holds a Bachelor of Accounting and Honours degrees from Stellenbosch University. Before stepping into the interim CFO position, he served as General Manager of Finance and held various senior finance roles at both Naspers and Prosus.
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With his permanent appointment, Marais has also joined the Naspers board as Financial Director, effective immediately. He is expected to join the Prosus board following its annual general meeting in August 2025, subject to shareholder approval.
In comments made during the release of the group’s interim results in late 2024, Marais noted a sharp improvement in ecommerce profitability, reporting an adjusted EBIT of $181 million, five times higher than the previous year. He reaffirmed the group’s target of reaching $400 million in ecommerce profitability by the end of the 2025 financial year.
