Company Overview

Woodland Asset Management (Pty) Ltd

Woodland Asset Management is the asset management business within the Woodland group of companies. Woodland Wealth (Pty) Ltd, one of the companies in the group, provide their clients with planning and advice for Investment & Retirement and require the services of a Cat II asset manager, in order to effectively manage client portfolios of over R2.9 billion.

Woodland Asset Management will align their approach to investment portfolios with that of Woodland Wealth (Pty) Ltd.  This approach entails an evidence-based process.  Over time the evidence suggests that the main contributor to performance of investment portfolios are asset allocation while one of the biggest detractors are fees.  By carefully blending low-cost index tracking strategies with selective active management Woodland Asset Management hopes to run highly efficient and successful portfolios on behalf of their clients.  This approach, coupled with a firm grip on the behavioural pitfalls of investing has yielded exemplary results for Woodland Wealth’s clients and Woodland Asset Management is looking to further enhance this process.

Key staff

Andro Griessel – CFP Wealth Manager – Managing Director 
(B.Comm: MIFM) 

Andro is the founder and managing director of Woodland Wealth.
He is a firm believer in the value of independent, well thought out and knowledge-based advice and made it his mission to establish an advice-based, instead of a sales-based business. The people close to him will describe him as slightly against the grain and a non-conformist. It is this attitude of questioning the norm that leads to the best planning solutions for clients, he says. He is obsessed with the concept of “the client’s best interest” and it forms the blueprint from where the business is managed.
After matriculating from Paarl Boys High in 1990, he acquired a BComm Degree at Stellenbosch University. He also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning at the University of the Free State, is a CFP charter holder and is a member of the Institute of Financial Markets.

Before he established the company in 2003, he worked amongst others, at Shoprite Holdings Head Office, Nedgroup Asset Management and Investec Asset Management.

Samuel Rossouw CFP – Director – Wealth Manager
BCommHons: Adv PGDFP

True to company culture, Samuel strives to build solid long term relationships with clients and has a meticulous way of identifying needs, defining goals and compiling an executable plan to reach one’s goals. He firmly believes that one has to be a specialist in one’s field to be able to add value, and continuous training & education is therefore paramount. To be objective and to have an independent approach to a client’s planning is critical to make a difference.

Born & bred on a farm in the Montague region, Samuel matriculated in 2001 from Montague High School. He completed his BComm Honours degree in Business Management as well as his Postgraduate & Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning. Samuel is a CFP charter holder. Apart from a short stint at an agricultural company Samuel has spent his whole working career with ProVérte. Samuel is a shareholder and valuable member of the board of directors of Woodland Wealth.

Cassie Carstens CFP Wealth Manager 
(B.Comm: Adv PGDFP) 

Cassie lives by the mantra “Trust is Earned”. Starting his career in financial planning in 2009, he has obtained valuable experience, and the ever-changing markets have taught him that there is no place for ego’s. Supporting clients throughout their different life-phases gives him tremendous satisfaction and serves as a constant reminder of the impact that his advice can have on individuals and their families.

He hails from Paarl where he matriculated from Paarl Gymnasium in 2003. He continued his studies at Stellenbosch University where he obtained a BComm degree in 2007 and thereafter completed an Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning at the University of the Free State in 2011. He is also a Certified Financial Planner charter holder. He joined Woodland in October 2017.

Elmie de Jager CFP Wealth Manager 
(BEd, PGDFP) 

Elmie is energetic, hard-working and analytical, and unlike her male colleagues in the wealth management division, not shy of people. Before joining Woodland, Elmie was a consultant with a large financial services company and an educator in higher grade Mathematics and Accounting. Her personal attributes and knack for numbers makes her a big asset to the company.

After matriculating from Aliwal North High School, she made her way to Stellenbosch University to complete her BEd degree. She completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning in 2014 and in 2020 completed the Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning. She joined the Woodland team towards the latter part of 2015.

Deidre Valentine Financial Planner 

Deidre has a knack for analytical work and is spontaneous with a warm and friendly personality – a rare combination of qualities that is very useful in our industry. She was born and raised in Heidelberg, where she matriculated in 2011. She proceeded to study BComm Mathematical Science at the University of Stellenbosch, and also completed an honours in Financial Risk Management in 2016. She braved the CFA level 1 examination and passed in 2017. She continued the journey of equipping herself by receiving her Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning in Sept 2020 and became a Certified Financial Planner charter holder in 2021.
She is not only clever, but a keen sportswoman. She spends much of her free time on the netball field as a nationally graded umpire. This suits her “work hard, play hard” motto well.

She started her career as a research and investment analyst, giving her an excellent investment background, but then decided to work on a more personal level with clients where she can see the impact of robust financial planning. She joined Woodland in February 2020.

Contact Us:
Tel no: +27 21 850 0471

Email: info@woodlandwealth.co.za

Website: www.woodlandwealth.co.za