Hillingdale Capital specialises in connecting high-quality businesses and projects with fresh capital.

Hillingdale provides clients requiring capital with unmatched access to institutional investors across Africa and Europe.

Hillingdale is an independent, client-focused, debt and equity capital-raising and corporate finance advisory firm, with a global institutional investor network. We specialise in providing sophisticated investors with access to carefully selected, high-quality investment opportunities in private debt and equity, as well as investment funds managed by third-party investment specialists.

Our team comprises of experienced capital-raising professionals and corporate financiers who offer innovative and customised debt and equity solutions to companies seeking fresh capital. We have a vast network of institutional investors across Africa and Europe.

Hillingdale's investor network provides the firm with a unique competitive advantage, enabling us to offer specialised financing solutions across Africa and Europe. We have a specific interest in supporting sustainable energy projects in these regions, and we leverage our expertise and network to help finance such ventures.

Meet the Team

Haydn Hammond (CEO)

Haydn Hammond has worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years, 13 of which were in the investment banking division of Barclays London. He held the Director of Emerging Market Sales position at Barclays and Natixis Investment Bank, where he covered institutional investors across Europe, the USA, and Africa. Haydn's long-standing relationships with institutional investors enables him to raise substantial capital for companies and investment funds.

Haydn holds a Bachelor of Social Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town. He has completed CFA Level 1 and the UK FCA regulatory examinations.
Rohan Oosthuizen (Senior Investment Analyst)

Rohan has a strong finance background, having completed his articles at EY and accumulated over four years of experience at PSG Konsult, where he closely collaborated with the Group's Senior Executives. He is a qualified CA(SA) and has successfully passed CFA Level II.
Rohan engages with global business leaders and senior institutional investors, ensuring all investment criteria are fulfilled, facilitating a smooth funding process.
Warren Hammond (Senior Investment Advisor)

Warren, with over 18 years of experience at top-tier international investment banks—including Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas, and most recently as Director and Head of South African Equity Sales at HSBC—serves as the institutional investment advisor to the firm. Leveraging a significant global institutional network, Warren excels in macro and geopolitical investment ideas, consistently ranking in the top 1% of his global peer group for alpha generation. He advises the firm on institutional adoption of investment opportunities, ESG scoring, and anticipated investor engagement.
His qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Finance and Economics, a Postgraduate in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town, and completion of CFA Level 1. Additionally, he has maintained FSCA regulatory status throughout his investment banking career.
Emilie-Rose Oldnall (Business Development Analyst)

Emilie-Rose focuses on establishing strategic partnerships with key industry leaders across Africa and Europe, originating top-tier private credit and equity opportunities for the institutional investor market.
Holding a Master of Commerce from the University of Cape Town and prior experience as an economic analyst, Emilie-Rose's expertise significantly enhances the deal origination process and cultivating relationships with business leaders seeking to secure private capital.
Nikolai Piotrowski (Investment Analyst)

Nikolai holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Actuarial Science, specialising in Quantitative Finance, from the University of Cape Town. Having passed his CFA Level III, Nikolai is committed to professional growth, and staying at the forefront of industry knowledge. With a strong foundation in finance and a thirst for knowledge, Nikolai envisions a future of personal and professional growth working with institutional investors.
Nikolai is a dealmaker and investment analyst specialising in Renewable transactions within the Commercial and Industrial sectors. He serves as a liaison between project owners and Hillingdale’s institutional investors in Europe and South Africa.
Byron van Rooyen (Investment Analyst)

Byron holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Actuarial Science from the University of Cape Town and is currently pursuing his Fellowship with the Actuarial Society of South Africa. His outstanding academic record and exceptional quantitative skills are a testament to his commitment to excellence in the field of finance and investments.
Byron is a dealmaker and investment analyst specialising in Renewable transactions within the Commercial and Industrial sectors. He serves as a liaison between project owners and Hillingdale’s institutional investors in Europe and South Africa.
Simon Perrod (Investment Analyst)

Simon is an Investment Analyst specialising in the quantitative aspects of the firm's transactions, including corporate finance modelling. Additionally, he collaborates with Hillingdale's partner companies on digital asset strategies, including delta-neutral trading strategies. Simon divides his time between Europe and South Africa, addressing various institutional investor needs. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the prestigious Paris-Saclay University, where he graduated first in his class. Currently, he is completing a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics with a specialisation in Statistics at École Polytechnique in Paris, renowned for its excellence in mathematics and engineering.
Bradley Hewitt (Business Development Analyst)

Bradley joins us as a Business Development Analyst, bringing experience from his previous role as an Analyst with an international financial services group. Passionate about advancing sustainable solutions, Bradley focuses on sourcing and facilitating strategic investments in the renewable energy sector. He plays a key role in connecting institutional funders with impactful projects that promote clean energy and support impact investing across the sector.

Bradley holds a BCom in Management Sciences and a postgraduate diploma in Financial Planning from the University of Stellenbosch. He is also currently a CFA Level 1 Candidate.
Nicholas Hill ( Senior Investment Advisor)

Nick Hill has worked in finance for over ten years across various domains, including audit, advisory, fintech, and cryptocurrencies. Nick completed his articles at KPMG and subsequently worked with start-ups in Standard Bank's portfolio, where he held the position of CFO for the start-up incubator. He most recently held the position of head of systematic trading for two separate hedge fund trading operations focusing on market-neutral strategies with AUM exceeding $20m.
Nick holds a CA (SA) and is a CFA charter holder, and holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science (Honours in Finance) with a Master in Commerce.

Our Services

We offer capital structuring and sourcing for businesses and projects.

Arranging and sourcing funding

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We provide comprehensive, innovative, and personalised financing solutions for both debt and equity requirements. Our approach places significant emphasis on creating financially sound models that are grounded in a thorough comprehension of the business or project in question. These models serve as the bedrock of our successful capital-raising efforts, ensuring that our clients receive funding that is tailored to their unique requirements and objectives.
Hillingdale leverages the insights derived from financial modelling to create comprehensive investment teasers, investment memorandums, and formal investor presentations. Our information documents are carefully crafted to align with the needs of our investors and funders.
Hillingdale offers end-to-end advisory services to clients throughout the funding process. With the support of our trusted third-party service providers, we provide clients with comprehensive and tailored capital raising and corporate finance advisory services. We aim to establish lasting relationships that extend beyond the initial funding transaction.
Hillingdale works with top-tier law firms to facilitate legal agreements, SPV set-ups, note programmes, and other deal-specific legal requirements.
Lower credit ratings can significantly impact a borrower’s cost of financing. To obtain the best possible rating to improve financing costs, Hillingdale acts as a liaison between debt issuers and rating agencies, should a rating be required. We have long-standing relationships with multiple exchanges, should a listing be required for the funding transaction.

Corporate finance advisory

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Hillingdale demonstrates a high level of proficiency in constructing financial models that encompass relevant assumptions and exhibit a thorough understanding of the respective business or project.  
Hillingdale's expertise in constructing financial models is marked by a proficiency in integrating critical assumptions and portraying a profound comprehension of the given business or project.
Rigorous due diligence is the cornerstone of Hillingdale’s corporate finance and advisory service. We undertake a thorough due diligence process for each funding transaction.   
Hillingdale's corporate finance and advisory service is anchored by a detailed due diligence process. We meticulously undertake due diligence for each funding transaction to ensure thoroughness and accuracy.
Hillingdale conducts detailed valuation and pricing models to assist in decision-making for capital raising and asset sales.

Deal structuring

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A Note Programme, commonly referred to as a Medium Term Note (MTN) Programme, is a debt issuance strategy utilised by corporations to generate a steady flow of cash from issuing debt. It offers a company the ability to customise its debt issuance to meet its specific financing requirements.
Companies utilise Bond Issuance as a means to secure funds from investors. This process involves issuing corporate bonds to investors, typically through an offering process conducted by capital-raising firms.
Direct Loans are a vanilla facility that allows companies to raise debt capital. The bilateral loan structure enables companies to borrow funds directly from a lender, such as a financial institution, without the involvement of the public markets. Our well-established network of funders offers bilateral loans to suit the specific needs of a company.
We recognise that the M&A market can be a challenging landscape, and finding the right advisor can be quite a task. That's where we come in. At Hillingdale Capital, we've worked on simplifying the process, aiming to make it as smooth as possible for our clients. Our commitment is to be there for you, offering reliable guidance and support as you navigate the intricate sale or merger process, which includes expert financial modeling and valuation services right at the core of our approach.

Financing Types

Hillingdale Capital specialises in arranging the following types of financing:

- Working capital finance — a short-term (typically 12-24 months) loan facility allowing your business to grow at the desired pace without financial barriers.
- Trade finance — alleviate working capital pressures through trade credit, cash advances, purchase order financing, and/or receivables discounting.
- Asset-based finance — borrow funds against your assets such as equipment, inventory, machinery, and vehicles.
- Bridging finance — a short-term (1-3 months) facility to cover a financing gap.
- Long-term private debt financing — private debt loans, including term and syndicated loans.
Raising equity funding through the sale of minority or majority interest
Mezzanine Financing is a hybrid capital structure combining elements of both debt and equity. Mezzanine Financing is often used to fund growth initiatives, acquisitions, management buyouts, or recapitalisations of companies.
In a Leveraged Buyout (LBO), a private equity firm or a group of investors acquires a target company, often with the intention of restructuring it, improving its operations, and ultimately selling it at a profit. Our investors provide funding to various buy-out groups once a deal has been concluded.
We have an exclusive arrangement with a large regulated offshore funding partner that lends amounts from R5m or more for 24 months against JSE-listed equity collateral. The interest rates are well below SA Prime lending rates, with LTVs between 60% & 70%.

Renewable Energy Project Finance

Hillingdale Capital is an experienced finance arranger and corporate finance advisor in the solar sector. We source funding for solar-oriented companies and projects in Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe.

Find out more
Commercial Solar Panel Finance

We provide commercial solar panel finance and PPA solutions for businesses and commercial projects in South Africa.

Find out more

Our Investors

Hillingdale Capital has relationships with global financial institutions.

Public and Corporate Investment Funds

Corporates

Asset Managers

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Family Offices

Insurance Companies

Hedge Funds

Private Equity

Banks

Impact Investors

In recent years, Hillingdale has collaborated extensively with family offices and institutional investors to explore the institutional adoption of digital assets. Through these discussions, we've demonstrated how even a modest allocation to digital assets can enhance portfolio returns and improve Sharpe ratios by diversifying risk. Today, the world’s leading investment banks and asset managers increasingly recognise digital assets as a viable alternative asset class.

Hillingdale is proud to partner with Sixteen01 Capital, a digital asset manager specialising in delta-neutral strategies designed for qualified investors. Sixteen01 stands out by assuming no direct cryptocurrency market exposure; instead, it capitalises on arbitrage opportunities within highly liquid digital assets. Sixteen01’s strategies are available solely to qualifying investors in specific jurisdictions who meet rigorous AML and KYC compliance requirements.