WHO WE ARE

Signature is an independent, management-controlled fund management company with an affiliation to the Old Mutual Group. Old Mutual is a global financial services group with a history of more than 175 years, headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, and listed on the JSE and the LSE. As such, Signature is able to leverage Old Mutual’s global footprint and regional relationships as well as its local investment research, expertise and central services such as compliance & legal.

The Signature team has successfully managed investments in seven ‘mega-farms’ and several associated enterprises under three of its existing mandates. The team has more than 250 years’ cumulative relevant experience, and we understand the practicalities of large-scale farming and land management operations in an African context. This includes the dedicated agricultural funds below:

Old Mutual African Agricultural Fund (“PoI”), vintage 2015
Old Mutual African Agricultural Fund (“PCC”), vintage 2017
Old Mutual Malawi Agricultural Fund (“Ulimi Fund”), vintage 2018

Our investment model varies according to the individual needs of each project, and we are prepared to invest in either greenfield or brownfield projects.

We typically co-invest into the farming operations as well as the land itself, depending on tenure arrangements for that country.

Through this flexible approach, the Fund may generate profits from a combination of capital gain, lease income, and profit share. At the end of the mandated fund term, the farm may be rolled into a new fund, purchased by the operator, or sold to a third party, subject to a due diligence process which includes consideration of that third party’s commitment to environmental and social performance.

We have a solid track record of managing capital on behalf of African institutional investors such as sovereign wealth funds, life insurance companies and pension funds, which gives us a unique embedding within the local investment context. These partnership commitments also provide a significant risk mitigation for foreign investors in African portfolios.