Growth Hub

Founder & CEO

Quantanite

Sold out of Quantanite having scaled from $1m AAR to $20m ARR within 5 years. Closing multiple deals from 10-350 seats.

Chief Commercial Officer & Shareholder

Founder (Growthonics)

CAKE Technologies

•	Planned and executed the overall sales and business development strategy from the ground up.
•	Built a team to take signed partners from just 14 to over 280 including Corbin and King, Ricker Restaurants, Soho House Group, Toms Kitchen, Salt Yard Group, M Resturants, Obica, Noble Inns and the Zetter Group.

Sales Director

Rocket Internet SE

Managing Director, Sales

Pheonix Global Management

Director Business Development

Walton Asset Management 

Sage

Formally Alchemex (Bought by Sage in 2011).

Business Development

Waltech PLC

Business Development & Shareholder

In deal origination, speed wins—but most firms are still slowed down by messy data, manual processes, and missed signals.

I help deal teams cut through the noise with automation, AI, and real-time insights—so they can focus on what really matters: closing better deals, faster.

As CEO and Founder of Growth Hub, I work with private equity, venture capital, and M&A teams to transform their data from a liability into an advantage. We make sure your CRM is an asset, your pipeline is enriched, and your team is always ahead of the curve.

If your deal flow feels like guesswork instead of a well-oiled machine, let’s talk.

🚀 Data-driven. AI-powered. Deal-focused.

Dan Vanrenen

We got a kitten.

His name is Gus.

He was a birthday present for our youngest, who just turned 8.

And my immediate reaction was:
WTAF are we doing?!

We already have two kids.
Two dogs.
And my wife and I work full-time, together, from home.
Same business. Same office.
Same general chaos.

So yeah…adding a kitten maybe wasn’t the most logical move.

But here we are.

This week Gus has discovered the keyboard.
Rollo (our 8-month-old lab) still face bombs team calls.
Bingo (our 7 year old cockapoo) insists on barking when I'm trying to have a serious call. 
And our house is now essentially a co-working space with fur.

Sometimes I wonder if it’s a bit much to share online.
That we work from our home office.
That we work as a couple.
That I don’t have a slick office in the city and can’t remember the last time I wore a tie for work. 

I worry it might look… small.
Like we’re not “serious” enough for financial services.

But this is our reality.
And the more I think about it the more I think that people actually LIKE working with us because we aren’t particularly ‘corporate’. 

We don’t have lots of middle management (none, in fact). 
If there’s a problem our clients get to speak to Katherine or me. 
We know our clients' workflows inside out. 
There’s no ‘let me push this up the ladder and see if we can accommodate’.  

Just two people at the coal face, supported by the best team in the business, and surrounded by pets. 

It’s busy.
It’s slightly feral.
But it works.

Maximise the impact of fee earning staff with our global capability data, research and operational support teams | Founder & CEO of Growth Hub

AI isn’t coming for your job.

It’s coming for your outdated process. 👀

Too many deal origination teams won’t adopt AI. 
I know this because I’ve spoken to quite a few of them. 

And it’s not because the tools aren’t there (we use them daily). 
And it’s not because they don’t know how to implement it (we do it for them). 

It’s because their culture resists it. 🧱

And I get it, because change = putting your neck on the line. And financial services are notoriously cut-throat. 

But here’s the thing:
AI doesn’t threaten good operators.
It threatens the fragile workflows that have been duct-taped together for years.

And let’s be honest…a lot of firms still rely on expensive talent doing labour intensive workarounds instead of fixing the engine. 🧯

Meanwhile, we’re watching leaner firms eat their lunch. 🍽️

They’re embedding AI into research.
Letting global support teams automate prep.
Removing 60–70% of the admin grind. ⚙️

They’re scaling output without scaling headcount, and moving faster because of it. 🚀

The truth is:
AI and smart ops don’t replace good people (unless you’re Amazon). 
They replace the parts of the job that no one should still be doing. 🧠

And the longer teams cling to "how we’ve always done it,"
the more painful 2026 is going to be. ⏳

Amazon is cutting 30,000 corporate roles and AI is driving the change.

But this isn’t a playbook for everyone else.

Leadership has been direct: AI and automation are enabling "layer removal" and structural redesign at scale.

In short,  when you're Amazon, AI isn't just a productivity tool. It's an org design tool.

But that only works when you have:
✅ Fully digitised processes
✅ High internal data quality
✅ Budget for trial and error
✅ Time to absorb disruption

And that’s simply not the reality for most firms.

In mid-sized and specialist businesses, process is messier, domain knowledge is distributed, and there’s less room to get it wrong.
Which is why AI adoption looks very different at that scale.

The goal isn’t to replace headcount.
It’s to build operational leverage.
To free up bandwidth, not eliminate it.

For most firms, sustainable efficiency will come from:
🔹 Smarter workflows
🔹 Cleaner data foundations
🔹 Human-in-the-loop automation
🔹 Purposeful use of tools like Clay, ChatGPT, and Perplexity

The short version?
AI doesn’t need to be disruptive to be powerful.
And transformation doesn’t require an axe.

The real opportunity isn’t cost-cutting.
It’s capability-building💡.

They’re not support teams. They’re not back office.

They’re capability teams...

If you're still lumping global talent into the “support” bucket, you're missing the point (and the leverage).

The best firms don’t outsource for cost.
They embed teams to unlock capacity, precision, and pace.

And these capability teams? They’re doing real, high-value work:
- Fixing broken pitchbook exports before they go client-side
- Tracking succession signals before your MD even asks
- Unblocking reporting bottlenecks without being told
- Building AI workflows that cut 10+ hours of admin a week
- Cleaning CRM data that’s been quietly rotting for months

Not reactive.
Not low-skill.
Not disposable.

These are embedded specialists solving problems the core team doesn’t have the time (or headspace) to fix.

If you're still calling that "support," you're already behind.

The smartest firms now treat capability like infrastructure:
Essential. Flexible. Strategic.

Because leverage doesn’t come from bloated org charts.
It comes from embedding execution capacity where the work actually happens.

Deal Operations.

Here’s how to run it like a pro:

Last week I shared that in the run-up to Christmas, I’ll be posting a few things we’ve seen work inside high-growth firms.

Here’s what we’re seeing most often (and what actually works):

🧩 Week 1: Deal Operations
CRM, pipeline tracking, reporting, and the invisible workflow debt that kills velocity.

1. The CRM isn’t broken. But it’s not helping.
Everyone uses it. No one fully trusts it.
Tagging is messy. Pipeline stages unclear.
Last touchpoint? Two months ago.

✅ What works:
One owner per list.
Daily updates.
Fields that mirror how teams actually talk about deals.

2. Reporting is still too manual
It takes four exports, a formatting marathon, and two “just checking” emails.
By the time the update lands, the numbers have changed.

✅ What works:
Build export-ready formats once.
Use live data and light automation.
Push updates on a regular cadence, not just when asked.

3. Small blockers add up
No clear owner.
No version control.
No one knows if the CRM is up to date.
That low-grade drag stalls everything.

✅ What works:
Tidy workflows.
Fast feedback loops.
Embedded support that keeps things moving.

(Sidenote: I know December isn’t the easiest time to reflect…It’s busy. Everyone’s trying to close strong. Sometimes ‘surviving, not thriving’ is as good as it’s going to get.

But if it’s feeling a bit chaotic, it might be worth clocking the drag now so you can think on how to go into 2026 with a slightly more chill approach…).

________

👇 What’s one deal ops habit you’d love to clean up in 2026?

When was the last time you tested your carbon monoxide detector?

You know you should. Once a year.

Get the stool, climb up, press the button, maybe swap a battery.
Doesn’t take long.
But most people forget. (Sometimes even if it’s doing that little beep every now and again). 

That’s what background ops work looks like.

We see it all the time:
- Slides that look good because someone reworked them at 11pm.
- Clean data because someone flagged the mess no one else noticed.
- Clients impressed because the ops team quietly fixed the chaos before the meeting.

It’s not flashy.
It’s not “strategic.”
But it’s work that fights fires. 

This year alone, our teams have:
👉 Rebuilt CRMs full of bad data no one had time to clean
👉 Rescued reporting pipelines that should’ve broken weeks earlier
👉 Flagged risks in decks that could’ve tanked client trust

None of these made the quarterly review.
No one gave out bonuses for “saved the partner from embarrassment.”
But it is the work that stops the house from burning down.🔥

If you’re leading ops, here are 5 things worth checking this week:
✅ Is your reporting backlog quietly building up? That’s a pressure valve waiting to blow.
✅ When was your CRM last properly cleaned? Dirty data slows everything down.
✅ Are late-night fire drills becoming routine? That’s operational debt, not hustle.
✅ Are tasks piling up with no clear owner? That’s where accountability erodes.
✅ And yes, check your carbon monoxide alarm. 🔋

Because like the carbon monoxide alarm, when background systems fail, it’s already too late.

Q4 doesn’t kill you with chaos.

It kills you with 2-hour delays, missed updates, and “just one more” review cycles.

By the time December hits, most teams are too busy doing to realise they’re leaking momentum.

And it’s not the big stuff.
It’s the quiet killers…

➡️ Work that’s almost finished.
➡️ Tasks with no clear owner.
➡️ Deadlines that silently shift.

We pulled together a detailed Q4 survival guide based on what we’ve seen inside dozens firms:

The workflow tweaks that stop slippage before it compounds.

✅ Where final mile work gets stuck
✅ How to triage your pipeline
✅ Why “invisible” work costs output
✅ What to fix before Dec 16 hits

No fluff. Just sharp, practical fixes.

If Q4 feels heavier than it should, this will help.
👉 Swipe through the carousel and steal what’s useful.
👇 Got your own Q4 ops trick? Drop it below. We’re collecting the best ones.

Q4's Quiet Killers

Physically, most people will be checking out of work for 2025 in 4 weeks.

Mentally, maybe before that 😜 ...

But the firms who’ll move fastest in Q1 are already thinking about 2026.

Over the next month, I’m going to share a few things that might help you get ahead, especially if you’re reviewing capability gaps, internal workflows, or where to invest in support.

Short, honest posts.
No strategy theatre.
Just practical observations and things we’ve seen work inside fast-moving firms this year.

Here’s the plan:
🧩 Week 1 - Deal Operations
CRM, pipeline tracking, reporting, and the invisible drag that kills velocity

📚 Week 2 - Research & Market Intelligence
How top firms build better lists, faster insight, and real leverage beyond databases

⚙️ Week 3 - Business Support Ops
From AI tooling to client comms and admin execution ie. the glue work that keeps ops running clean

🎁 Week 4 - Wrap-up
A short round-up and a note before we all (rightly) disappear for the holidays

If there’s anything specific you’d like me to cover drop a comment or message me directly.

Let’s make December a launch pad, not a write-off 🚀 .

In my role overseeing People Operations across South Africa, the UK, and India, I ensured effective coordination and support among teams. I directed the recruitment and hiring of offshore talent for UK and US clients, covering roles like software developers, business development professionals, and marketing specialists.

I executed recruitment duties such as placing advertisements, sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, and managing onboarding processes. I also supervised recruiters and established key performance indicators (KPIs) to enhance efficiency.

As the account manager for key clients, I built relationships through regular check-ins and managed the onboarding and offboarding of employees. I handled performance management, conducted salary benchmarking, and addressed employee relations issues, representing the organization at the CCMA.

Additionally, I developed HR policies to ensure compliance, administered payroll for the South African team, and prepared monthly invoices for the UK finance team. To promote continuous learning, I facilitated training workshops and implemented employee engagement and wellness initiatives, including an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

I contributed to marketing content on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram, highlighting company achievements and events. By utilizing data from surveys, I informed recruitment strategies and improved processes, while implementing tools such as PaySpace and Monday.com to streamline HR functions and enhance efficiency.

People Operations Manager

Embarking on a journey with a UK startup expanding into South Africa, my role as Recruitment and HR Manager was multifaceted and transformative. Establishing the HR department from scratch demanded meticulous attention to compliance with labor laws and regulations, where I crafted policies and procedures to ensure legal adherence while fostering a conducive work environment.

In the realm of HR coordination and administration, I orchestrated seamless operations by diligently managing administrative tasks and updating crucial systems like ActivTrak and CharlieHR. Handling employee relations, I served as a mediator, adeptly resolving conflicts and conducting disciplinary hearings to maintain harmony within the workplace.

Recruitment and selection were strategic endeavors where I meticulously managed the entire process, aligning top talent with the company's ethos and objectives. Talent management became a proactive pursuit, as I advised on industry trends and spearheaded upskilling initiatives to address emerging skill gaps.

In the sphere of performance management, I conducted comprehensive reviews and implemented tailored improvement programs to maximize individual potential. Furthermore, I played a pivotal role in nurturing a culture of employee well-being by coordinating wellness programs that promoted holistic health and productivity.

In essence, my journey as the Recruitment and HR Manager was characterized by a commitment to excellence, fostering compliance, talent development, and employee well-being to propel the company toward sustainable growth and success.

Recruitment & HR Manager

CKM Fire Management

Providing HR Generalist consulting work from recruitment, onboarding, skills development, policies and procedures, EE, BCEA, BEE, performance management and disciplinary matters.

Human Resources Consultant

Intercare Group

Supporting the development and implementation of HR initiatives and systems.

Handling HR and Payroll enquiries and providing advice on policies and procedures to Managers & Employees.

Provide support & training on ESS (Employee Self Service System)

Driving the recruitment process by updating job descriptions, posting adverts, sourcing & screening candidates and handling skills assessment processes.

Issue hiring contracts & providing information on salary offer & benefits.

Implement effective on-boarding plans & obtain on-boarding documentation.

Handle data capturing on Payroll System.

Handle all leave recons.

Coordinate training & development with internal & external service providers.

Administrative support e.g. performance management, employee relations,

Employee record maintenance, updating internal databases/systems.

Liaise with employee benefit providers.

Maintain processes relating to legal framework (e.g. WCA, EE)

Prepare & update regular reports and presentations. 

HR & Payroll Administrator

LAWtrust

*  HR Provisioning, HR Development, HR Maintenance and HR Administration. 

*  Ensure all HR practices comply with applicable Government Legislation and requirements.

*  Assist in Monthly Payroll Claims for all employees:
- Process all claims via PaySpace;
- Perform various checks throughout the claims process before remuneration is paid out. 

* Front-end SharePoint Administrator:
- Ensure all front-end issues are resolved timeously;
- Setup and maintain all sites for various internal departments. 

BBBEE Consulting
* Consult the company regarding BEE codes of good practice and relevant changes.
* Drive the entire BEE process (from planning, reporting monthly via GAP reports, the BEE Audit).

*Participate in recruitment efforts:
- advertising of approved vacant positions internally and externally;
- reviewing applications;
- Participating in the interview process;
- Provisioning of applicant paperwork. 

*  Participate in the on-boarding, integration and probation process of new recruits:
- paperwork;
- induction / orientation programme (coordinate induction/ training sessions by SME’s);
- schedule probation sessions. 

Performance Management
*  Manage the bi-annual KPI updates and update performance evaluation templates via PaySpace.
* Assist in the analysis of Performance Evaluation data to identify skills and habits development needs. 

Skills Development
*  Participate in document administration for internal and external training; studies and Conferences. 

*  Occupational Health & Safety (OHS):
- Drive company compliance in accordance with the Occupational Health & Safety Act 85 of 1993 and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act
requirements.
- Appointed and certified SHE Representative.

*  Compile statistical data and submission of monthly and annual reports/statistics including BEE; EE and WSP reports.

Human Resources Assistant

People Dimension

Duties include:

*  Telesales and cold calling to obtain and secure new clientele.
*  Visiting clientele to establish and maintain good client relationships.
*  Establishing and maintaining of suitable applicant and client database.
*  Accurately recording job specifications from clientele.
*  Drafting and placement of suitable advertisements to secure suitable applicants.
*  Sourcing and securing of suitable applicants whom meet clientele's job specifications.
*  Screening applicants in accordance with clientele job specifications.
*  Arranging and conducting interviews with potential suitable candidates.
*  Conducting reference, qualification and credit checks on all potential applicants.
*  Drawing and advising clientele and all potential applicants to the contents of and application as the case may be of the Labour Relations Act No. 66 of 1995, as amended.
*  Drafting of curriculum vitae's.
*  Fee structure negotiations.
*  Remuneration negotiations between clientele and applicants.
*  Teaching clientele and all potential applicants, necessary interviewing, remuneration techniques and etiquette to conduct and execute a successful interview.
*  Shortlisting and arranging interviews with clientele for and by suitable applicants.
*  Offering on behalf of clientele employment to successful applicants.
*  Preparing and furnishing clientele with invoices.
*  Securing payment from outstanding debtors.
*  Regular follow up interviews with all placed applicants during the 90 day guarantee period.

Recruitment Consultant

Hello, I'm Donné! 🌟

As a seasoned HR Professional, I am on a mission to elevate employee well-being and cultivate work environments where individuals discover purpose and meaning in their roles. Widely recognized as a Super Connector, I wholeheartedly embrace a People-First philosophy.

My expertise spans a spectrum of HR domains, including HR Management, Succession Planning, Organisational Design, HRIS, ATS, 360 Recruitment, Performance Management, Talent Management, Training, Coaching, Mentoring, Employment Relations, Labour Law, BEE, Employment Equity, Compliance Management, Wellness & Engagement, South African Payroll, and Change Management, among others.

Having successfully pioneered HR departments in start-ups and navigated corporate landscapes with staff ranging from 100 to 1000, I bring a wealth of experience. My professional journey has encompassed diverse industries such as Outsourcing and Offshoring, Information Security, IT, Advertising & Marketing, Facilities Services, Staffing & HR, Healthcare, Insurance, and Fire Management.

I am not just a strategic thinker, but a problem solver and solution-driven individual with a knack for effective communication. As a people-centric, empathetic leader, I approach my work with optimism and passion. My focus lies in fostering employee engagement, championing work-family integration, promoting career growth, and, above all, building trusting relationships. I take pride in my work and am dedicated to making a positive impact in every aspect of what I do. 

Let's connect and explore the possibilities!

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Dan Vanrenen

Donné Norman

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