General Information

Jacques Smith was born on 27 March 1968, in Port Elizabeth.

He matriculated from Alexander Road High School in 1985. After competing two years of military service, he went on to what was then called the University of Port Elizabeth where he competed a Diploma in Computer Science.

He worked at Software Mart, one of the three largest software retailers in South Africa at the time. By the time he decided to move on, he was both a Director and a shareholder. His portfolios included Sales, Contracts, Tenders, Licensing and the Acquisition of Corporate Accounts. Under his expert guidance the business grew and developed to a point where it took its place in the large corporate market.

Jacques then joined Dell, where he was a most successful Sales Executive for a period of 12 years. His responsibilities grew from Sales and Acquisitions to Business Development. He started and developed relationships within the entire Public Sector. He was to run National Government contracts for 7 years.

His honours and awards at Dell include membership of the Presidents’ Club, the Dell Circle of Excellence, the Dell 100 Club and selection to the Top 20 EMEA sales performers. He won the Dell International Award an incredible 3 times over a 5-year period

On leaving Dell, he became a Director and Shareholder at Jam-Med (Pty) Ltd. Jam-Med manufactured medical consumables and equipment for the medical industry. All products were designed and manufactured locally, and Jam-Med provided complete turnkey solutions for hospitals and clinics.

For the last 5 years Jacques has been running Acquisitions and Business Development at Ubuntu Holdings. During this time, he has also been instrumental in the conceptualisation, development and realisation of GrowFish.

GrowFish sees Jacques realizing his passion for helping the poorest and most disadvantaged of local communities, while building a business which will play a pivotal role in the preservation of our oceans and their resources.

His more than 25 years of IT and Business expertise, together with his excellent inter-personal and communication skills! promise that this venture can only grow and flourish. His attention to detail and unquestionable integrity make Jacques a man to watch.

Nothing less than excellence will be acceptable to Jacques Smith …