Role
Managing Director of Designer Platforms and Designer Capital, the regulated financial services capability supporting platform delivery where required.
Founder
Diwan Pienaar, CFA
Managing Director
Designer Platforms was established to help institutional investors implement investment strategy with operational precision, governance discipline and open-architecture flexibility.
Focus
Platform operating models, institutional implementation, and governance-grade delivery.
Profile
Experience built in institutional environments
Translating complexity into durable operating models and scalable implementation.
Core specialisation
Institutional investment implementation and platform operating design, with a focus on governance, oversight, provider coordination, and end-to-end delivery discipline.
Belief system
I believe deeply in the calibre of South Africa’s people and the potential of our land. When high standards and disciplined innovation are applied consistently, institutional capability moves from promise to exceptional client outcomes.
Diwan has more than 17 years of experience across institutional investments, platform operations and investment governance, gained through senior roles within complex, regulated environments and through advisory engagements with institutional stakeholders.
Over his career, he has led large-scale platform and investment initiatives, including major transitions, portfolio restructurings, operating model refinement, and the development of institutional-grade reporting and governance frameworks. Prior to founding Designer Platforms and Designer Capital, he served as a regulatory Key Individual on a licence overseeing assets under management and administration in excess of R300 billion. The business is being intentionally designed and built to support institutional clients at significant scale over the long term.
In parallel with building Designer Platforms, Diwan continues to support institutional investors and financial services organisations through senior operating and advisory roles. This ensures that the platform approach is shaped by current delivery realities rather than theoretical models.
Diwan holds a BCom in Accounting from the University of Johannesburg and earned the CFA charter in 2013. His approach combines strategic depth with operational discipline, anchored in client care, transparency, and a commitment to institutional-grade outcomes.
Inspiration
A belief in South Africa’s potential, and in building capability that competes globally.
Perspective
Back-to-back Rugby World Cup wins represent more than sporting success
They reflect a philosophy we believe in deeply: sustained world-class outcomes are built through discipline,
teamwork, and precise execution under pressure.
Diwan’s view of South Africa is not theoretical. It is practical and proven. This country consistently produces world-class outcomes, in sport, in business, in art and in culture, often under pressure and with fewer resources than global peers.
That belief shapes how Designer Platforms is built. High standards. Calm execution. A commitment to doing the hard operational work properly, even when it is unseen. The objective is not momentum, but durability: institutional capability that endures and earns trust over time.
Our Protea-inspired logo is part of the same beliefs. It reflects resilience, structure, and the balance between art and science. A reminder that precision and robustness can be designed into systems, not left to chance.
Working style
Calm execution, high standards, and a focus on mandate integrity.
Principles
How the work is approached
Clear accountability, structured delivery, and long-term alignment.
Client first
Work alongside insurers, banks, administrators, consultants and managers to deliver what is best for the client.
Governance by design
Build control, auditability and escalation into the operating model so that oversight is structural and not procedural.
Precision over noise
Focus on what is measurable and durable: clean data, clear roles, robust controls, and consistent delivery outcomes.