WHO WE ARE
DEDICATED CONSULTANTS
The Deton Group was founded in 2013 by Bob and Jared Bartholomew. Bob has spent 30 years in the financial planning industry, and his history goes back to 1987 when he was a founding member of a financial planning company that was fairly revolutionary at that time. Jared joined in that earlier venture 8 years before the move to Deton. Nerisha Letchman, our head of administration, had been with Bob for the best part of 15 years at that time, and happily joined Bob and Jared in this venture.
As he wanted to expand his horizons by bringing Zack on board to compliment the “family” business, he felt it necessary to start a new company with fresh ideas and a youthful solution, and so Deton Private Wealth (Pty) Limited was born. It was very gratifying at that stage to note that 95% of all Bob’s clients followed him in this new venture.
The Deton Group is a registered Category II license holder, meaning that we could register and manage our own suite of unit trusts. This was finalized in January 2014, and with the assistance of Ali Solim who does all the research and analysis, the portfolios kicked off and have been very successful as the numbers indicate. At that point in time, young Nicolas Letchman, Nerisha’s son, also joined the group to boost the administration.
In 2017 a further development evolved, with the registering of Deton Private Client (Pty) Ltd under the control of Zack Bartholomew. The idea behind this move was to keep control of the fund management under the guidance of Jared and Ali within the Private Wealth side, with Zack heading up the Private Client company. In addition, a category I license was also introduced to facilitate the marketing of Life Assurance products as an added benefit to clients.
In addition to the above, we have formed a successful alliance with Rees Management Services (Pty) Ltd to provide our clients with a diversified offering which includes Accounting, tax and Auditing services plus payroll services to small to medium sized companies. In addition, we offer personal tax consulting. In 2022 we then introduced a short term brokerage division, under the guidance of Celeste Von Metzinger who can facilitate your short term insurance needs.
Deton Private Client has successfully grown in size since its launch, and in 2019 Jatish Jaikarun joined Zack on the marketing side of the business with Dillon Reinecke joining the team in 2022 to support the fund management side of the business.
Bob started in the financial industry in 1986, after which he co-founded a financial advisory company in 1987 with two other partners, and built a successful, innovative company that revolutonised the industry in the early days. In 2013 he decided it was time to move on and start a company where he could have a more “Family” orientated business, bringing his sons into the game.
Esther started with Deton in 2014, and since then she has brought nothing but sunshine and happiness within the company. From the minute she walks through the doors to the time she leaves there is never a frown on her face, she is always talking to everyone and has the most energy in the office.
Nerisha is the doyen of the Deton Group and has been in the financial industry for over 25 years. She started her journey with Bob in 2007 at his previous company and later moved with him to Deton in 2013. Nerisha, who every client knows by name (and calls on her cell just to chat), has a personal relationship with the Deton clients. Nerisha brings her own blend of energy to the company – she is always that person to talk to if you have a problem and says it as it is!!
Nicolas joined with Deton in 2014 and came in to assist on the administrative side of Deton. Prior to Deton he worked in the forensic unit in the banking sector, where he completed his studies in 2018. Since he has been with Deton, he has passed his Financial Concepts exam through Milpark education and intends to further his studies within the industry. Nico is never scared to take on a challenge and always has a smile on his face and a positive attitude when dealing with our clients. Nicolas has a passion for his work (and Soccer) and brings a positive energy with him as soon as he walks through the door. There is never a dull moment when Nico is in the room and always making someone laugh.
