Heather Lowe
Head of SME Development, First National Bank
Heather has been in financial services since 1993. Her experience spans all functional areas across banking (both retail and commercial), with her specializing in the development of SMEs over the past 15 years. Heather has experience in all components of business transactional banking and has a deep expertise in SME funding, having worked across the funding landscape of credit, debt and equity funding instruments.
Heather founded the SME development business in FNB. This business manages FirstRand’s Enterprise and Supplier Development, several alternative funding strategies relating to transformation and the provision of non-financial support for the Business Bank. She launched the first early-stage SME investment fund in SA together with Edge Growth in 2010 – Vumela. Vumela now has R736m under management.
Heather has worked with several hundred beneficiaries within developmental programs and has a deep appreciation for the unique challenges SMEs face. She has a passion for innovation and catalysing change in SMEs, empowering and inspiring their founders and helping them grow into sustainable enterprises creating the employment that the country needs.
Heather holds a Diploma in Technology and Innovation from the Da Vinci Institute and a Post Graduate Diploma in digital business from the Emeritus Institute of Management in collaboration with MIT and Columbia Business School.
