About
Gil Oved is a Johannesburg‑born entrepreneur best known for co‑founding The Creative Counsel (TCC)—the marketing agency that grew from a two‑person hustle into South Africa’s largest below‑the‑line advertising group. Today he splits his time between leading TCC, serving as a non‑executive director at Kalon Venture Partners, and co‑running Bella Thaler Investments, a special‑purpose acquisition company focused on tech, media and telecom deals across Africa. TV viewers recognise him as the first “shark” on Shark Tank South Africa, where his calm style and sharp questions have guided dozens of founders since the show’s 2016 launch.
His business record comes with plenty of silverware: Ernst & Young Southern Africa Entrepreneur finalist, CNBC Africa’s Young Business Leader of the Year, Sanlam/Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year, and even GQ South Africa’s Best Dressed Man for 2014.
Before Fame
Oved was born on 16 August 1975 and grew up in Johannesburg, absorbing a post‑apartheid spirit of possibility. Still in his teens, he became an anchor on Zap Mag, the country’s first multiracial youth TV programme, gaining early lessons in storytelling and public speaking.
After finishing school at Crawford College, he earned a B.Com (cum laude) through the University of South Africa and later qualified as a Chartered Financial Analyst. Ambition pulled him into business sooner than most: first a small production house (Jewazi), then an ill‑timed online trading platform (Wealthmaker) that collapsed with the dot‑com bust. Each setback hardened his resilience.
In 2001 he and school friend Ran Neu‑Ner spotted an overlooked niche—supplying promotional staff for brand activations. They launched The Creative Counsel from a borrowed boardroom and a single cellphone. The concept clicked; the duo expanded into full campaign strategy, bought up complementary boutiques and, by 2015, sold a controlling stake to French giant Publicis Groupe in an eight‑digit‑rand deal while keeping day‑to‑day control.
Trivia
- TV first, boardroom later: Oved’s very first paycheque came from television, not commerce. Hosting Zap Mag funded his university studies and polished the on‑camera ease that later made him a natural choice for Dragons’ Den SA (2014) and Shark Tank SA (2016).
- Fashion flair: In 2014 GQ named him South Africa’s Best Dressed Man—proof that spreadsheets and style can coexist.
- Pitch legend: A favourite anecdote (recounted in Forbes Africa) describes teenage Oved wearing his father’s oversized suit jacket to win his very first advertising brief—symbolic of dreaming bigger than resources allowed.
- SPAC pioneer: Through Bella Thaler Investments he is championing a SPAC model rarely seen on the continent, hunting for high‑growth African tech targets.
- Venture mentor: Besides Kalon Venture Partners, he sits on global YPO forums, sharing scale‑up advice with younger founders.
Family Life
Public information regarding Oved’s home life is deliberately scarce; he prefers to keep the limelight on his business ventures instead of kin. What is known is that he still lives in the wider Johannesburg vicinity, near the parents who fueled his early hustles. Staff indicate that he sets aside weekends for family reunions and community activities, remaining down-to-earth despite corporate pressures.
Associated With
Business partner Ran Neu‑Ner remains his closest professional ally—the two have shared boardrooms (and at times, bankruptcy lawyers) for over two decades. On television, Oved judges alongside fellow South African business heavyweights such as Romeo Kumalo, Dawn Nathan‑Jones, Vinny Lingham and Marnus Broodryk, offering capital and coaching to hopeful entrepreneurs. Within venture circles he collaborates with the Kalon Venture Partners board and the Young Presidents’ Organization’s Johannesburg chapter, widening his influence beyond advertising into fintech, ed‑tech and clean energy.
