Rob Katz: ‘Holding it together’ through purpose and people

When Rob Katz took the stage to accept the Investec Business Leadership Award, he made a disarmingly simple statement: “In leadership, the three hardest words are ‘hold it together’.” Those words captured both his humility and his depth. Katz is a man who has led complex financial institutions through stormy times, yet still measures success in human terms. 

Katz, known for steering Peregrine Holdings and its flagship wealth-management arm, Citadel, has built his career on foresight and empathy. At the awards evening, he spoke not of markets or margins, but perseverance. “Do what you need to do to keep a team together and motivated despite adversity,” he told the audience. 

His philosophy has always fused sharp business sense with moral responsibility. At the helm of Citadel, Katz championed transparency, mentorship, and culture over ego. “I love the world of business. I love the world of people. Bringing it together has really enabled me to have a most fantastic career,” he said in his tribute video. Katz noted that success happens when someone does what they like with people they like. 

Equally defining is his philanthropic heart. Katz founded The Shoshana Foundation nearly 20 years ago, which supports single Jewish mothers and their children, a tribute to his own upbringing. In his work with the foundation, he brings his business skills to a worthy humanitarian cause. “It’s probably my single proudest achievement in life,” Katz said. Additionally, he champions the importance of Holocaust education, noting that one needs to understand the past to improve the future. 

However, he didn’t want to help just Jewish single mothers, but insisted that the foundation’s support be extended to black single mothers in South Africa. To achieve this, he brought in former colleague Khanyi Mlambo-Mbewu at arm of The Shoshana Foundation. Katz recalled an anecdote where one of the beneficiaries told him that the foundation had ensured that her and her children had blankets and jerseys during winter for the first time. 

He shared his wish that “we hold it together in our families; we hold it together in our communities; in our businesses; and in our country”. Katz acknowledged his wife for all her hard work raising their children as his work had involved many late nights and long hours. He also gave a special mention to Howard Sackstein, saying, “You are a vital thread in the fabric of our precious Jewish community.”