Johan became a partner of a major Johannesburg law firm in 1985. In 1994 he joined Hofmeyr (now Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr) as Director before leaving to join Gensec Bank in 1998.

Johan re-joined the firm as a Director in 2004, after five years as the General Manager: Special Projects of Gensec Bank (now Sanlam Capital Markets). Until its restructuring, Gensec Bank was an investment bank in the Sanlam Group specialising as a wholesale provider of financial engineering solutions in the capital markets. While at Gensec, Johan was Chairman of the Bank’s Credit Forum as well as the New Deal Committee where new, risky or large financial products and transactions were considered prior to implementation. He is one of the pioneers in establishing debt securitisation and credit derivative techniques in the South African banking sector.

Johan has made significant contributions to the process of transformation in South Africa, particularly in the field of land reform. After the 1994 democratic elections, the ministries of Housing and Land affairs commissioned him to overhaul South Africa’s planning and tenure frameworks in order to expedite development and cut through the apartheid mosaic of former racial zones. This resulted in the adoption of the Development Facilitation Act No 67 of 1996 by Parliament in 1996. He served as a Commissioner on the Development and Planning Commission established by the Minister of Land Affairs under that Act.

• Advised Capitec Bank in respect of an international, underwritten, renounceable rights offer and listing of ordinary shares (deal value R2.24 billion).
• Advised Kagiso Sizanani Capital Limited (RF) (as issuer) and Kagiso Tiso Holdings Proprietary Limited (RF) (as guarantor) on the Programme Memorandum relating to the issuer's R2 billion Domestic Note and Redeemable Preference Share Programme.
• Advised Rainbow Chicken (RCL) and Remgro in RCL's R3.9 billion rights issue and acquisition of a majority interest in Foodcorp.
• Advised Brait SE, a company with its primary listing on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) and a secondary listing on the exchange operated by JSE Ltd (JSE), on a restructuring and capital raising transaction involving:
  • The listing of 357 million new shares on the LuxSE and the JSE pursuant to a R5, 9 billion fully underwritten rights offer to its shareholders on the LuxSE and the JSE.
  • A R500 million private placement.
  • The acquisition of a direct 24,6% stake in Pepkor Holding Ltd plus a further 10,3% indirect stake through the subscription of preference shares in an SPV (R5 billion).
  • The acquisition of a direct 49% stake in Premier Group (Pty) Ltd (R1 billion).
• Omnia Holdings, a chemicals sector company listed on the JSE:
  • Acting for the issuer, the book runner, corporate advisor and sponsor on the capital raising implemented by way of a partial claw back offer and a rights offer by Omnia of 20 million new ordinary shares at a subscription price of R50 per share (deal value R1 billion).
• Remgro, an investment holding company listed on the JSE:
  • During 2010 advised Remgro in respect of the unbundling of its 28,49% shareholding in Trans Hex Group to its shareholders (deal value R106 million).
  • During 2009 represented Remgro in respect of the merger with VenFin (deal value R4, 5 billion).
  • During 2008 represented Remgro in South Africa, in the 2008 Remgro restructuring, which included the distribution of 90% of Remgro's indirect shareholding in British American Tobacco plc as well as depositary receipts in Reinet Investments SA to shareholders of Remgro (deal value R58,8 billion).
  • During 2016 to 2018 represented Remgro in disposing of its investment in Unilever South Africa Holdings Proprietary Limited valued at R11.9 billion back to that company for R4.9 billion in cash and acquiring that company's spreads (margarine) business in South Africa valued at R 7billion.
• Metorex, a mining company listed on the main board of the JSE:
  • During 2011 advised Metorex in respect of:
    • The scheme of arrangement proposed by the Board of Metorex between Metorex and its shareholders, pursuant to which Jinchuan Group Limited (a Chinese company), through a wholly owned subsidiary, acquired the entire issued share capital of Metorex (deal value R9,5 billion).
    • The take over-offer bid by Vale S.A. (a Brazilian company), where the scheme of arrangement was voted down by the shareholders of Metorex when the Jinchuan offer was received.
  • During 2010 advised One Capital in its capacity as corporate and debt adviser, sole book runner and transactional sponsor to Metorex in respect of a partial claw back offer and rights offer by Metorex of 250,000 new ordinary shares in Metorex at a subscription price of R360 cents per share (deal value R900,000).
  • During 2008 and 2009 advised Barnard Jacobs Mellet Corporate Finance, in its capacity as book runner, sponsor and corporate adviser to Metorex in respect of an issue for cash of 242 million new ordinary shares in Metorex to specified institutional investors and a claw back offer to South African resident Metorex shareholders in respect of 129,461,597 shares (deal value R687 million).
  • Advised Metorex and BJM in respect of the disposal by Metorex of its 53,37% shareholding in Pan African Resources Plc through a book building exercise targeted at investors located in the USA, the UK and South Africa; coupled with the exchange by Shanduka Gold of its 26% shareholding in Barberton Mines for a 21% shareholding in PAR (deal value Shanduka share exchange R236 million).
• Sentula Mining, a mining company listed on the main board of the JSE:
  • Advised Barnard Jacobs Mellet Corporate Finance in its capacity as bookrunner, sponsor and corporate advisor to Sentula in respect of a private placement of shares with US and UK investors. Owing to the cross-border nature of the transaction, we worked in a team comprising of lawyers from DLA Piper in New York and London (deal value R374 million).
• Richemont, a group of investment holding companies listed in Switzerland, Luxembourg and on the main board of the JSE:
  • Represented Richemont in South Africa during 2007 - 2008 in respect of:
    • The detwinning of depositary receipts in Richemont Securities AG in respect of ordinary shares in Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA and participation certificates in Richemont SA (renamed Reinet Investments SCA.) and a capital reduction effected through the distribution of 351 million shares (90% of shareholding) in British American Tobacco plc. amongst others to holders of depositary receipts in Richemont Securities AG in respect of Reinet ordinary shares (deal value R167 billion).
    • The listing of  5.7 billion depositary receipts in Richemont Securities AG in respect of ordinary shares in Reinet Investments SCA and ordinary shares in Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA pursuant to a restructuring/de-twinning.
    • A rights offer by Richemont Securities AG to holders of depositary receipts in respect of ordinary shares in Reinet Investments SCA and the listing of warrant receipts by Richemont Securities AG on the JSE in respect of warrants issued by Reinet Investments SCA in Luxembourg (deal value R6,070 billion).
    • The listing of 87 million depositary receipts in Richemont Securities AG in respect of ordinary shares in Reinet Investments SCA pursuant to a rights offer.
  • Represented Reinet Investments SCA in South Africa during 2017, in replacing the dual listing of its depositary receipts listed on the JSE, with its Luxembourg listed shares as a dual listing on the JSE, and a third listing of those shares on the Amsterdam (Euronext) Exchange, developing procedures for crossing registers between three exchanges.
• Rand Merchant Bank, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse:
  • Advised Rand Merchant Bank, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse in their capacities as joint-placing agents, joint-global coordinators, joint-book runners and underwriters, in respect of the international private placement of shares by Life Healthcare Group Holdings and the subsequent listing of its entire issued ordinary share capital on the main board of the exchange operated by the JSE (deal value R5,8 billion).
• Rand Merchant Bank, Morgan Stanley, Macquarie and Nedbank Capital:
  • Advised Rand Merchant Bank, Morgan Stanley and Macquarie in their capacities as joint-global coordinators and joint-book runners and Nedbank Capital, in its capacity as the co-lead manager, in respect of the international private placement of shares by Royal Bafokeng Platinum and the listing of its entire issued ordinary share capital on the main board of the exchange operated by JSE (deal value R2, 5 billion).
• Vodacom:
  • Represented Vodacom Proprietary Limited in the structuring of its BBBEE offer of shares in YeboYethu Limited to the black public in 2008; the listing of the YeboYethu shares on the JSE in 2016; and representing Vodacom Group Limited, Vodacom Proprietary Limited and YeboYethu Limited in unwinding the original structure and replacing it with a fresh listing of YeboYethu shares backed by shares in Vodacom Group Limited in 2017-2018.

• Chambers Global 2022 ranked Johan as Senior Statesperson. In 2021 he was ranked in Band 4 for corporate/M&A and from 2011–2020 he was ranked in Band 3 for Corporate/M&A.
• Chambers Global 2012–2021 ranked him in Band 1 for capital markets: equity.
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2012–2022 recommended Johan for commercial, corporate and M&A. In 2022 Johan was recommended for banking & finance.
• Who’s Who Legal 2012–2013 identified Johan as a leading lawyer for corporate/M&A.
• ILO Client Choice Awards 2014 named Johan as the exclusive winner of the M&A category in South Africa.

Education

• BA LLB, University of Stellenbosch
• Year of admission as an attorney: 1985
• Registered with the Legal Practice Council