Who I Am

Decision support for boards and founders making high-stakes capital, infrastructure and growth choices

When the decision is expensive, you need clarity that holds under scrutiny.

I work with boards and founders to frame the real decision, build investment-grade options, make risk explicit, and stay close enough through execution that decisions translate into outcomes.

Typical scale: decisions in the R10m–R500m range.

Who this is for

You’re likely in the right place if:

·       You’re facing a capital or infrastructure decision with meaningful downside risk

·       Your team has numbers, but not decision clarity

·       Stakeholders need a defensible rationale (board, funders, shareholders)

·       Execution risk is high and you want a cadence that prevents drift

The decisions I support

Capital & funding: Structure, runway, covenant risk, and funder readiness — with options you can defend.

Infrastructure & bankability: Feasibility, lifecycle economics, phased capex choices, and bankability logic that stands up to scrutiny.

Growth & strategic decisions: Scaling constraints, expansion choices, trade-offs, and disciplined options that protect cash and momentum.

What you get

This is practical decision support — not vague advice.

You receive:

·       Decision framing (what’s being decided and why)

·       Investment-grade modelling with transparent assumptions

·       Side-by-side option comparison (with constraints explicit)

·       Scenario and sensitivity views (what moves the outcome)

·       A board-ready pack (summary, recommendation, risks, next steps)

·       Execution cadence where needed (scorecards, early-warning visibility, governance rhythm)

How engagements typically run

1.     Diagnostic — align on the decision, options set, constraints, and required inputs

2.     Decision Pack — model + options + risks in a board-ready format

3.     Bankability / funding support — structure, narrative, lender/investor readiness

4.     Execution oversight — a 90-day cadence to keep the decision alive in delivery

How I work

I’m relationship-driven, but rigorous:

·       I build trust through clarity and follow-through

·       I’m candid about trade-offs and risk (no drama, no theatre)

·       I take ownership of the decision process, not just the spreadsheet

·       I stay close through execution when value is at stake

 

How I Help

What I do

I provide decision support to boards and founders when the decision is expensive — typically in the R10m–R500m range — where capital, infrastructure, and growth choices shape the next 3–10 years.

My role is to bring clarity to complexity: define the decision, build the model that holds, surface the risks that matter, and stay close enough through execution that the work translates into outcomes.

Engagement paths

1) Board Diagnostic

Clarity first — before you spend money or burn time

Best for: unclear problem definition, competing views, messy inputs, early-stage uncertainty.

You receive:

·       A short decision brief (1–2 pages): decision statement, options, key questions

·       A structured input list (what we need and why)

·       A recommended path: decision pack, funding support, and/or execution cadence

Outcome: alignment, speed, and a clear next step.

Request a Board Diagnostic:

2) Decision Pack

Model + options + risks — board-ready and bank-ready

Best for: capex decisions, acquisitions, restructuring, pricing/tariff questions, infrastructure investments.

You receive:

·       An investment-grade model with transparent assumptions

·       Assumptions & methodology notes (so it survives scrutiny)

·       Options comparison (returns/cost, cash impact, constraints, timelines)

·       Scenario and sensitivity analysis (what moves the result)

·       A board-ready pack: summary, recommendation, risks, next steps

Outcome: a decision you can defend — internally and with funders.

Email: cvz@pegada.co.za

Request a Decision Pack:

3) Bankability & Funding Support

Make it fundable — structure, readiness, and credibility with capital providers

Best for: raising debt/equity, project finance readiness, capital restructuring, covenant/runway pressure.

You receive:

·       Funding strategy and structure options

·       A funder narrative that matches the model and risk profile

·       A lender/investor pack (coherent, defensible, consistent)

·       Runway visibility and covenant-risk view (where relevant)

·       Support through funder Q&A to prevent process drift

Outcome: credibility with funders and fewer surprises mid-process.

Request Bankability & Funding Support:

4) Execution Oversight

90-day cadence — keep the decision alive in delivery

Best for: post-decision execution, high delivery risk, multi-stakeholder environments.

You receive:

·       A 90-day execution plan and governance cadence

·       KPI tree / scorecard aligned to the decision thesis

·       Risk register with owners and mitigation actions

·       Monthly board/founder update template (decision-oriented, not noise)

Outcome: momentum, accountability, early warning.

Request an Execution Oversight:

How I work

·       Trust first: clear on what we know, what we don’t, and what must be proven

·       Ownership: I don’t deliver and disappear

·       Candour with respect: explicit trade-offs, explicit risk

·       Discretion: board dynamics and capital conversations require it

·       Commitment to outcomes: analysis exists to drive action

Boundaries

To protect quality and outcomes, I don’t position myself as:

·       bookkeeping, tax, or finance administration

·       routine monthly reporting “for the sake of reporting”

·       compliance-as-a-service

Capital & Funding

Capital & Funding — decision support that funders can engage with

Raising capital is not the goal. Choosing the right structure — and protecting downside risk — is the goal.

I support boards and founders to make capital decisions that are credible, fundable, and aligned to cash reality, typically in the R10m–R500m range.

Typical situations

·       Funding an infrastructure build or expansion

·       Restructuring shareholder funding or facilities

·       Covenant pressure, runway uncertainty, affordability questions

·       Funders asking hard questions your pack can’t answer

·       “The story” and “the numbers” not matching

What usually goes wrong

  • The funding ask isn’t linked to a credible strategy and cash reality
  • Assumptions are unclear, optimistic, or inconsistent across documents
  • Covenant/runway risk isn’t visible early enough
  • Too many iterations, not enough decision structure
  • Management ends up reactive, losing leverage

What I bring

  •  Clarify the funding requirement and constraints — what you’re funding, why now, and what you can service
  •  Structure options with consequences — debt vs equity vs hybrid, timing, terms, control, risk
  • Build the model that holds — transparent assumptions, scenario stress-testing, runway/covenant visibility where relevant
  •  Prepare funder-ready materials — a coherent pack and narrative that matches the numbers
  • Support through engagement — respond clearly without losing structure or control of the process

Deliverables (typical)

·       Funding strategy + structure options

·       Investment-grade model + assumptions notes

·       Scenario/sensitivity set + runway visibility

·       Covenant risk view (where applicable)

·       Lender/investor pack + narrative coherence

·       Q&A support and iteration discipline

Infrastructure & Bankability

Infrastructure & Bankability — decision support for long-horizon projects

Infrastructure decisions leave a footprint for years. The risk is rarely “can it be built?” — it’s whether the economics are defendable, assumptions are explicit, options are real, and the delivery path is bankable.

I help boards and founders make infrastructure decisions that are defensible, fundable, and executable — typically in the R10m–R500m decision range.

Typical situations

·       Capex decisions with 5–15 year life and meaningful downside risk

·       Technical proposals that are not board-ready or funder-ready

·       Lifecycle economics that are unclear (capex vs opex vs renewals)

·       Phased build vs full build choices (and wrong-sizing risk)

·       Tariff/pricing questions where the logic must hold under scrutiny

·       Multi-stakeholder environments where governance and cadence matter

The bankability gap

Projects stall when:

·       the decision is framed as technical rather than commercial

·       assumptions are implicit (or optimistic) and sensitivities are weak

·       risk is discussed qualitatively but not priced or mitigated

·       governance is vague (no owners, no cadence, no early warning)

·       funders can’t see a credible path from model -> reality

How I help

·       Frame the decision and options set — what’s being decided, what must be true, what “no-go” looks like

·       Build clarity that stands up — investment-grade modelling with transparent assumptions

·       Compare options side-by-side — lifecycle economics, cash impact, constraints, timelines, risk profile

·       Make funder logic explicit — what makes this bankable, what breaks it, what improves the risk story

·       Stay close through delivery (when needed) — a 90-day cadence with scorecards and early warnings

Deliverables (typical)

·       Board-ready decision pack (summary, options, recommendation, risks, next steps)

·       Investment-grade model + assumptions/method notes

·       Options comparison table (including phased options where relevant)

·       Scenario & sensitivity set

·       Bankability / funder pack (when capital is involved)

·       Execution scorecard + risk register (when oversight is required)

Growth & Strategic Decisions

Growth & Strategic Decisions — disciplined choices under constraint

Typical situations

Growth isn’t limited by ambition. It’s limited by constraints: cash, capacity, people, systems, governance, and timing.

I help boards and founders turn growth into a disciplined set of options and trade-offs — with clarity on what matters, what it costs, and what must be monitored.

Typical scale: decisions in the R10m–R500m range.

Email: cvz@pegada.co.za

·       Expansion into new markets/regions

·       Scaling faster than cash and systems can support

·       Acquisition/partnership decisions

·       Pricing/commercial structure choices affecting margin and cash

·       Competing priorities and leadership misalignment

·       “We’re growing, but complexity is getting away from us”

What usually goes wrong

·       Teams chase activity instead of resolving the constraint

·       Decisions are made sequentially when they must be made as a set

·       Working capital and timing are underestimated

·       Governance cadence is weak -> drift and rework

How I help

·       Identify the constraint and frame the decision — what is limiting growth, and what must be decided now

·       Create a small, comparable options set — not a wish-list; real options with trade-offs

·       Make cash and unit economics explicit — including working capital effects and timing

·       Install discipline cadence (when needed) — scorecards, decision logs, early warnings, rhythm

Deliverables (typical)

·       Board-ready growth options paper

·       Scenarios and sensitivities

·       Working capital + runway visibility (where relevant)

·       Execution scorecard + cadence

·       Decision log: what was decided, why, and what must be monitored

About (Working with me)

Working with Me

I work best with boards and founders who want clarity, candour, and committed follow-through — especially when the decision is expensive.

I’m relationship-driven by nature. I build trust, I stay close, and I take ownership of the decision process from framing through execution. But I’m not “soft”: the work must stand up to scrutiny — by the board, by funders, and by reality.

What I’m here for

My focus is decision support in three areas:

·       Capital — structure, runway, covenant risk, funder readiness

·       Infrastructure — feasibility, lifecycle economics, bankability, delivery risk

·       Growth — options and trade-offs under constraint, with cadence that prevents drift

When a decision shapes the next few years, the cost of poor clarity is massive — and that’s where I add value.

How I work

·       We frame the real decision — what is being decided, what success means, what’s out of scope

·       We build clarity that holds under pressure — model, assumptions, options, risk in a defensible structure

·       We make trade-offs explicit — constraints surfaced and priced, not implied

·       We stay close through execution — cadence, scorecards, early warning when outcomes depend on delivery

What you can expect

·       Ownership: I don’t deliver and disappear

·       Candour: clear risk and reality, without drama

·       Discretion: confidentiality in board dynamics and capital conversations

·       Commitment: analysis exists to drive action and outcomes

What I don’t do

·       bookkeeping or related work, tax returns or finance administration

·       routine monthly reporting “for the sake of reporting”

·       compliance-as-a-service

Where the name comes from

Pegada means “footprint” in Portuguese. The name comes from a chapter of my life living in Angola, and it stuck because it fits the work: capital and infrastructure decisions leave footprints — on cash, capacity, risk, and legacy.

Contact

If you’re facing a decision where the downside matters, start with a diagnostic. It’s the fastest way to clarify the real decision, the options set, the constraints, and the next step.

Email-first next steps

1) Book a board-level diagnostic

Email: cvz@pegada.co.za

What to include in your email

2) Request a decision pack outline

Email: cvz@pegada.co.za

·       2–3 sentences describing the decision you’re facing

·       Your timeline and what’s driving urgency

·       Key stakeholders involved (board, funders, shareholders, management)

·       Any existing context documents (even if messy): proposal, numbers, draft model, pack, notes

Optional FAQ

  • Do you still do “CFO work”?

I bring CFO-level credibility, but the offer is decision support for capital, infrastructure, and growth.

  • Do you do bookkeeping / monthly reporting / compliance?

No — not as the core service. I focus on decisions where clarity and structure change outcomes.

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