Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa April 2018 - 100th Issue! | Page 14

MASTER INVESTOR
the world,” says Corbett. Marathon weeks consisting of 21
meetings in three days, 28 hours of non-stop travel from Mau-
ritius to a 30-degree Celsius Dubai, to a minus three-degree
London became the norm.
“But we laid a solid foundation in 2017, overcame extreme
challenges and unbelievable successes through teamwork,” she
explains. “I am particularly proud of the fact that we have con-
sistently achieved our dollar distribution targets against guid-
ance since listing and would have paid our eighth distribution
at the time of publication.”
Looking ahead
Despite all this, Corbett is clearheaded about the concept of
success: “I don’t think success is a destination. And besides,
success varies from person to person, being successful in busi-
ness does not make you a successful mother, wife, friend. It’s
something I’m cognisant off – especially given our work and
travel schedule. I involve my children as much as possible and
expose them to as many cultures and countries as possible.”
While the power of focused property investment to gen-
erate wealth is clear from the distributions achieved by Delta
and Grit, the work is not always glamorous: “We require an
unflinching long-term commitment and solid support from
financiers and shareholders, while upholding the highest stan-
dards of governance and being flexible enough to make fast
decisions,” Corbett says.
When asked what makes a great property investment, Cor-
bett explains that maintaining razor-sharp focus is key, along
with resilience and a strong support structure. “You need to
know that there will be challenges that must be overcome each
step of the way. This is even more paramount in Africa where
the real estate is one aspect for a successful transaction,” she
says.
When investing in Africa, other key aspects include coun-
try risk, political risk and land ownership: “It’s not just about a
building with an ideal location.”
Despite the challenges, Corbett remains driven by a passion
for property itself, for the investment business, and the people
in the business. She says: “The property business shows what
can be accomplished by a determined team in a short time and
the recognition of the industry is inspiring.”
This passion for people and her team shows, when Corbett
explains that “When everyone is having a glass of wine or has
gone to bed, we are still working to get things over the line. It
never gets old, seeing the next bright stars coming through our
organisation. Watching them every day, oozing with passion,
confidence, creativity and exceptional ability is truly amazing.”
Grit is currently working on West Africa as an expansion
destination, with negotiations to acquire good quality assets
in Ghana. “This will be our first foray into West Africa and
will significantly diversify our portfolio, that is mainly concen-
trated around the eastern and central part of the continent,”
Corbett explains.
“I am also very excited about our prospects to list on the
main board of the London Stock Exchange,” she adds. This
will be a real game changer for Grit, as most of the world’s
institutions with an interest in emerging markets or frontier
markets such as in Africa are invested there. “It is still early
days, but I am hopeful that we’ll be able to announce an update
on this soon!”
Corbett’s passion for the industry shines through when
she’s asked about the h