Entrepreneur. Leadership
Based: Cape Town
Dawn Nathan-Jones is a South African entrepreneur and former CEO of Europcar, best known as one of the “Sharks” – a group of investors who offer ordinary South Africans investment in their businesses – in the M-Net reality show Shark Tank South Africa.
Her career started at the age of 21 when she joined Imperial Car founding members Carol Scott and Maureen Jackson. She later landed the position of CEO of the Imperial Group’s Car Rental Division consisting of Europcar South Africa, Europecar Van Rental, Europcar Chauffeur Service, Tempest Car Hire, Auto Pedigree, Imperial Autobody, Danmar and Gage Car Hire.
Her achievements include taking the business from humble beginnings to a fleet of 20,000 vehicles by the time she stepped down from her role as CEO at the end of 2015, after 16 years at the helm.
Dawn was also instrumental in the rebranding of Imperial Holdings in 2009 as Chairman of the Imperial Brand Council. Imperial Car Rental and Europcar merged in 2007, and she was responsible for the repositioning of the car rental division and consolidation and rebranding of Imperial Car Rental to Europcar in 2009.
In 2007, Dawn won the Transnet Foundation’s Boss of The Year Award, and in 2012 she was appointed as the Vice President of the industry body SAVRALA. She is a member of the Business Women’s Association, IWF (International Women’s Forum), Institute of Directors an advocate of Equal Opportunities for Women, and founded the Europcar Jewish Woman in Leadership Award.
She has been an active lobbyist between Government authorities and business particularly in the Motor Industry, and the South African Retail and Rental and Leasing Associations.
Furthermore, she has been involved with many tourism bodies and played an active role in various tourism initiatives and industry advisory boards.
In the final quarter of 2016 she starred as one of the five “Sharks” in the South African version of the international reality format Shark Tank.