Graham Stephen

Graham Stephen is a Chartered Accountant with over two decades of experience across financial services,business development, pricing strategy, optimisation, and valuation. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of bizval, a platform that provides independent, data-driven, and human-led business valuation services. Bizval helps businesses plan for growth, prepare for exits, raise funding, and manage disputes. The platform also supports advisors, fractional CFOs, accountants, and wealth planners by giving them the tools to understand and explain the true value of a business to their clients.

In addition to bizval, Graham is the Founder of Arete Advisors, a firm focused on helping businesses reach their full potential through strategic guidance andfinancial insight. Prior to launching his own ventures, Graham held several senior executive positions across leading organisations, including ABALOBI ICT4FISHERIES, JUMO.WORLD, AFB, African Bank, and Standard Bank Group. His career reflects deep experience across banking, fintech, and business advisory.

Graham’s achievements have been recognised through several awards. He received the Standard Bank Retail Star Award in both 2005 and 2006. He also placed fourth with honours in the QE1 Exam conducted by SAICA in 2001 and was named the Top Economic Sciences Student at the University of Port Elizabeth in the same year.

He holds a BCom (Rationum) degree with Cum Laude honours from the University of Port Elizabeth, completed between 1996 and 2000. He also earned a BCom (Honours) in Accounting and Business Management with Cum Laude honours during the same period. In 2003, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant (CA SA) with honours through the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).