Peter Mason

Peter Mason is a Partner and Counsel at Rockwood Private Equity, a South African mid-to-large buyout manager, which he joined in 2015. He is an admitted attorney who holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Natal (Pietermaritzburg) and a Diploma in Advanced Banking from RAU. His career spans law, corporate/investment banking, and private equity.

Before Rockwood, Mason was a director in the Banking and Finance Department at Werksmans Attorneys, one of South Africa's leading corporate law firms. Earlier, he served as Managing Director and General Counsel of Absa Capital's Corporate and Investment Banking division across Africa, where he sat on the Investment Banking Executive Committee and advised on funding, private equity, and debt-restructuring transactions. He also held senior positions in Nedbank's Corporate Banking and Capital divisions, and began his career as a director at the Johannesburg law firm Jowell Glyn & Marais.

At Rockwood, Mason has advised as both buyer and seller on major transactions in the South African private equity market, bringing extensive debt and equity structuring experience to the firm's deals. He acted for Rockwood on landmark portfolio events including the exit of Tsebo — recognised as a Private Equity Deal of the Year — as well as the disposals of Safripol and Kwikspace.

According to more recent public records, Mason rejoined private legal practice in 2024 as a Senior Consultant/Senior Lawyer at Bowmans, South Africa's large pan-African law firm, while remaining associated with Rockwood on the firm's team page. Founders should confirm his current primary affiliation before reaching out.

• Rockwood takes substantial (often controlling) equity positions in medium-to-large, established companies with experienced management teams — this is control-oriented private equity, not early-stage angel investing.
• Strong bias toward brand-led manufacturers and services platforms: roofing (Global Roofing Solutions), paints (Prominent Paints), furniture and bedding (Bravo Brands / Sealy, Slumberland, King Koil, La-Z-Boy), flooring, plastics (Safripol), and facilities management/outsourcing (Tsebo).
• Focus on South African / Southern African businesses, with a preference for companies that can be scaled, professionalised, and eventually sold to trade or international buyers.
• Mason's particular value-add is deal structuring, debt/equity financing, and legal/transaction execution — reflecting his banking and legal background rather than an operating or product angle.