Meet the dedicated team at the helm of Smileway
We are a group of experienced leaders and professionals committed to enhancing dental healthcare. Their strategic insight, coupled with a steadfast dedication to quality and innovation, ensures that Smileway consistently delivers reliable support and resources, enabling our partners to concentrate fully on providing excellent clinical care.
Charles Kramer
Executive Chairman
Charles has an LL.B (London) and is the co-executive chairman of Norman Goodfellows liquor group, and he has over three decades of experience in the beverage retail and wholesale industry. Charles was responsible for the initiative of the wholesale expansion of the Norman Goodfellows business.
Yami Swana
CBDO
Yami graduated with a BCom in Finance and developed the initial Smileway concept and brand. Since 2014, Yami has been an entrepreneur, spending half a decade in the sector purchasing several dental and orthodontic practices. His efforts have proved that a dental consolidation in the South African market is a feasible business case at scale.
Chris Kerr-Peterson
COO
Chris is a self-taught software developer with a Bcom, BA, and MBA. Chris has been spearheading the development of the Hugo Group and Nuclear Med, generating double-digit growth year-on-year for over a decade. His relentless focus on leveraging technology has underpinned this growth, culminating in the development of a practice management system that forms the foundation for Smileway’s future growth.
Rick Lee
CFO
Rick, an accomplished Chartered Accountant with a expertise in technology. Rick has led financial reporting and process optimisation initiatives across various industries, significantly advancing strategic decision-making and operational effectiveness throughout the organisation.
Nick Neto
CEO
Nick is a Chartered Accountant and played a key role in growing Dentex into the UK’s second-largest private dental provider, leading to its successful exit to Portman in 2023. With experience in M&A, operations, and team building, he helped make PortmanDentex the largest UK provider. Now, he’s back in South Africa and part of the Smileway team.
David Vinokur
Non-executive director
David is a Chartered Accountant, with a robust 19-year tenure in private equity, CEO of Global Capital Group and CFO of Universal Partners. David is adept at elevating portfolios, he represented Universal Partners in investing in Dentex group UK. Dentex grew from 3 practices to 170 and merged with Portman and combined around 400 practices.