Our Team

Giovanni Lorenzi
Giovanni has more than 50 years’ experience in financial services and is the founder of Wealth Preservation Strategies.
The growing strength of WPS has been built on Giovanni’s all-consuming commitment to the creation of an advisory practice that truly serves its clients.
To achieve this, Giovanni has focused on creating a business which has a clarity of purpose, is driven by a clear, well documented, systemized process resulting in customized advice. Giovanni has taken time to bring in an expanding team of professionals who are, in the first instance, really great humans.
Giovanni joined the industry at a time when recognition was awarded on the basis of sales and at a time when a “wild west” mentality was prevalent.
His foresight in recognizing the importance of the consultative rather than the sales-driven approach has resulted in a great number of his early clients developing, evolving and growing with him and WPS.
For all the great many early acts of faith and trust, Giovanni believes that his clients deserve his and WPS’s unconditional commitment and gratitude.
Giovanni was a long-standing member of the Institute of Life & Pension Advisors which is today known as The Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa and is a Key Individual of WPS, primarily and jointly responsible for compliance with all regulatory requirements.
Giovanni’s support of the professionalization of the financial services industry has been unquestionable, but not unconditional. He is firmly of the view that our clients are best served by advisors who are, in the first instance “great human beings”, rather than by people who appear to have fantastic qualifications but are very average human beings.
WPS is consequently blessed with a complement of fantastic human beings who are well qualified to serve.
Giovanni advises individuals and families who live both in South Africa and abroad and consults to a number of South African retirement funds.
Giovanni and Mariangela were married in December 1976.
Their three sons reinforce Giovanni’s family-centric approach to life and long-term relationships.
It is this approach that he seeks to share with all clients, prospective clients and members of the WPS family.
Giovanni is the Managing Director of Wealth Preservation Strategies.

Mariangela Lorenzi
Mariangela is fundamental to the success of WPS.
She’s rock-solid and is responsible for financial control within WPS, ensuring that suppliers and staff are paid timeously.
She has raised three fine sons and, with Teutonic efficiency, managed a large family and home whilst her husband, Giovanni, was laying the foundations for WPS. The word ‘Teutonic’ is not used lightly as she was born in Bergamo, Italy. Bergamo is a city whose name, in part, is derived from the German word for “mountain”.
Caring for demanding members of the family, even though two of her sons are married, and taking care of the financial controls at WPS are not enough for her. Mariangela also makes time to manage the finances of a social assistance programme with its focus on the Italian community in the Western Cape.
Mariangela is a Director of Wealth Preservation Strategies.

Rob Stark
Having completed his BSc in Construction, Economics and Management at UCT decades ago, Rob left the construction industry in 1999 for the financial services sector. He worked as a tied agent for Liberty Life for 13 years before joining WPS as an Independent Financial Adviser in 2012.
Rob successfully completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning and qualified as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® in 2007.
Rob thrives on providing solutions to the needs of individuals, families, and businesses.
Rob is a dedicated family man with two beautiful, independent, daughters and is a keen sportsman. Rob has dedicated many years to his love of karate and loves spending time outdoors surfing and mountain biking

Sinead Harding
Sinead joined the industry at the end of 2015 and became a member of the WPS family in February 2017. She works closely alongside Giovanni, nurturing existing relationships and fostering relationships with members of their families. Sinead has also developed and is growing her own network of clients.
After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Stellenbosch, where she was admitted to the Golden Key International Honour Society, Sinead successfully completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning and qualified as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® in 2019.
Sinead has a client-centric, holistic approach to personal and family planning and specializes in all aspects of our clients’ retirement, investment, risk, and estate planning needs. She has also taken a keen interest in corporate retirement funds and is respected in the office for her insight and appreciation of the evolving retirement fund landscape.
Sinead’s passion for Financial Planning goes beyond simply asking the “right” questions, but also endeavouring to educate and evoke financial experiences from her clients.
Over weekends you will find her at a market or out walking on the trails. She enjoys quality time with her husband, family, friends, and colleagues. The fact that she is an avid baker and foodie only endears her to us even more.
Sinead is currently studying towards her Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning (Estate and Trust Administration).

Mark Cliff
After reading Politics, Philosophy & Economics at UCT and completing his law degree through UNISA, Mark was admitted as an attorney in 1999. Mark practised as an attorney for more than 8 years before moving into financial services with what is today known as PSG Asset Management.
Mark qualified as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® in 2008.
After nearly 12 years at PSG in various sales and marketing roles, Mark left the asset management industry in 2017 and returned to giving advice to individuals, families, trusts and companies regarding their finances.
Outside the office Mark is a keen sportsman, having competed in various endurance events both locally and internationally over the years, including The Ironman Africa Championships, the Marathon du Medoc and Joburg2Sea.
Mark is currently studying towards his Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning (Estate and Trust Administration)

Belinda Poleman
Belinda has worked in the finance industry for over two decades, having honed her professional skills whilst working at Standard Bank for 18 years, and then working for an independent financial planning practice thereafter.
Belinda joined our team as a Client Portfolio Administrator in January 2023. Her wealth of experience and gentle demeanour is what drew us to her, and these invaluable characteristics will no doubt stand her in good stead when assisting our Clients.
Over the weekends you will find Belinda spending quality time with her children, friends and family, or otherwise in her kitchen cooking and baking up a storm.