Speakers, Panelists & Moderators

Ms. Mamodopi Mohlala is the National Consumer Commissioner in South Africa. From 2003 to 2010 she was the Director-General of the Department of Communications and was a councillor at the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), since 2002. Ms. Mohlala also headed up the Pension Funds Adjudicator. She is also a qualified lawyer and has served as a part-time commissioner at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation & Arbitration, and a board member at the Gauteng department of housing and the SA Maritime & Safety Authority.

Ms. Mohlala matriculated at the age of 14, obtained her bachelor of law degree at the age of 22, and got her master's degree in law by the age of 24. She was also the youngest councillor ever appointed to Icasa.

Alex Bosch was appointed the Executive Director of the Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa in November 2006 – “VOASA”.

The operational responsibilities included the formulation of a new business strategy in which the industry recognized the emergence of new shared vacation ownership products and to embrace these products within the self-regulatory status of the association; which resulted in the name change of the Timeshare Institute of Southern Africa (TISA) to that of VOASA (Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa).

Prior to the above appointment, he was involved as project/legal advisor with one of the leading points vacation clubs for a period of 5 (five) years and also served as a director/trustee on a large number of resort and other boards in the industry. 

Prior to this, he practiced as an insolvency practitioner for 20 (twenty) years during which he was exposed to the industry, particularly during late 1980's and early 1990's, when a number of developments were liquidated.

He matriculated at Pretoria Boys High School and obtained a legal qualification through the Universities of Natal and South Africa; and served articles with law firms in Pietermaritzburg and Southern Cape.

Andrew Phillips is the co-founded the Green Leaf Environmental Standard, an international standard measuring sustainability, environmental and social principles.  He heads the Standard and oversees technical and certification committees, auditor competency, and the growth of the Green Leaf Environmental Standard within the hospitality sector, and beyond to the automotive, commercial, retail and manufacturing sectors.
Andrew has 15 years experience within the South African tourism industry emanating from private and community based sustainable and responsible tourism development, with a focus on regions using tourism as an economic-developmental framework. He is holds a BA Honours from De Montfort University, England in Tourism and Leisure Development, Andrew is an accredited technical expert in Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment, a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and sits on the Advisory Forum for the South African National Department of Tourism's Responsible Tourism Standards.

Bernadine is a tourism sector specialist, with additional experience in cultural heritage tourism projects and conservation.

Bernadine completed her Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Wildlife Science (cum laude) at the University of Natal in 2002 and then went on to complete her MScAgric in Agribusiness at the same university in 2004. Her Masters research focused on developing monitoring criteria for equity share scheme projects and during this time she also obtained a Certificate in Environmental Law from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. During her studies, Bernadine undertook consulting work for an environmental firm to advise farmers on rangeland management in the Drakensberg.

After completing her studies, Bernadine worked as a project manager for an eco-tourism consulting company, developing business plans for a guest house in the Western Cape and a game reserve near Ladysmith in KZN. Thereafter, she spent four years working as a tourism planner for a tourism consultancy in Durban. Here, she was promoted to manager of the tourism planning unit and was responsible for management of staff as well as producing tourism plans, feasibility studies and business plans for tourism projects in southern Africa.

Brian Mdluli is the CEO of the DMA of South Africa. His appointment comes with tremendous challenges of rebuilding the DMA after the dissolution of the MFSA in 2005. His objective is to work alongside the board of committed and professional DM opinion leaders to deliver a true mouth piece for the direct marketing industry. With international sales and marketing experience, Brian also holds strong views on corporate governance and the transformation of the economy. He has extensive experience in business development and sales growth working from the ground up. Between 2000 and 2004, Brian visited 51 out of the 52 African countries to establish and develop business contacts throughout the continent, ranging from private sector through to government contacts. During the same period, he co-headed a sales team that increased the Harvey Roofing Products' sales by 45% year on year. At the time of his resignation in 2004, Brian headed the Harvey Roofing Products sales department with an annual turnover of R36 million. He then joined Afro Cool , an industrial air conditioning company where he grew turnover by 900% during his tenure (36 months) as Group Managing Director. By 2004, Afro Cool grew from 1 client to 91 clients with four new major centres established in South Africa.

Clive has a BA (Econ) from Wits University and a Post Graduate Degree in Learning Psychology from London University.

He has tremendous experience in his field of Professional Selling Skills and is regarded as a superb sales facilitator and motivator. He pushes the boundaries of learning, and delegates from all over the world are seeing the ka-ching factor from his unique brand of sales training.

Some of his clients are: Investec, Alexander Forbes, HP, Momentum, Nestle and BMW.

"I've heard Clive talk at the United Professional Sales Association of South Africa and was blown away with by his content. He has an astute grasp on what it takes to make it in sales and business. If you're looking for an exceptional sales trainer, consider Clive" - Jacques de Villiers, MD Business Generator

Damon has been involved in the Hospitality trade since 2005.

He started with Softbrands as an Account Manager to Hotels running Lanmark, Medallion, POS systems. Main job functions were to be the customer's liaison with the Support team if logged calls were not being dealt with timeously. Also to convert those sites running legacy DOS software to Windows based systems.

He then moved on to Ankerdata where he was General Manager of their engineers. Ankerdata are the official resellers of Protel PMS software developed in Germany.

In 2010 he joined us here at Kathea as Strategic Customer Executive to our Hospitality Division. Kathea are the Sole Distributors of Teledex/Telematrix Hotel phones, Teleadapt room connectivity devices and FCS Computer Systems operational and guest experience enhancement software.

Our client base includes Southern Sun, Legacy Hotels & Resorts, and Radisson Hotels to name but a few. He runs this division with Marco de Vries and they maintain existing clients, source new business and investigate alternative products which they feel can add value to the Hospitality Industry. Kathea is also the Sole Distributors for Polycom Video Conferencing and Audio solutions.

David R Clifton is responsible for implementing all business development activities for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. These responsibilities include affiliating resorts with Interval's global network, developing and directing all sales and resort marketing strategies, as well as managing developer client relationships.

Clifton has spent almost three decades in the shared ownership industry, over 15 of these as a developer, marketer and property manager of mixed-use timeshare properties while always focusing on brand-building and member satisfaction. During his career he has played an active role in all aspects of timeshare development including resort design, construction, project and consumer financing, sales and marketing, systems development and managing the completed resorts. He also has extensive experience in shared ownership club programme design, setting up back-room servicing operations, assisting governments in drafting well balanced regulations for the industry and establishing and participating in industry trade associations.

Deon has 20years of experience in the creative industry. He started his career as an advertising photographer before moving onto art direction. He then became a commercials director before turning to creative directing. He has worked locally, across the continent of Africa as well as oversees from London to the West Indies.

He believes sustainability is the only way forward; that we have to relook the value of everything and that the power of sustainable ideas will help change the way we think, consume and live forever.

Deon has worked on numerous brands, including Woolworths, Engen, Coke Europe, Guinness, Famous Grouse, Sainsburys, Opel, Musica, PEP, Volkswagen, Distell, Mweb, Career Junction, Olay, The UN and Parmalat to name a few.

He has won Loerie awards for TV and outdoor, an Eagle print award, Vukas , a Media Lion at Cannes and a APEX grand Prix.

Deon studied at the Wits Hotel School, University of Pretoria and the Wits Business Schools during the seventies and hasn't stopped learning since.

His inverted career path saw him start as a lecturer, then a consultant and entrepreneur before being approached for a "real" job with Southern Sun.

Deon was responsible for the opening of Sandton Convention Centre and counts hosting the World Summit in 2002 as one of the highlights of his career. After a brief secondment to establish the Johannesburg Tourism Company he returned to operations where he was appointed as Director of Operations for the Southern Sun Timeshare Division. This division includes 8 Resorts, 7 Public Companies, a Central Accounting Division, a sales Division, a Share Registry Business and an exchange business called SunSwop.

Deon repositioned the division to Southern Sun Lifestyle Resorts, complete with a fresh new look and feel. The main reason for the change was that Southern Sun offers their guests much more than just the product 'timeshare'; they offer their guests a lifestyle experience. Each resort has unique hallmarks and activities, depending on their location, catering for guests of all ages with the aim of ensuring a memorable holiday with regular return visits.

Desmond is the Publisher and the Executive Editor of the Tourism Tattler B2B magazine, the official trade journal of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA), which is distributed to over 13,000 trade subscribers.

He previously held the position of Group Marketing Director for The Ivory Group, the holding company of SATIB Risk Solutions, for a period of eight years in which time he contributed to the development of propriety insurance products to cater to the needs of the Tourism, Hospitality and Wildlife industries in southern Africa, to whom SATIB have been providing dedicated products and services for over 20 years.

Besides being FAIS (Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act) compliant in Short Term Commercial Insurance Lines, Des also writes and provides advice on risk management, marketing and corporate communication strategies to a broad spectrum of tourism stakeholders, including SATSA, for whom he serves on the Executive Council Board under the portfolio of Marketing and Insurance.

Dianne Robinson is an admitted attorney with a Bachelor in Social Science and LLB degrees from the University of Cape Town. She practiced as an attorney before taking up employment with ILS in 2000. She is currently a shareholder and partner in Integrated Labour Solutions.

Dimitris Manikis is a 20 year timeshare industry veteran.

He commenced his career with RCI straight from University initially spending two and a half years in the Middle East, two years in Turkey and a year in India. In 1997 he was appointed Managing Director for RCI's South Eastern region, based in Athens. Four years ago Dimitris took on the role of Vice President Business Development, RCI Europe, recently adding the Middle East and South Africa to his regional responsibilities.

Dimitris holds a Bachelor degree in Tourism and Administration from the University of Patras and an MSc Postgraduate degree in Tourism Marketing from the University of Surrey.

Errol van der Merwe is an independent organisational performance specialist who facilitates and trains as an associate of The Peer Group.

Errol's business career includes extensive sales, marketing and management experience to managing executive level.

He works with organisations to identify performance inhibitors and then provides managers and teams with the knowledge, practices and tools they need to achieve sustainable and measureable performance improvement.

He strongly believes that dignity, integrity and credibility are key differentiators in the success of individuals and organisations.

Gary has had significant experience in various leadership roles across multiple business sectors and geographic regions.  His base knowledge is foundered on a chartered accountant's qualification and he has held senior leadership roles as CFO, Executive Director - Group Development, CEO and Managing Director, Group CEO, Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Advisor.  Gary is currently the Chief Operating Officer for the Karma Royal Group.

Gary's exposure to mergers and acquisitions, post acquisition integration and leveraging the best out of multiple acquisitions is seen as a core strength, together with his ability to cut across multiple business models and geographical regions.  Gary has had success as a key member of a number of executive teams where growth targets and core objectives have been achieved and surpassed for sustained periods.  A proven track record in;

• ensuring financial health of entities,
• identifying and leveraging new opportunities,
• negotiating and closing appropriate deals,
• relationship building and management,
• business turnarounds,
• being part of and leading high performance teams,
• strategy formulation and execution of business plans and objectives, and
• experience across multiple geographic regions,

are seen as key strengths and have secured a positive contribution at a strategic level to the focus and delivery of the Group's vision.

Prior to joining the Karma Royal Group as Chief Operating Officer, Gary held the position of Group Chief Executive Officer for Roamfree Limited, an internet infrastructure business providing online solutions for accommodation providers and inventory aggregators.

Prior to joining Roamfree Limited, Gary enjoyed a 10 year career with, now Wyndham Worldwide's Group RCI.  Gary has held various roles with the NYSE listed company, but the most recent saw him hold the position of SVP and Managing Director for the Africa and Pacific regions for Group RCI.

Hylton is a executive tax manager at Grant Thornton.

Hylton has 13 years of tax consulting experience. After qualifying as an attorney he joined the tax consulting department of a large accounting firm. During 2008 Hylton moved to Grant Thornton.

Hylton has been involved with clients in various sectors including the construction industry, retail industry, and numerous clients with inbound operations into South Africa.

Hylton has lectured at the masters tax course at the University of the Witwatersrand, and had had various articles published in different publications.

James is a leading sustainability and environmental risk consultant with over 14 years' experience in the consulting field. He has specialised in advisory and assurance to the Financial, Mining, Industrial and Commercial Sectors.

Previously, he was Technical Director for a junior mining group in South Africa and before that James was Managing Executive of Marsh Environmental Services (MES), based in Johannesburg, South Africa, offering a global service to Marsh Inc. For the last 9 years, James' services to his clients is to ensure the sustainable investment of first-world capital according to the social, economic and environmental realities of developing countries. From 2008-2009, he was the Chair of the Environmental Working Group of the Sustainability Committee at the Institute of Directors of South Africa and was intimately involved in the drafting of King III.

John has a passion for the service industry and has held various corporate positions in pursuance thereof; inter alia Managing Director of It's a Pleasure, Sales Director Resorts Ownership and Executive Director of The Timeshare Institute of Southern Africa.

Currently he acts as consultant to various clients in the Leisure industry and serves on many of the resort Boards as both an owner and or as representative of his various clients.

His appointments and achievements include:

Director of VOASA;
Past Chairman of SOCAP (The Society of Consumer Affair Professionals in Southern Africa);
One of the founder members of the international alliance of trade organisations GATE
(Global alliance for Timeshare Excellence); and
Director of African Space a company appointed as consultant to MATCH for procuring timeshare accommodation for the event.

He has been awarded the RCI Hall of Fame membership in recognition of his passion for service, and whilst Executive Director of TISA was a finalist in the DTI Consumer Champions Awards.

A graduate from Wits with a degree in Economic Science, Karen has a depth of experience in Information Technology, Project Management, advertising, new media, web development and e-commerce.  She managed the internationalisation web projects of Marriott Hotels and led the organisation from a US-only website to its international presence in 20 countries in 9 languages, marketing more than 3,000 hotels worldwide.

Marriott's award-winning web site takes over $17 million a day in online hotel reservations, making it the sixth largest e-commerce site on the web.

She co-founded interactive business games, 3D animation, and virtual worlds company with husband Godfrey in London, leading the creative, technology and production units.

Mark was born in the UK in 1948 and after a 5 year Engineering Apprenticeship with Rolls Royce obtained an M Sc at Cranfield University in 1972. He entered the engineering contracting sector and came to South Africa in 1974 joining Bateman Equipment soon after as Chief Design Engineer.

He subsequently formed an engineering procurement company that was contracted to Babcock initially for the Lethabo Power Station procurement activities. He eventually accepted a directorship with Babcock. Mark's interest in energy and energy efficiency started at this time.

After establishing an R&D company to research and develop Continuously Variable Transmissions to produce fuel savings in trucks he expanded the company's scope to include Kinetic Energy Storage and Recovery and contracting in Concentrating Solar Power and Energy Efficiency in buildings. This focus was subsequently found to be fully compatible with Honeywell's endeavours in this sector and he became their Business Development Manager Energy Services in early 2010.

Upon completing his studies at the University of Stellenbosch, Mark spent two years working at a major financial institution as an Attorney Liaison Officer, learning banking process and gaining insight into the world of finance.

Afterwards he proceeded to join Strauss Daly Incorporated in Cape Town before relocating to head office in Umhlanga. While an admitted Conveyancer, he currently specialises in Corporate Recoveries, from foreclosures to unsecured debt, attending to instructions from Banks within South Africa.
Mark Tucker further often does presentations on upcoming and developing areas of law to various industries, focusing more specifically on the National Credit Act and the Consumer Protection Act.

"Mbuso Zungu is a graduate of the University of KwaZulu Natal in possession of a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Bachelor of Commerce Honors in Managerial finance.

He is a full member of the South African Institute of Business Accountants (SAIBA) and is also a part qualified Chattered Management Accountant registered with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)

He is currently employed by Empowerdex as a Regional Executive Manager. Through his tenure with Empowerdex he has verified, analyzed and reviewed hundreds of company's BB-BEE credentials ranging from small, medium, large to listed local multinationals. Prior to joining Empowerdex, he spent time lecturing financial accounting at a local technical college and was a member for the institution's Faculty of management studies Board.

The five years experience in BB-BEE has taught him that transformation can only be achieved if companies view their initiatives as inevitable true concomitant of their successes in business."

Mr. Patrick Hijlkema is cofounder of ProServ International, with 17 years of professional experience. He was born and studied in The Netherlands. He has completed a MSc in Management and a Bachelors degree in Hotel Management. Before coming to South Africa in 1998, he held various positions in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry in the USA, Australia, Gibraltar, Spain and The Netherlands, where he was the General Manager of the 120-bedroom Efteling Theme Park Hotel.
His key qualifications and experience include the following areas: marketing, human resource management and strategic management.  In his role as management consultant for Proserv International he developed a specialization in Service Quality Improvement and Service Quality Monitoring and measurement. Patrick Hijlkema designed and implemented Service Quality systems and mechanisms for the following clients:

• JFK international Airport, New York, USA
• Comair, British Airways
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• South African Tourism
• Fasset SETA
• The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa
• Strategy development for Royal Sechaba
• Arabella South Africa
• The Birchwood Executive Hotel, and

He is currently working with Louis Group Hotels in Cape Town on a Quality Improvement Programme.

Paul Esselaar completed his BA, LLB at Rhodes University in Grahamstown in 1997. Thereafter he attended the School for Legal Practice at the University of Cape Town in 2000 and went on to complete his articles at Kessler De Jager Inc. During his articles he focussed primarily on Magistrates and High Court litigation as well as deceased estates. Paul was admitted as an attorney of the High Court in 2001. After completing his articles he went back to the University of Cape Town and completed his LLM in Electronic Law and Commercial Law in 2003.

Paul is the head of the Public Voice Portfolio for the Internet Society of South Africa (ISOC-ZA) and provides legal assistance to the Silicon Cape initiative in Cape Town. Paul has a broad background in Electronic Law which is ably assisted by a stint at an Online Dispute Resolution company called TrustEnforce as well as his experience as the webmaster for the Trade Law Centre (tralac). He has practiced as an Electronic Law specialist for the Electronic Law Consultancy and also for his own account as part of Esselaar and Associates.

From a sales and management background of more than 14 years within the shared ownership industry ranging from sales executive through to project director of multi-resort companies throughout Europe and Asia, Paul now owns two industry related companies; one that recruits staff for timeshare and fractional developments, and the other, Perspective International Ltd, that publishes two leading magazines, an online buyers guide for fractional properties and boasts the largest industry news sites and the only standalone social networking site for the shared ownership industry which combines the most popular functionality of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter on one website.

Perspective Magazine is the most read independent B2B publication for the shared ownership industry globally, which is read by more than 20,400 industry professionals and spans 82 countries.

Owners Perspective Magazine is a consumer publication showcasing the benefits of all shared ownership products, educating and encouraging more than 50,000 prospective buyers per month to interact with developers through its global distribution via first class and business class airport lounges with British Airways, Emirates Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines, selected resorts and hotels, golf clubs and spas and individual print and online subscriptions.

Paul is a highly motivated individual who spends much of his time negotiating deals that will help improve and increase the awareness of the shared ownership industry by creating both online and offline marketing programs to open new channels for organic lead generation and positive communication through the media.

I was born in a small North West town in July 1964, my parents waited 13 years before I was born. For many years I felt as if I didn't fit in and struggled to find my own voice in this world. Ever since I can remember, I believed that everything is possible and was obsessed with the Meaning of Life.

After completing school, I obtained a few tertiary qualifications at reputable tertiary institutions, so I decided to dedicate my life to the development of human potential.

My own journey is filled with numerous challenges which I trust adds value to my offering to other individuals. I'm looking forward sharing information and experience with you and trust that I add a positive life changing experience to your life.

Sharalene Randelhoff is a director in the Assurance division of the Durban office of PWC. She joined PWC in 1993 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1995.

Sharalene's experience includes providing auditing, accounting and advisory services to a wide range of clients from listed companies to family-owned businesses. Sharalene has experience across a number of industries including logistics, agriculture, automotive, consumer products as well as a number of Share Block companies in the time-sharing industry.

She is a member of the firm's IFRS Advisory group and is registered with the JSE to conduct audits of listed entities. Sharalene also heads up the PwC Business School in the KwaZulu Natal region as well as the Gender Advisory Council.

Shelley obtained her BA, LLB from the University of Cape Town and has a Post Graduate Diploma in Company Law from the University of Stellenbosch and has been admitted as an attorney, conveyancer and notary public of the High Court of South Africa.

Shelley has 20 years of experience in a broad spectrum of commercial and property related work, furnishing a diverse range of corporate and individual clients with advice and assistance in all aspects from the strategic planning and implementation of business and property related sales and acquisitions to the negotiation and drafting of all forms of commercial agreements relating thereto.

Sonya obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 1993 and a Bachelor of Law Degree in 1997. She joined Strauss Daly Incorporated in 2004 and was admitted to the High Court of South Africa in 2006. Prior to working at Strauss Daly, Sonya lectured commercial law for 7 years. In 2007 she relocated to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where she joined Al Tamimi & Company in August of that year. She worked in the firm's corporate & commercial department as an associate for the duration of her time in Dubai.

At Al Tamimi & Company, Sonya advised both principals and agents on distribution arrangements and on the impact of the UAE Commercial Agencies Law. She has advised multinational pharmaceutical companies with distribution arrangements in the UAE. She has also advised both franchisors and franchisees that have business interests in the UAE as well as hotel owners and managers in respect of hotel management and technical services agreements. Additionally, Sonya has structured a number of employee share option schemes and performance plans for multi-national companies with entities located in the UAE and has advised many companies both in the UAE and South Africa on corporate restructuring and shareholder arrangements.

Sonya has also presented to both local UAE companies and multi-national companies, including the Malaysian Business Council, on the applicable employment laws in the Middle East. In January 2010, Sonya returned to Strauss Daly Incorporated as an Associate Director in Strauss Daly's Commercial Litigation and International Department where she specialises in commercial law.

Stefan Mayer was educated in Germany and returned to South Africa in 1998. After completing his MCSE and A+ computer network training in 1999 he worked as a freelance Telecom Engineer travelling throughout Africa, USA and the Middle East installing satellite and networking equipment for Telco customers, bringing up satellite links for Internet connectivity and telephone termination and origination. Trips in this period included travelling to Iraq, Nigeria, Angola, Zambia, Nevis, India, Pakistan, Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Mali, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. He was commissioned to install Satellite links for the CDC (Centres for Disease Control) and for the US Embassies which had offices in many African countries.

Just as he was contemplating that the travel was getting to be too much, Stefan was approached by MMPA, Mtshali Moss Projects Africa in Johannesburg to work for them on the roll out of new RF infrastructure for the Southern Sun Hotel Group as well as other customers. He worked as a Project Coordinator for various projects including Southern Sun SMATV upgrades, Gambia Sheraton Conference Centre, Port Ghalib Conference Centre, Egypt. HPF SMATV upgrade projects, various Boardroom upgrades, Montecasino East End Development. He was responsible for all aspects of the projects including the following: system design and relevant drawings, writing Tender documents, holding Tender meetings, evaluating Tenders, project planning, dealing with relevant contractors, meeting target deadlines as per the project plans; All aspects of client/ contractor correspondence.

In January 2008 he was approached by Teljoy Business Systems and was asked to join them in the capacity as their National Operations Manager. In this position he is responsible for all installation teams, both in the RF as well as the AV fields.
He has vast knowledge in the implementation of RF backbone infrastructures, including Fiber as well as IPTV systems. He successfully project managed the rollout of high end RF as well as IPTV infrastructure for all 10 stadia during the World Cup.

Pretoria-born Stuart Lamont, a leading property developer from Kwa-Zulu-Natal's South Coast in South Africa, joined Club Leisure Group in 1994.

With the support of a handpicked, common-vision management team, the Group has successfully progressed to develop a portfolio of leisure and business accommodation clubs with inventory valued at over R2, 880 million in over 150 resorts, as well as a number of service companies to provide the full spectrum of services to members and partners.

Today Club Leisure Group serves more than 200,000 members throughout South Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia, and employs over 2,500 trained personnel.

Thembi Kunene, obtained her BA Communications degree from Fort Hare University in 1988. Her postgraduate studies include a Management Development Program (University of Pretoria).

Executive and Business experience include:

• Banking - Perm Building Society
• Advertising - Ogilvy & Mather
• Public Relations - ACSA - the then Johannesburg International Airport,
• Tourism & Airport Management - 1st Black person, the 1st woman and the youngest person ever to manage an airport in South Africa in 1997 - George Airport.
• Tourism & Conservation - City of Johannesburg, Johannesburg Zoo.
• Freight & Logistics - Bidvest Group - Bidfreight.

In August 2007, Thembi joined the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) as its new CEO with her main responsibility being to ensure quality graded tourism accommodation in South Africa.

During 2009, the TGCSA was fully integrated into South African Tourism, resulting in Thembi being appointed on the SAT Exco, the highest decision-making body over 17 Business Units reporting to the SAT, CEO - which meant a title change to Chief Quality Assurance Officer, a position she currently still holds.

Vikee is a plain language writer, trainer and consultant. She has been with Simplified for four years and has trained over 30 plain language writing courses in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Vikee consults with government and corporate South Africa working towards compliance with the Consumer Protection Act. This involves:

• plain language audits
• simplifying key consumer documents
• testing documents with ordinary consumers
• holding document workshops.

Vikee has always been passionate about the English language and can appreciate its beauty as well as its complexities. She has taught English as a second language for eight years and has also done a lot of bilingual proofreading and editing work in the media. She has also taught English as a GCSE subject in her home country, the UK.