Executive Director
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Fanie van der MerweFanie has been working on the Boplaas family farming estate in the Koue Bokkeveld for the past 27 years, first as a farm worker and today as executive director. Boplaas is SA’s oldest family business and has been in the family since 1743. The family’s motto is: Dream Big, dare to fail. Fanie is married to Hannelie and the couple has four sons, the oldest Carl who joined the business last year. Tel: 023 3170040 |
Operations Director
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Philip ClaasenPhilip Claasen (M Phil et Dip Journalism), MD at Mostly Media (and official administrators for FABASA) brings a wealth of experience having owner-managed a number of profitable small businesses since 1989 – including a toy manufacturing enterprise, an Italian restaurant as well as his core business – a media/advertising agency that he has run successfully since 1996. As a former business journalist and dedicated entrepreneur, Philip has a firm understanding of the needs of SMEs in the country. In addition, to writing various entrepreneur’s columns for the media, his company has since 2004 been involved in various SME and family business projects with Old Mutual’s SME division. In 2007, Philip Claasen also produced a manuscript entitled The Magic of Small Business, which focuses on the multiple challenges facing SMMEs and offers hands-on advice with real-life practical examples. Tel: 021 554 3140 |
Fundraising and Marketing Director
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André DiederichsAndré is a keen observer and student of global trends and globalisation and its impact on the world of work, global competition and the changing role of governments. He identified SMMEs as the most important strategic market for South Africa. Family Owned Businesses and Franchises form an integral part of this focus with Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment as a specific focus to alleviate unemployment. He is a regular guest on radio and television shows. He published his first book on globalisation and its impact on South Africa in 2002 followed by a book on the importance of values for family-owned businesses in 2007. This was followed by People versus Profit and in 2008 Business Jungle (in English) and Besigheidsoerwoud (in Afrikaans). Mobile: +27 082 453 3288 Website: www.andrediederichs.co.za |
Director
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Elsabè DiederichsElsabè Diederichs has 25 years experience in adult education and development facilitation. She specialises in writing learning material for life orientation programmes in the ELI group. Her fields of expertise are Ethics and Character Development She facilitates workshops in the education sector as well as for NGO’s. She is a member of Ethics Association of South Africa, coalition member of Character Counts! as well as COMENSA. She has the unique ability to make complex life issues understandable and has developed numerous tools to help make life lessons practical. As part of this process she is also responsible for the development of master facilitators and mentoring ELI’s internal associates. She works with her husband Leon, facilitating workshops for family owned businesses. Mobile: 083 650 6252 |
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Prof Elmarie VenterProf Venter has been a lecturer in the Department of Business Management at UPE/NMMU since 1998 and held the same position at the University of Stellenbosch for the preceding seven years. Her highest qualifications include a DCom degree obtained from UPE in 2003, a research Masters degree in Commerce (MCom – cum laude) at the University of Stellenbosch and an MBA degree (cum laude) at the Ghent-Leuven-Vlerick School of Management in Belgium. Further qualifications include a BCom Hons degree, HDE diploma, and a BCom degree. Prof Venter’s field of expertise and research is family business management and in particular succession from one generation to the next. Prof Venter also lectures and researches Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management and Marketing Communication Management. Tel: 27 41 5042204 |
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Riana GroblerRiana is a senior marketing consultant at Old Mutual where she manages market co-ordination and planning of brand integrity countrywide. She is also responsible for media exposure countrywide for Old Mutual’s SMME team based in Cape Town. In addition and as part of her responsibilities she lectures on challenges pertaining to succession planning for family-owned businesses. In 2009 Riana won the South African Business Women Council’s competition for Business Women of the Year award for the Western Cape in the Corporate Category. Tel: 021-504 4897 |
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Leon DiederichsLeon Diederichs is co-owner of a family owned business where he delivers human resource development services to a number of family owned agri-businesses as a family business consultant. His human resource development experience and entrepreneurial spirit has led to the development of the ELI Group as a trusted value chain for emerging and commercial agricultural enterprises in South Africa and Namibia. He holds a degree in social sciences and is a registered human resource practitioner in the specialist category for training & development with the South African Board for Personal Practice. Through the fully accredited College of Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), a division of the ELI Group, Leon Diederichs manages a team of specialists, who constantly designing reviewing and updating agricultural related skills programs and learnerships. Mobile: 083 700 6267 |