PROVIDING PROTECTION

Sirdar South Africa Expedition Team

Carl Bates, Group Chief Executive, Sirdar South Africa Group

BBS (Hons) GradDipBS CA MInstD

Carl has Bachelor of Business Studies Honours (Accountancy) and a Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Finance). He is a chartered accountant and is a member of the Institute of Directors of both New Zealand and South Africa. Carl has a particular interest in rapid business growth, branding and sustainability. Previously, Carl was the acting chief executive of Quality Health New Zealand, general manager of a 270-bed accommodation complex and a director of the Arena Manawatu and Universal College of Learning (UCOL).

Carl is a recognised leader in the education and implementation of governance for SMEs, as well as in their growth and development. He is a strategist, a management and governance specialist with a holistic approach to business and a published author.

Carl established Sirdar in September 2006 because he saw the opportunity to support enterprise development, thereby uplifting communities' economic well-being. Carl is currently based in Pretoria where he acts as the chief executive of the Sirdar South Africa Group, as well as the managing director of the Sirdar Global Group. Carl is passionate about challenging business owners to see new potential in their own dreams, and provides the insight required to enable them to reach the summit of Extreme Business Success.

Janine Smith

Janine has a LLB (Hons) degree and has completed various postgraduate examinations including in Business Law, Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Advanced Commercial Litigation, Commercial Law, Taxation, Professional Conduct and Regulation and several others. She is an accredited assessor with the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA), a facilitator for skills such as customer service and communication, and is currently working towards completing an Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) qualification. Over the last 26 years, Janine has gained both local and international experience in commercial law, property, employment, company secretarial functions, energy resources, corporate law, management, training and development. She has excellent interpersonal communication skills, organisational agility and exceptional management and accountancy skills.

Janine chose to join Sirdar in 2011 because she wanted to work for an organisation whose guiding principles and ethos mirrored her own, providing her with the opportunity to work in an environment where she can make a difference. She works as an expedition services manager at Sirdar South Africa in Cape Town. Janine is passionate about governance and the structures it provides, as well as the growth and development that results when SMEs embrace the governance process. She strives to provide Sirdar's clients with excellent service in their governance journey and pursuit of Extreme Business Success.

Kerstin Jatho - Managing Director, Sirdar South Africa Investments

Kerstin holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and Economics and has diplomas in a variety of subjects, including senior leadership management, criminal justice and forensic auditing. She has 18 years of experience in the financial services sector industry, during which time she served as a corporate governance and risk director. Kerstin has a strong background in corporate business, hands-on leadership and management experience and in-depth financial understanding.

Kerstin joined the Sirdar team because she is passionate about supporting SMEs to make a positive contribution to the world, be this on an economical, social or environmental level. In January 2010 Kerstin joined the Sirdar team as an accredited Sirdar governance panel director and chairman in Gauteng, and has since been an active and passionate member on the board of directors of a number of Sirdar South Africa's clients' companies. She was subsequently appointed as the managing director of Sirdar South Africa Investments (Pty) Ltd to develop and drive this unique aspect of the Sirdar South Africa Group's support of SMEs. Kerstin's personal philosophy is that with the right motivation all human beings can aspire to reach their phenomenal heights if they have champions who believe in them and guide them to success. That underlying philosophy is underwritten in the Sirdar methodology, and is Kerstin's passion.

Phillip Ridge

Phillip has a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounts), a Master of Business Administration and is currently completing his thesis for a Master of Commerce (Management Practices). He has ten years of experience in systems analysis, design and IT management and over 20 years' consulting experience in business, marketing and distribution strategy development at board level. Throughout his career he has focused on obtaining an objective view of a business's future, the macro environment context, methods for outperforming competitors and board level debates on the recommended direction. He has consulted in many countries across South Africa, Africa, Europe and Australasia in the consumer, industrial and services sectors.

Phillip joined the Sirdar Strategic Management Business Unit in 2012 to help establish its strategic management capability. He is based in Johannesburg where he fulfils the role of manager, Sirdar Strategic Management. He was initially drawn to Sirdar because he believes the future of South Africa lies in its SMEs. He is passionate about applying his knowledge, experience and creativity in a small business consulting model to empower SMEs and assist them to grow.

Anita Branco

BCom (Hons)

Anita has a Bachelor of Commerce as well as an Honours degree in Accounting. She qualified as a chartered accountant in 2006 after completing three years of articles at a medium sized audit firm in Cape Town. Anita then went on to work as an audit supervisor and audit manager for another two years before working for herself as an accountant.

Anita joined the Sirdar team in 2010 because she believes in Sirdar as an organisation and the services that it provides to the business community. She felt that she could make a positive difference in creating the necessary controls and procedures to run the financial processes effectively. She is currently based in Cape Town at Sirdar South Africa where she fulfils the role of finance manager and oversees all aspects of financial management. Anita is passionate about making a difference in the world, and strives to support the Sirdar team to ensure that they deliver excellent service to their clients.

Gerhard Barnard

Gerhard has a National diploma for Technicians (Surveying) and worked at the Surveyor General's office in Pretoria for several years. He has experience in land surveying and many facets of the building industry, and has also been involved with and managed a few successful companies. He has been involved with businesses for most of his working career, has seen successes and failures, and has built up good knowledge of business in the process. Additionally, Gerhard has travelled extensively and lived abroad for a number of years, giving him a good understanding of different cultures.

Gerhard joined Sirdar in 2010 because he wanted to make a difference in the economy, and wanted to gain the knowledge necessary to enhance his own entrepreneurial growth. He is currently a business development executive with Sirdar South Africa in the Gauteng region. Gerhard is passionate about assisting people and companies to reach their full potential, and his love of people and understanding challenges has been a key to his success.

Amanda Tshaya

Amanda has over eight years of experience in the financial industry, with a focus on personalised short-term insurance and banking. She has worked for large companies such as First National Bank, Investec Bank, Aon and Nedbank Private Bank. Working for these organisations provided her with invaluable organisational and relationship management skills, and taught her to interact with a wide range of clients. She is a member of the South African Network Alliance.

Amanda joined Sirdar in 2012 because she believes in the Sirdar vision of empowering business owners and communities through sustainable enterprise. She is currently based in Cape Town at Sirdar South Africa where she works as a new business executive. Amanda is passionate about making a difference in SMEs, and about transforming them into sustainable enterprises.

Sally Mackenzie

Sally has a secretarial diploma from Birnam Business College, including a senior bookkeeping course, and a diploma in Education. She began her career as a secretary at an accounting firm and since then has worked for a variety of companies, working her way up to a personal assistant, human resources assistant and human resources manager. She went on to own and run a pub for 20 years, during which time she gained extensive experience in the administrative aspects of running a small business. She has further experience in corporate gifts and the restaurant industry.

Sally joined Sirdar South Africa in 2010 and is based in Gauteng where she fulfils the roles of national expedition sales administrator and Sirdar Business Summit co-ordinator. Sally decided to join Sirdar after attending a Wealth Dynamics Profile talk and the Sirdar Business Summit, and seeing the improvement in a company she worked for which implemented the Sirdar model. She wanted to be part of a company that actually helped other companies to achieve Extreme Business Success. Sally is passionate about helping small businesses to realise their full potential and reach great heights in their businesses.

Lilane Hattingh

Lilane has a BBA Degree in Marketing Management, and has worked in both the public and government sectors. She has extensive administrative experience in both board secretariat as well as executive personal assistant functions.

Lilane chose to join Sirdar in June 2011 because she believes in Sirdar's vision of assisting small and medium enterprises to reach their full potential. She is currently based in Cape Town where she fulfils the role of expedition service administrator in the expedition service team. Lilane is passionate about providing excellent service, and strives to assist all of Sirdar's clients to achieve ultimate business success.

Kim Berinato

Kim Berinato has a secretarial certificate and has worked in a variety of industries, ranging from construction to hospitality. She has several years of experience as a secretary and personal assistant.

Kim joined the Sirdar team in 2010 as an expedition secretariat. She is currently based in Cape Town where she performs secretariat functions for Sirdar South Africa. While she initially joined Sirdar at the recommendation of a friend, she stayed because she enjoys working with a highly motivated team who are passionate about what they are doing. Kim strongly believes in providing efficient, quality-driven service at all times.

Michelle Gerber

Michelle has a Diploma in Financial Management and has worked in a variety of industries. She began her career at an accounting firm where she was responsible for VAT and PAYE, and later worked in both the music and hospitality industries where she fulfilled various financial duties. She has experience in cashbook administration, revenue and income auditing, general cashiering, creditor reconciliation and general financial administration.

Michelle joined Sirdar in 2012 to further her career in the corporate environment, as she believed that she could learn a lot from the highly motivated Sirdar team. She currently works as an expedition financial administrator at Sirdar South Africa, Cape Town. Michelle is passionate about achieving optimal results through hard work. She constantly strives for excellence, and believes that dedication, accuracy and attention to detail are the keys to success.