Our Associates
Tessa Louw
Tessa spent almost 20 years working for a large corporate in Financial Services and in 2016 opted for more of a work-life integration. This decision allowed Tessa to consult independently in the Human Capital space across various industries before pursuing one of her life goals, to become a certified and credentialed Coach. Tessa completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching (PGDC) at the South African College of Applied Psychology (SACAP), accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA). Tessa also successfully completed the ICF Coach Knowledge Assessment and Performance Evaluation. She is an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and ICF Member.
Prof Adriaan Van Der Walt
Adriaan holds the degrees B Juris BA (Labour Relations) LLB and is an associate professor and erstwhile Head of Department: Mercantile Law at the Faculty of Law, Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, South Africa. He was appointed as chairperson of the National Minimum Wage Commission for the period 1 January 2019 to 29 February 2024. He has extensive experience in labour-law teaching, practice and research and was head the Labour and Social Security Law Unit (until his retirement in 2024), a labour-law engagement entity at Nelson Mandela University. In addition to labour-law teaching for LLB students, Adriaan was coordinator and principal lecturer on the LLM (Labour Law) and the Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Law Practice presented at NMU. His practical, policy-orientated approach to legal education has positioned Nelson Mandela University as a national hub for labour law training and community engagement.
Adriaan has been a senior commissioner of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration since its inception in 1996 and does work as labour mediator, arbitrator, and relationship-building facilitator. He was the ministerially appointed chairperson of the Employment Conditions Commission, a statutory commission that advised the Minister of Labour on minimum wages and other conditions of employment in vulnerable sectors of the economy for a number of years. He also served as the editor of Obiter for the period 1993-2025, an accredited peer-reviewed law journal. In September 2024 the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) presented him with a lifetime achievement award.
Haaniem Mallick Smith
Haaniem has been active in the Training and Development space since 1993. Starting her career within Property Operations Management, with a large national property development and management company. Early in 2001, Haaniem followed her passion for the upliftment of people through skills development and made the decision to promote and advocate the principles of the South African Skills Development Act. She relocated to Pretoria, South Africa where she is still currently based. The past 22 years has been focused on Skills Development and all related national initiatives in multiple industries, including mining, transport and manufacturing. Her experience includes the project management of large projects using a wealth of cross functional management experience. Her exposure includes working for SAQA (South African Qualification Authority) and as an Independent Skills Development Facilitator, within the sectors – CHIETA (Chemical Industries Education & Training Authority), TETA (Transport Education and Training Authority), MERSETA (Manufacturing Engineering and Related Services Education and Training Authority), Services Seta (Services Sector for Training and Education Authority) and MQA (Mining Qualifications Authority).
Thanduxolo Qotoyi
Thando (LLB, Post Graduate Diploma in Labour Law, LLM (Labour Law), MA (Labour Relations) is a Labour Law Lecturer in the Mercantile Law Department: Faculty of Law at the Nelson Mandela University. He also serves as the Director of the Labour and Social Security Unit (since 2025), a labour law engagement entity at the Nelson Mandela University. In addition, Thando serves as a part-time Commissioner for the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and is a panelist at the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC). He is a dispute resolution practitioner and can assist with grievances and disciplinaries at the workplace. He has experience in facilitating retrenchment and restructuring proceedings.
Sumaya Sookool
Sumaya is a professionally qualified Life Skills Coach and Facilitator, trained through various courses and having obtained a formal qualification through the Academy of Life Coaching (a member of SABPP, a professional body for Human Resources Practitioners in South Africa). Sumaya holds a Bachelor of Social Science Degree (UCT) and a Diploma in Supply Chain Management (UNISA) and has working experience spanning in excess of 25 years in the Professional and Financial Services Industries. Her qualifications coupled with her managerial working experience qualifies her to work with young, high performing professionals and to provide them with the necessary guidance in a confidential and safe space, so that they may grow and develop into emerging leaders for the future world. As an avid and practising intuitive energy healer and spiritual being, Sumaya believes in a holistic approach to working with people in a non-judgemental, dignified and respectful manner while acknowledging and celebrating cultural diversity. Her coaching approach and methodology is based on being client-centric, action-orientated and results-driven. Sumaya’s passion is to strive and touch as many lives as possible and help humanity unleash their full potential, thereby contributing to a global community and establishing a universally evolved consciousness.
Kaya Siyo
Kaya is an Organisation Design Specialist and holds a B Proc degree (former University of Transkei) and an MBA (University of Fort Hare). He has more than 20 years of high-level consulting to municipalities in organisation design, process improvement and change. He was fascinated by the science and art of organisational performance and has become a leitmotif of his passion for deeper exploration and immersion. He facilitates public and custom-built organisation design programmes, that integrate process improvement and change. The programme is designed based on whole systems view for adaptive organisations and provides practical solutions to organisational challenges using leading-edge methodologies.
Naahied Gamieldien
Naahied is a seasoned financial professional with a distinguished career spanning nearly two decades. Her journey began at the former University of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela University), where she earned her BCom Accounting degree. She further honed her skills by obtaining a BCom Honours degree in Accounting from the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal. In 2020, she completed a MDP in B-BBEE at UNISA, demonstrating her commitment to understanding and navigating the complexities of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) in South Africa. Her early career saw her gain invaluable experience at PwC, where she completed her articles. This formative period provided her with a strong foundation in accounting principles and practices. Naahied's exceptional talent and dedication were recognised in 2010 when she was awarded the Emerging Executive of the Year by Sekunjalo Investments. This prestigious accolade marked a significant milestone in her career and solidified her position as a rising star in the South African corporate sector. As a designated AGA(SA), Naahied has amassed a wealth of commercial experience. She has held various senior positions throughout her career, including financial manager and financial director. Her expertise and leadership have been instrumental in driving financial success and strategic growth within organisations. Naahied's contributions to the corporate world have extended beyond her executive roles. She has served on numerous boards, particularly in the IT sector. Notably, she has held the position of CFO of a JSE-listed group of companies, demonstrating her ability to navigate complex financial landscapes and deliver value to shareholders.
Jonathan Williams
Jonathan has extensive knowledge and experience in the construction industry with particular expertise in the oil & gas sector, tank farms, pipelines, fabrication, operating facilities, nuclear and urban area construction, and roads. Jonathan has more than 30 years’ experience working on major capital projects in multi-national environments in Africa, Middle East, Eurasia and Russia. He also has expertise in effective implementation of Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) management systems and development & training of behavioural based safety programs. Jonathan is a registered Construction Health & Safety Manager with the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP). Registration Number CHSM/161/2016.