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.
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.
Lisa Gering
Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology and Communications. She is a member of the Institute of Directors Southern Africa, and has successfully run her own networking business since 1997. She subsequently diversified into other business opportunities ranging from property management to events organisation. Lisa specializes in team development as well as in connecting people to expand their businesses and to motivate them to lead their teams more effectively.
Lisa decided to join the Sirdar team in 2009 because of her interest in, and understanding of, the small business environment. She is the national expedition sales manager for Sirdar South Africa, Johannesburg. Lisa enables business owners to receive the necessary support to achieve Extreme Business Success. She is passionate about people, and is dedicated to helping them reach their full potential.
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.
Brendon Beeton
Brendon has a degree in Marketing Management and is a member of the Institute of Directors Southern Africa. He has worked in sales and management positions in companies of various sizes from an early age. As a result of his experience in large and small organisations, Brendon gained a keen understanding of the variety of pressures and issues which are inherent in all businesses.
Brendon joined Sirdar in 2010 because he was attracted to their promise of empowering communities through sustainable enterprise. He is based at Sirdar South Africa in Johannesburg where he works as a business development executive. Brendon is passionate about empowering both businesses and individuals to achieve success, and about opening people’s minds to the great opportunities in South Africa.
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.
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.
Kirsten Nyschens
Kirsten has approximately six years of experience in the financial industry. In particular, she has been involved in short-term insurance as well as assisting business owners in the SME sector to acquire government grants from the Department of Trade and Industry. Due to her networking skills she has good relationships with a great number of entrepreneurs and businesses.
Kirsten decided to join the Sirdar team in 2010 because she believes in Sirdar’s vision of empowering business owners in the SME sector. She also enjoys the Sirdar culture and its leadership style. She is currently a business development executive for Sirdar South Africa in KwaZulu-Natal. Kirsten is passionate about working with people and building relationships with business owners. She enjoys the variety of businesses and individuals she encounters as a result of her work at Sirdar.
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.
