Ivan has worked in the social impact space for nearly a decade and specialises in strategy, organisational culture and building collaborative teams. Before his involvement in Nation Builder, he worked as a management consultant in the petro-chemical, insurance, healthcare, and manufacturing industries. Ivan holds an MBA, an honours degree in Industrial Psychology and a BA in Communications from the North-West University. He enjoys long-distance running, any form of chocolate and spending time with his beautiful wife and son.

Nqobile is a Social Impact consultant with over 16 years of development experience. She currently drives strategic partnerships for LIV Invest at LIV Village. Prior to consulting, Nqobile worked as the Corporate Citizenship Lead at Microsoft where she led the company’s local relevance strategy in addressing the ICT skills gap and youth unemployment in SA. She also worked successfully in driving strategic funding partnerships with the Jobs Fund and Microsoft business partners. Nqobile also chairs the Invincible Empowerment Fund board and sits on the Experian SA board.

Brendan has over 20 years of experience in the social sector. He is a former British Army officer specialising in humanitarian aid. He has worked with several international organisations, including NATO and the United Nations, in over 40 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. Brendan holds a Master’s Degree from Tabor College, Australia, and a BComm (Hons) from UKZN. He also has several professional post-graduate degrees and qualifications from Cambridge University. He loves the outdoors, scuba diving, hiking, his family, and ice cream.

Jolanda has been with Valcare for almost 20 years and has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She is passionate about building and retaining strong and meaningful relationships and empowering nonprofits to build and expand their networks. She has been involved with academic institutes for the past ten years, sharing her experience and knowledge with students. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Stellenbosch University. Jolanda believes a good day is filled with laughter; she loves spending time with her family and pets.

Ronlyn has been with Valcare since 2018 when she interned as a Social Auxiliary Worker. In 2019, she took on the role of administrative assistant and is currently the Data and Systems Officer. She has a qualification in Social Auxiliary Work from Hugenote College and a qualification in Community Health Work from Glen Lilly Training College. She enjoys walking her dogs, spending time with her family and eating everything that contains sugar.

Liezl joined Valcare in 2006 and is currently working as the Office Manager. She manages the Vuka Co-working Space, which Valcare shares with three other organisations. Her focus is on ensuring operations flow smoothly through systems practices and efficiency. She has a qualification in Secretarial Public Relations from Boland College Stellenbosch. Liezl loves reading fiction and binge-watching series. She often wishes to escape to the 80s—the decade with the best music ever!

Maurisa has over 15 years of experience in the development field. Her dynamic involvement spans social innovation, entrepreneurship, education & and health across the public, private as well as social sectors. Maurisa holds a BSc Degree in Allied Health Sciences (UCT) and post-graduate studies in Social Entrepreneurship (GIBS) & Inclusive Innovation (GSB). She is passionate about social change for the development of women & and youth. Maurisa enjoys spending time with her family & and loves dancing with her husband or beach walks with her 2 daughters.

Jeanne-Loïs brings over 13 years of branding, design and art direction experience across diverse industries. With a Bachelor of Arts degree, specialising in Broadcast Media from Stellenbosch University, and an Events Management qualification from UCT, she has a solid background in artistic expression – and her expertise lies in aligning business objectives with creative strategies. With a desire to see effective social transformation in SA, every thought, design, and communication strategy is crafted with the awareness that our work has the power to touch and change lives.

Courtney started her career as a communication intern at Valcare and is now the communication coordinator. She holds a BA in international studies from Stellenbosch University and a social media and communication qualification. Courtney loves good music, TikTok and quality time with friends and family.

Hlengiwe Zulu is the co-founder of Uhuru Development Consulting, a consultancy that exists to empower Social Investors and Implementors to achieve optimal social impact. She completed her Master’s degree in Social Development and Policy at the University of Pretoria, with a focus on how education-related CSI projects can contribute to upholding human rights. Prior to joining the Mergon Group, Hlengiwe held positions with The Foschini Group, as well as McKinsey and Company. Hlengiwe is passionate about the potential of well-planned and collaborative social investment strategies and how these can further social justice.