Advisor

The SA Chamber of Commerce is an umbrella organisation and conduit for trade, community and investment into and from South Africa. The SACC aims to bring under one concerted effort, a forum and meeting point for businesses who have an interest in both the UK and South Africa in an attempt to facilitate the development of business opportunities through providing a networking platform.The constitutional objectives of the SA Chamber of Commerce include:•to offer advice to members in the operation of their business as and when might be requested or appropriate,•to provide a united voice when dealing with government bodies and private sector groups,•to provide a central body for the administration, research, lobbying and support of sub-committees and associated bodies with specific interests in SA-UK business,•to provide a forum to promote business opportunities between members, and,•to provide proactive facilitation of business The SACC brings under one management structure activities offered by the SA Business Club, the Breakfast Indaba, Trade missions, SA Business Awards, Mamba Mentors, Board member events, white papers, research and open letters to government and training activities.Who runs the SA Chamber of CommerceThe SACC is run by the Executive Committee and Chairperson who are elected at the AGM by the members of the SACC. The administration of the SACC is carried out by the secretariat. The Executive Committee take direction and leadership on content and strategy for delivery from the Board. The Board are Corporate Members who have decided to take a more significant stake in the running of the SACC and who are set to benefit financially through contacts and lessons learnt made through the SACC. The SACC is a member funded organisation.Buy-in from GovernmentThe set up of the SACC has been ratified by the SA Government and the SA High Commissioner in London. We also are proudly supported by the SA DTI and UKTI.

JDB Consulting focuses on developing communication strategies, connecting key players from a wide and influential database created over several decades in South Africa as a journalist and editor and in the UK as Country Manager of Brand South Africa for the past decade. The company also focuses on cross-cultural communication strategies, corporate strategy with the emphasis in developing people-oriented interface with customers and clients. Clients include leading banks and financial institutions, as well as investment houses and start-ups in the financial sector. Also working with partners in the elder-care and technology sectors in China to develop joint ventures in elder-care and philanthropy training and the establishment of smart cities in China.

Canon Collins Trust was founded in 1981 by the British Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa. Named in honour of its founder, Canon John Collins of St Paul’s Cathedral, our vision was to equip South African and Namibian exiles with the skills and education denied to them by apartheid. Priority was given to refugees active in the political struggle for freedom, with a view to their returning home to rebuild their communities after apartheid was overthrown. In many cases the Trust worked directly with the South African and Namibian liberation movements, particularly the ANC and SWAPO, who nominated exiled individuals for scholarships. In 1990 Namibia gained independence and South Africa began negotiations that led to democracy. In response to this new political landscape, the Trust widened its mission and committed itself to education across the southern African region, and in 1991 we offered our first scholarships for study at South African universities. In 1985 the Legal Assistance Trust in the UK formed an partnership with the Legal Resources Centre to work together towards the achievement of shared goals. For nearly three decades, the LAT raised funds for the LRC to give poor and marginalised people in South Africa access to free legal services and to secure and defend their rights.In August 2012 the Legal Assistance Trust and the Canon Collins Trust merged to become the Canon Collins Educational & Legal Assistance Trust. Unusually the proposal to merge came not because either Trust were experiencing difficulties, but because both were in robust good health. The merger was an opportunity for both Trusts to build on their work in human rights. The Trust now has an expanded range of charitable objectives, and we are committed to higher education; to public interest law, particularly on behalf of poor people; and to research into law and legal systems.

Brand South Africa was established in August 2002 to help create a positive and compelling brand image for South Africa in order to make the country a favored destination for trade, tourism and investment. Battersby's mandate over the past ten years has included managing South Africa's reputation and influencing relationships with key stakeholders; promoting South Africa as a competitive destination for inward investment by managing and implementing the South African brand and communications programs in partnership with other stakeholders; building and implementing a media and communications program to drive awareness of South Africa as a competitive destination; building and enhancing the Global South African network and program; managing South Africa's online reputation in the UK;

Managed editorial staff of 35 journalists and sub-editors and provided editorial content for 13 titles throughout the Independent Group and specifically for the three Sunday newspapers in the major metropolitan areas (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban). Responsible for editorial content, circulation and business development of The Sunday Independent. Managed group partnerships of Independent Newspapers including the Global Health Fund HIV/Aids prevention project Lovelife and the Talk-to-us supplement (thethaNathi) to promote dialogue on sex education between parents and their teenage children.