Stephen Williamson-Moore Email & Phone Number

Sitges, Catalonia, Spain

City Of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

We started Afribode International in 2007 as a response to the boom in inner-city accommodation built in Cape Town between 2004 and 2008. We managed these apartments for our owners, delivering a much higher ROI by leveraging the sudden boom in the short-term rental market. At its peak we managed just over 80 apartments in the Cape Town CBD and Atlantic Seaboard, with a permanent staff of around 12.The business offered a number of challenges over the years and required constant adaptation to a rapidly changing environment. Initially, we faced a skeptical market which was technically and cognitively tied to the idea of single location hotel or bed and breakfast, this softened and became more accepted as AirBnB and similar apps gained popularity.The business soared until 2017 when we faced a severe drought in Cape Town. As news of the drought and a count down to 'day zero' spread, tourism plummeted and rapid adjustments to our business model needed to be made. Once the drought had subsided, these changes positioned us to better face the tourism impact of the Jacob Zuma presidency and the Covid pandemic.On leaving South Africa in 2023, we handed over control of the business to our general manager who had given us 12 years of remarkable service and loyalty.The business is currently run under the name Cape Eazi Stayz.

City Of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

We took over The Launderers (then known as Precision Laundry) in 2006. Once a successful owner-operated business, it had been mismanaged by its new owners and was on the verge of bankruptcy.We were faced by three major problems...- the staff had been given free reign and had no clear guidelines, processes or accountability;- the cash nature of the business and lack of controls had led to rampant theft; and- the previous owners had offered a cheap service, using cheap suppliers, and thus attracted a customer base that were solely focused on cost and not quality.With no prior laundry experience, we consulted with various industry specialists and prospective clients to create a laundry process that would offer the best quality service in Cape Town.We transitioned to offer this service over the next couple of years; training our staff, closing loopholes and perfecting our process.Competing on quality rather than cost allowed us to significantly improve our profit margins as well as gather a loyal following of high-quality customers with a very low drop off rate.The Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdown in 2020 highlighted how dependent our business had become on the hospitality industry. Our survival over this time was largely due to the continued support of our residential customers rather than our corporate clients. This realisation required a slight shift in focus and we took advantage of the post-pandemic rental rates to open 5 new stores in the Cape Town CBD and Atlantic seaboard.In 2023 we were approached by a group of successful entrepreneurs who had experience in the laundry arena and were looking to expand into Cape Town; as we were already looking at moving to Europe this suited us perfectly. The business was sold in July 2023 and continues to operate as The Launderers.

City Of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Had the honour of being involved in the creation of the television mini-series Land of Thirst with director Meg Rickards and assistant director Corry Turner.This was the first production I was involved in after studying film at UCT.The crew was small with many of the assistants new to the industry and learning from their more experienced counterparts. This led to a great sense of community on set and a wonderful work experience.Although I would have loved to continue in this line of work, as our other businesses grew they required more attention and allowed for less time away.

City Of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Designed and taught a one semester seminar for third year media students on marketing and advertising in conjunction with Ogilvy South Africa. The course content was designed and taught by myself with Ogilvy sending guest lecturers to supply real world examples and offer practical experience.

City Of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Accenture transformed my life and work. The company is focused on delivering solutions by focusing on the learning of their staff. My colleagues were driven and highly intelligent, but also fun; many were truly exceptional and became friends and mentors.Project summary:1. Electronic Voting System - Independent Electoral CommissionAs one of two staff deployed to Kimberley in the Northern Cape our function was to train staff from 357 voting stations on how to use the voting system and to offer IT support during the 1999 elections. Our major challenge was that most staff were completely computer illiterate. The 3 month project was a great success and in addition to our initial task we also set up and ran the election call center and the media center where we helped co-ordinate media releases as results came in.2. User Readiness - STRATE (The Electronic Share Register of the JSE)In 1999 the JSE Securities Exchange moved to an electronic share register. We developed training material and used it to train traders and their back office staff around S.A. on how the new system worked.3. eSAS (Electronic Settlements and Services)A JV between Accenture and Mercantile Lisbon Bank to create an outsourced back office for securities trading companies. I was tasked with process mapping and redesign, the training of staff and the gradual movement of staff from the paper-based system to the electronic one. The company eventually failed but offered a lot of lessons and was my first experience managing staff.4. New Trading Platform - JSEIn 2001 the JSE replaced their trading platform. I started this project as part of testing but moved to join an incredible user readiness team. Responsibilities included creating training materials, writing press releases, organising communications sessions and events for key stakeholders and my personal favourite, writing a speech for the President of South Africa to deliver at the press launch.

Greater London, England, United Kingdom

Budget, UK.A wonderful work experience based on a number of contracts and the understanding that I would work as much as possible over the summer months and take the winter months off to travel.Primarily based in Euston Road but also worked in Edgeware, Hyde Park, Stansted Airport and Heathrow.Initially worked solely as a rental agent in the London branches but later also traveled to train staff in newly opened branches or to stand in when short of staff in various corporate locations in the UK.Worked with a great variety of people from all over the world and learned a lot about communication and customer service.Also worked under a variety of different managers which taught me a lot about differing management styles, their effectiveness, and their importance for setting the tone and atmosphere in the workplace.

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Film, Media And Visual Studies, Art History, Distinction

Diploma In Animation For Film And Television, Animation

Completed only the first year before moving to Film Production at UCT.

International Diploma In Computer Programming, Computer Programming

Fitness Instructor; Group Exercise Instructor: Aerobics, Health And Physical Education/Fitness, Aerobics

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Psychology, Zoology