Andrew PayneChief Executive Officer and a member of the Risk and Sustainability Committee
| Age: | 48 |
| Qualifications: | B.Com, Chartered Accountant (South Africa) |
| Directorship: | Wilderness Holdings Ltd, Wilderness Holdings subsidiaries, Thornybush Holdings (Pty) Ltd |
Andy was educated at the University of Cape Town where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Andy joined Wilderness in 1994 after having worked with the company in Botswana for the previous year. When Andy joined the Company, his role was to grow Wilderness in Southern Africa. This transformation saw Wilderness move from primarily being a company focused on exploration-orientated trips to one which was more focused on vertically –integrated operations, owning bookings offices, transfer companies and camps.
Derek De La HarpeChief Financial Officer and a member of the Sustainability Committee
| Age: | 51 |
| Qualifications: | Bachelor of Accounting Science (UNISA), Chartered Accountant (Zimbabwe) |
| Directorship: | Wilderness Holdings Ltd, Wilderness Holdings subsidiaries |
Derek is a Chartered Accountant (Zimbabwe) with thirty years’ experience in southern and eastern Africa. He spent eighteen years with the then Price Waterhouse, the last eight as the partner in charge of the firm’s practice specialising in tourism and environmental consulting. He then spent eight years as the CEO of The Malilangwe Trust, a Zimbabwean NGO working in wildlife conservation and rural development, and with a high profile tourism operation. After leaving Zimbabwe, he spent four years working as a freelance management consultant in southern and eastern Africa, south-east Asia and central America, specialising in the tourism development and wildlife conservation interface. He joined Wilderness as CFO early in 2010 and now also serves as Chief Sustainability Officer.
Russel FriedmanExecutive Director
| Age: | 61 |
| Qualifications: | |
| Directorship: | Wilderness Holdings Ltd, Wilderness subsidiaries |
Russel joined and became a director of Wilderness group companies in 1984. During this time he owned and managed a Natural History mail order bookshop and publishing house. Russel was a founding member of the Vulture Study Group and has continued to develop his natural history interests while at the same time being an integral part of the Wilderness management team. Russel is a member of the Executive Committee of Wilderness and is responsible for the insurance and the ecological and conservation divisions within Wilderness. He is a trustee of the Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust.
David van SmeerdijkSales and Marketing Director
| Age: | 49 |
| Qualifications: | |
| Directorship: | Wilderness Holdings Ltd, Wilderness Holdings subsidiaries |
David has a Bachelor of Economics and an MBA through the Maastricht School of Management (Netherlands). David started working in marketing and sales in the travel industry in 1987 and in 1992 joined Wilderness Safaris spending 7 years in Botswana as a guide and general manager, moving to Namibia in 1999 to take up the position of managing director of Wilderness Safaris Namibia, and in 2006 he took up the position of marketing and sales director of the Wilderness group.
Keith VincentManaging Director
| Age: | 49 |
| Qualifications: | |
| Directorship: | Wilderness Holdings Ltd, Wilderness Holdings subsidiaries |
Keith was educated in Zimbabwe, where he developed a love for the outdoors and natural history of the country. He became a professional guide, working throughout the country for various safari companies, before settling in Victoria Falls in 1984. Keith has been in the safari industry since 1980, working throughout Southern Africa. Keith has been involved with the Wilderness Group since 1993.
