George Jardine

George Jardine was born in Edinburgh, Scotland into a family of chefs. His grandmother was a pastry chef at Holyrood Palace and throughout the generations various family members chose to hone their skills in kitchens across Scotland. After completing his studies, George worked in various establishments in Scotland before moving to London and working under […]

Caitlin Du Preez Winson

Caitlin Du Preez Winson, an accomplished marketer and a qualified chef, is a Partner in Valor Advisory Africa. She embodies a remarkable blend of expertise in both the marketing realm and the culinary arts. With a proven track record and international exposure, she started her hotel journey in the kitchens of The Hyatt Rosebank and […]

Mark Jakins

Mark Jakins is Head of Valor Advisory Africa and Founder and Director of Futuredrum. A man with strategy, marketing, and operations delivery in his veins earned in a successful career spanning over 25 years, Mark has held senior executive marketing, operations and commercial positions, including long stints as Group Marketing and Operations Executive at Peermont […]

Tarryn Farrell

A skilled strategic leader with two decades of experience in the dynamic world of Hospitality,Tarryn brings a wealth of expertise in Sales and Marketing, Business Development, and revenue enhancement. Her journey in the industry has been marked by a deep-seated passion for people and a unique ability to motivate and lead teams to overachieve, all […]

Patricia Lacaton

French-born Patricia started her career in the hotel industry in Bavaria, Germany straight after passing her Baccalauréat. After moving to Cape Town, Patricia started as a waitress at Blues Restaurant and received training in a different perspective to hospitality. She was then given the opportunity by Nicky and Steve Fitzgerald to join the opening team […]

Ruan Fick

Ruan started his career in the hospitality industry after working for two years for a chartered accounting company, then moving from Pretoria to study Hospitality Management at the International Hotels School, Cape Town. After studies, he was recruited to the opening team of the luxury Taj Cape Town Hotel in 2010, and for two years […]

Barry Ross

Barry has known that the hospitality industry was where he should be since attending a career guidance event given by an “Old Boy” of the school he attended in King Williams Town, in the Eastern Cape. Barry has worked in Human Resources at both Group (Sodexo Southern Africa and Legacy Hotels & Resorts) and at […]

Trish Humby

Trish started her career in the financial field, which changed when she joined the Southern Sun Group of Hotels. In 1995, she joined the Cape Sun InterContinental team where she worked with Michael Pownall. During her time, she played an instrumental part in rebranding the hotel. During this rebrand, she found herself heading up the […]

Christina Christodoulou

Christina grew up in Port Elizabeth where her hospitality roots were established as she helped in the family business. After graduating from UCT in ballet, where she pursued her passion for dance and a short stint working for a tour operator, she joined Cape Grace as a guest liaison. During her time there, she oversaw […]