Hans Hoefnagels has extensive experience the fields of education and wellness. After completing a Masters Degree at the University of Stellenbosch he joined the staff of Diocesan College (Bishops) for 15 years.
After a completing a Diploma in Business Management he ventured into the world of fitness with the Virgin Active Group as Club Manager, and later as Area Manager, managing several clubs, including two of the flagship clubs. He was a mentor to several new Club managers and the trainee BEE trainee managers over the years.In 2003 he was appointed as part of the executive team at the Westin Hotel, Cape Town. In 2005 Hans joined Queensgate Wellness Holdings to head up spa operations and Human Resources. As a qualified outcomes-based assessor (2009) and ISO auditor (2009) Hans offers mentoring, coaching, skills facilitation and training for all levels of staff. He specialises in staff acquisition and retention, managing change, interpersonal relations, communication, team dynamics, staff efficiency, dealing with conflict, stress management, and the principles of leadership. He also coaches several private individuals.
His client list includes Isa Carstens, Southern Charter, The Laser Group, Interactive Junction Holdings (CareerJunction), Avery Dennison, Redwood Design, and various spas and gyms. In recent years Hans has come to realize that appointing and then inspiring staff does not take place only because compensation is adequate or staff are fortunate to work in an attractive and comfortable facility. Delivering on what is expected while maintaining staff spirit and retaining exceptional people requires caring and capable business practices as well as specific and strong leadership skills.
Thabang Skwambane
Thabang is a highly acclaimed life changing speaker, a maverick, a visionary. He has a unique ability to access a large audience, to inspire change not only by making people think differently, but making them go away and “do” differently. Thabang is founding Director of The Lonely Road Foundation, an organisation set up to help rural communities manage their own orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) problems.
He has a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) degree from the University of Cape Town. Thabang went from working for Mark Shuttleworth to merchant and investment banking and left a successful career at Standard Bank as a Merchant Banker to get involved in the struggle of our era, preserving our quality of life.
Through his work in the HIV/AIDS space, Thabang has become passionate about “the Lost Generation”, a generation of young Africans who are without love, support, means and opportunity. Thabang got on a bicycle, alone and unsupported, and cycled to Mt. Kilimanjaro (Moshe) in Tanzania. This journey of 5,456 km took him through six countries and at the end of his journey he climbed Kilimanjaro with friends and family. He, experienced great hardship during this three-month escapade, he was robbed at knife-point, endured the cold, the heat, illness, wild animals, was hit by a truck, suffered dysentery, lived with the local people and lost 14 kilograms. His challenge was to maintain a substantial distance per day, 110 km, and to arrive at the foot of Kilimanjaro within a certain time frame.
He has been recognised for his achievement by the media, his peers and was selected as a finalist in the Johnny Walker Striding Man Search competition. Thabang is a Tutu Fellow and a current Edward S. Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He can now be seen speaking to multitudes of people about the importance of “mobilising to save a country”.
