Themba Robin is a South African comedic talent and skilled MC, renowned for his ability to engage and entertain audiences. With his quick wit and infectious energy, Themba has become a sought-after figure in the comedy scene. As the chosen MC for the annual recruitment and staffing conference in Johannesburg, he will guide us through this reflective exploration of the recruitment industry, infusing the days’ proceedings with his unique blend of humour and professionalism.

Zakhele Mgobhozi is the Founder & Managing Director of Modern Centric Holdings, a specialist Management Consultancy that advocates for Persons with dis-Abilities (PWD’s) and the Youth of South Africa; Modern dis-Ability Foundation, an NPC focusing on the needs of Persons with dis-Abilities; and Executive Director of Modern Centric Solutions.

Bettina Schaller, President of the World Employment Confederation (WEC), is a distinguished leader in the field of global employment. With roles including Vice-Chair of the OECD BIAC ELSA Committee, Member of the B20 Future of Work and Education Task Force, and Steering Group Member on the World Economic Forum’s “Centre for New Economy and Society,” Bettina drives impactful initiatives. She is a renowned advocate for board diversity as a Founding Member of “The Boardroom” and has been recognized as an influential figure in the staffing industry, earning prestigious titles such as “Staffing 100 Europe Influencer” and “Global Power 100 – Women in Staffing.” Bettina heads Group Public Affairs of the Adecco Group, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.

Jonathan is the Chairman of Global Business Solutions, bringing extensive qualifications and several decades of experience in labor law. He excels in leading negotiations at multiple levels, including plant, industry, and NEDLAC. As a trusted advisor, he helps clients navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape. With key roles in various organizations and active involvement across industries, Johnny’s expertise shines through strategic interventions, presentations, and his sought-after status as an advisor, speaker, and lecturer.

With over two decades of experience in authenticity coaching, talent acquisition, executive search, and partner profiling, Zanele Luvuno, the CEO and founder of Metamorphosis Integrated Solutions, is a true expert in the people space. Her authenticity-driven approach sets her apart, allowing her to uncover hidden innovations and offer valuable opportunities encouraging individuals to “own their authenticity and recognise it as a lever for career success”. Zanele has successfully placed and coached individuals at all levels, gaining invaluable insights into workplace challenges. She understands the gap between organizations’ value propositions and the reality faced by employees, sharing her expertise through radio appearances and published articles.

Experience the extraordinary journey of resilience with our distinguished speaker from the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). From overcoming homelessness and financial hardships to emerging as a Harvard graduate, our speaker, affectionately known as “Dr. Mags,” embodies the power of resilience. Discover the captivating story of his fight against invisibility, and how he transformed adversity into an unwavering spirit of hope, courage, and compassion. Join us at the conference to be inspired by Dr. Mags’ remarkable journey and learn how to cultivate resilience in your own life and in that of your team.

With 25 years of experience as a Labour Market  and IR specialist, Denis is a distinguished professional, a renowned author and sought-after keynote speaker in HR and Management. Recognized as a top global thought leader, he has published thought-provoking articles and actively participated in think tanks.  As the Managing Director of the World Employment Confederation since 2005, he is responsible developing and executing strategies to represent the HR Services industry internationally. Denis’s insights, honed through corporate and consulting roles, cover the future of work, governmental affairs, HR, and staffing.

A seasoned HR professional with 18 years management & leadership experience providing strategic HR business partnering to Business Leaders, developed people strategic plans, led HR teams, and ensured competent teams to deliver people business operating plans successfully and facilitated change & transformational initiatives. A licensed Insights Discovery Practitioner. Founder of  Think Career™ Holdings an emerging and next generation talent acquisition solutions and consulting firm operating in South Africa and Sub-Saharan & Career Indaba™ is an employment network online radio station broadcasting for Africa.

Shaper of the New World of Work

Join us at the upcoming conference where industry expert Charles brings over 20 years of invaluable experience in the recruitment and staffing sector. As Chief Executive of RCSA and Vice President of the World Employment Confederation, He is a passionate advocate for professional labor market intermediaries and advisers. With a proven track record in economics, risk management, compliance, and workplace law, Charles will share practical insights on the journey to developing a retained service module.  Don’t miss the opportunity to gain valuable insights and knowledge. 

Greg Savage is a proponent of this model  and says “The powerful irony is that a retained approach not only benefits the recruiter, it has huge advantages for the client, and crucially, the candidates. Everyone wins with retained”

Natalie Singer, a BA Communications & English graduate, is a distinguished leader in the staffing industry. She served as CEO of APSO and received accolades like the SACCI Association of the Year Award in 2011. Natalie’s career highlights include advocating for industry recognition, labor law amendments, and navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s impact on South Africa. As a co-material developer and facilitator for the CAPES WITS specialist staffing programs, she has empowered numerous individuals to enhance their value in the job market. Natalie’s commitment to progress continues as she drives compliance and job creation initiatives in collaboration with various organizations, including Business Unity South Africa (BUSA).

CEO at the REC, the leading membership organisation for recruitment/staffing firms and individual recruiters. As a £35bn part of the UK’s professional services sector, brilliant recruiters change our economy and do the same for candidates’ lives – making great work happen everyday. At REC, we speak up for our fantastic sector, hold to professional standards and help firms and individual recruiters grow and understand the changing demands of the market. Non-Exec at Acas and Primary Academy Trust Director. Member of the Low Pay Commission 2014-21. RFU L2 qualified coach. Heart of Midlothian tragic.

Vice President
World Employment Confederation

 Having spent more than thirty years developing and deploying workforce solutions in labour markets throughout the world, John is a recognized thought leader and practitioner in the evolving world of work. 

In his role as Vice President of the World Employment Confederation, he actively advocates for labour markets that enable work, prosperity, security, and adaptation.  As a futurist within the industry, he also chairs the World Employment Confederation’s Taskforce on Digitalisation, a group intent on removing friction from the process of connecting people with work, with areas of focus including the role of digital wallets and blockchain, the ethical use of AI, and the role of platforms.

Today, John is an independent contractor, representing Kelly within the World Employment Confederation, while also serving as an Expert in Residence at Open Assembly. He is a life-long learner, with passion in areas ranging from the future of work, open innovation, consumer behaviors, people analytics, and the role of education in achieving human agility.

Through CAPES, the Confederation of Associations in the Private Employment Sector, Bev Jack represents BUSA, Business Unity South Africa, at various institutes; representing business both nationally and internationally. Originally qualifying as a school teacher, and throughout a long career in the corporate world, which included working in a leadership capacity for a listed entity, she has retained a passion for skills development and life-long learning.

Jaintheran Naidoo is a registered industrial/ organisational psychologist with over 18 years of experience within the IO space. He has experience in various areas, including both the private and public sectors. His areas of passion lie in management/ leadership development, training facilitation and talent management strategy. His work has taken him around world, where he has facilitated HR interventions in countries such as Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Mauritius.

Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the information services industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Sales, Operating Budgets, Market Research, and Management. A strong business development professional, business owner, entrepreneur, and gym fanatic.

I have ample experience in Business Development, Sales, and Marketing, but my most recent pursuit and passion project are Farosian, a company set to tackle the many problems presented by the rise of social and digital media. Farosian has blossomed into a truly unique company unparalleled in what we offer the world.

Sasha Knott, the CEO of Job Crystal, started her career in IT and advanced from there, finding her passion for entrepreneurship and combining this with technology that works for the customer and often disrupts industries. Sasha’s current goal is to make job seekers’ lives easier while helping SMEs find talent fast and effortlessly, saving them both time and energy! Job Crystal’s new system, Crystal AI, combines RecTech, AI, machine learning, and UX functionality making it easy to find the needle in the haystack for SMEs looking for talent. The vision is to #make a dent in unemployment (watch this space)!

Henneri Crous is an experienced employer branding, recruitment process optimization, and candidate onboarding specialist, with a heart for helping companies build strong, effective teams. He has dedicated his career to improving the recruitment and onboarding processes for both employers and employees. 

As an employer branding specialist, Henneri knows that the key to attracting top talent is creating a compelling employer brand that sets the business apart from its competition. 

He, therefore, devotes time to developing and implementing effective branding strategies that communicate an organisation’s unique culture, values, and mission so that it can attract and retain the right people.

Karl has worked in complex stakeholder environments. He has extensive experience gained from various roles in higher education, accountancy education implementation, working with various stakeholders, marketing and offering training programmes for some of South Africa’s large and small corporate companies and professional organisations in the private sector.

He is responsible for leading The South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPAs) Education, Training and Membership Support Unit to ensure the effective implementation of initial qualification through to the essential continuing professional development , compliance and contributing to strategy development and implementation.

Richard Wahlquist is Chief Executive Officer of the American Staffing Association, the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry. ASA promotes the interests of the industry across all sectors through advocacy, research, education, and the promotion of high standards of legal, ethical, and professional practices.

Wahlquist is a member of the board of directors of the World Employment Confederation, representing the employment and talent solutions industry at the global level. He is also on the executive committee and board of directors of Jobs for America’s Graduates, a national organization that has helped more than 1.7 million at risk students graduate and go on to success in careers and in their lives.

Geraldine King is Chief Executive at The Employment & Recruitment Federation (ERF) and a board member of The World Employment Confederation (WEC).

She is listed for the 5th year running in Staffing Industry Analysts top 100 EU leaders and in the top 150 Global power Women. She is a regular Global awards adjudicator and sits on the external advisory board for the digitalisation reform of public sector jobs in Ireland.

Geraldine has been instrumental in the success of the government award of the first under graduate 3 year degree apprenticeship programme for recruiters in partnership with the National College of Ireland. She developed the only certificate programme for recruiters for Irish recruiters and has successfully led the ERF to obtain their own Skillnet (a government funding programme to assist in the training and upskilling of ERF members and their clients).

Ayanda is the co-founder & Managing Director of Liyema Consulting, a company that offers tech-driven human capital solutions. After 8 years in the human resources industry, Ayanda co-founded Liyema Consulting in 2012 to create an alternative that is people-centered.
She is an Executive Director of AfroFuture Tech; Director at Dazzle Angels; Dazzle at Impact Ray; Member of WEConnect International SA WBE Council and a WPO (Women Presidents Organisation) member.
Ayanda is a driven businesswoman who is intentional about supporting other women entrepreneurs.
Graduated from the Goldman Sachs-GIBS 10 000 Women Certification Programme, 2014 and alumni of the EY Winning Women, 2016.
She is currently enrolled in the FWPO Leadership for Business Acceleration Program at Harvard Business Publishing.