Dr Sue Snyman has been promoted to Group Sustainability Manager at Wilderness Safaris.
Snyman joined Wilderness Safaris in 2008, bringing with her over a decade of experience in the ecotourism industry in Southern Africa, including guiding, community development and liaison, camp management, as well as independent consulting for environmental impact assessments.
Her new role will include managing Wilderness Safaris’ 4Cs (commerce, community, culture and conservation) co-ordinators, developing integrated strategies aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and ensuring a strong sustainability focus within the business.
“Given Sue’s extensive experience in sustainable development and her in-depth knowledge and understanding of our business, she is greatly deserving of this new role to manage our sustainability efforts across the group,” said Grant Woodrow, Wilderness Safaris COO.
She will continue to serve as Vice Chair and Communities & Heritage Working Group Co-ordinator for the IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group; as a Research Fellow at the Environmental Policy Research Unit at the University of Cape Town; and as Member of the RETOSA Sustainable Tourism Forum Steering Committee. She also remains the Regional Programme Director for Children in the Wilderness.
Celeste Visser has been appointed Satsa’s new Sales and Sponsorship Manager for South Africa, excluding the Western and Northern Cape. Visser has spent over 20 years in the car-rental industry.
Alushca Ritchie will take on the role of Western Cape Co-ordinator and will be driving new Satsa membership in both the Western and Northern Cape. Ritchie has been involved in various tourism industry boards and committees, with the most recent appointment being that of the President of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations.
“Celeste's active and vibrant personality will bring even more energy to Satsa, and Alushca's intimate knowledge of the industry will stand us in good stead,” said David Frost, Satsa CEO.
Lizzie Mokgothu, Satsa’s Membership Manager is taking early retirement. “We would like to say a big thank you Lizzie, for your many years of hard work and dedicated service. You will certainly be missed by our members and the Satsa team, and we wish you all the best for your retirement,” added Frost.
Rita Pires is the new Chief Marketing Officer for African Bush Camps.
Pires will oversee the marketing department activities within the African Bush Camps group and sister air and road transfer company, Safari Logistics. She previously held the position of marketing manager for Robin Pope Safaris.
“I feel very fortunate to be able to embrace this role and be a part of a company that is leading the way when it comes to wildlife conservation in the areas where African Bush Camps operates,” said Pires.
Christianna Bolhuis has been appointed Fancourt’s Corporate Sales Manager, based in Pretoria. Bolhuis has a diploma in International Hotel Management and began her career in the hospitality industry in 2002 as a receptionist at Sentinel Executive Apartments. From there, she went on to work for the Court Classique Hotel and Sheraton Pretoria Hotel & Towers. Fancourt said Bolhuis would “add value to building increased awareness of the Fancourt offering within the Gauteng corporate market”.
Jeremy John has joined the City Lodge Hotel Group as Project Co-ordinator in its Property and Development Department. John will be responsible for co-ordinating business development and feasibility studies for new hotel development sites, with a major focus on opportunities outside South Africa. The group is currently developing four hotels in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia and Mozambique. Prior to joining the group, John was involved in specialised finance at First National Bank. He also gained experience in project development and procurement working for a property development company in Abu Dhabi.
