John Dickinson
Work Highlights:
- 30+ years of work experience, including 25 years in leadership development.
- I began my 15 years of involvement with Unilever as a graduate trainee, before leaving their formal employ and consulting back to them in various roles—including coaching, problem-solving and leadership-development.
- Was instrumental in trialing, and evolving, a more engaging style of workshop facilitation, which has now been widely adopted.
- Coached and contributed to the professional development of key leaders in Dow Chemicals, Bearing Man, Eskom, Unilever, MTN, Kaytech, JG Afrika, and EY, amongst many others.
- Launched 3 businesses.
Sector/Industry Experience
- Telecoms
- Engineering
- Financial Services
- Sales
- FMCG
- Manufacturing
- Government
- NGOs
- Packaging
- Agriculture
- Health Services
- Warehousing, Logistics and Shipping.
Education:
- MSc (cum laude) from the University of Natal—Pietermaritzburg. Dissertation: Alternative natural rubber sources, and an investigation into root-produced cytokinins (growth hormones) in tomato plants.
- BSc and BSc Hons (cum laude) from the University of Natal—Pietermaritzburg. Majors: Botany and Zoology
- HED (post grad) from the University of Natal—Pietermaritzburg. Majors: General Science and Biology.
Other Stuff about John:
- Loves to:
o Paddle canoes/surf-skis
o Ride mountain bikes
o Run mountains & trails
o Hike
o Explore
o Write.
- I have a partner, Tracey (and her two daughters). Fortunately, apart from writing, she loves all of the above too!
- 4 (age-category) golds at 2024 SA Canoe Sprint and Marathon Champs.
- Assisted in a hip replacement operation and illegally learned to fly helicopters...
Barrie Coppin
Work Highlights:
- 30+ years in business
- Consulted to over 100 businesses and organisations
- 6 startups (30% success rate)
- Responsible for 2 mid-sized operations.
Sector/Industry Experience
- Mining (gold, coal, copper, lead, limestone, PGM and marine diamond),
- Logistics (perishables, fruit, wine, water),
- Processing (cement, diamond, coal, recycling, plastics),
- Packaging (flexibles, bottling, cans, sacks/bags, labels),
- Food Processing (beef, poultry),
- Property Development (residential estates, retail, retirement),
- Manufacturing (steel fabrication, plastics, wood/furniture, white goods, electronics, electrical),
- IT (secure payment/encryption, maintenance software, online portals),
- Retail (specialist, online),
- Government (DTI, SEDA, WESGRO),
- NGOs (environmental, small business development, childhood development/special needs).
Education:
- MBA from the UCT Graduate School of Business. Focus: General/System Design. Dissertation: A Statistical Analysis of Corporate Ethical Values
- BA from the University of Natal—Durban. Majors: Law, Economic History, Politics.
Other Stuff about Barrie:
- Loves to:
o Spearfish
o Surf
o Play Pickleball
o Flyfish.
- Married to a writer and artist with 1 energetic dog in the family
- Collects South African Modern and Contemporary Art
- Featured in GQ magazine—as a commercial diamond diver, not a model!