Speakers

Keynote Speaker

Prof Dirk Geldenhuys

Dirk is a full professor in industrial and organisational psychology at the University of South Africa. He is a registered industrial psychologist and chartered HR practitioner and a lifelong honorary member of the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa. He was trained in and obtained more than 26 years of experience in systems psychodynamics, appreciative inquiry, socio constructionism and for the past nine years in organizational neuroscience. He teaches coaching at the master's level and acts as a promotor for doctoral and master students. He has published several articles and presented papers at local and international conferences. He is also co-author of two textbooks and published chapters in books on organisation development and neuroscience. He is a board member of the international association of applied neuroscience (IAAN) and editor-in-chief of the journal of applied neurosciences (IAAN). In his private capacity, he is involved in OD interventions, such as leadership development, safety, well-being, and resilience. He also coaches individuals and groups, on all organisational levels, and across industries.

Qualifications: BA, BD, PGD (UP); DAdmin (IOP)(UNISA)

Speakers

Prof I Fillis

Ian is a leading entrepreneurial small business researcher, with other research interests in creativity, arts marketing and consumer research. His research output includes over one hundred single and jointly authored refereed papers. Recent outputs include publications in the Journal of Business Research, Futures, European Business Review, Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research. He has been Visiting Distinguished Thought Leader at the University of South Australia, University of Tasmania Distinguished Visitor and the Bowater Visiting Research Fellow, Deacon University. He is also the Editor of the Edward Elgar Handbook on Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

Dr Godfrey Mugurusi

Godfrey works as an Associate Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Norway.  He teaches procurement and supply chain management (PSCM) subjects and research methods at the graduate and undergraduate levels. His current research interests lie at the intersection of digitalization and sustainability within the PSCM domain. He has contributed on three funded research projects: (1) internet of my things (ioMt) for sustainable public healthcare services, (2) AluGreen – a research platform to create a circular value chain for post-consumer aluminum products, and (3) the ASDG project – which assess the sustainability impact of crowdsourcing last-mile logistics. Godfrey’s current research broadly addresses issues within public sector innovation, responsible artificial intelligence, and governance of ubiquitous technologies.

Qualifications: BSc, MBA, PhD

Prof Claude-Hélène Mayer

Claude-Hélène is a Professor in Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management at the University of Johannesburg. She is a Semester at Sea Alumni (SASFA22) and a Board member of the International Academy of Intercultural Research. Further, she is an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Psychology (Positive Psychology) and for the International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management. She holds Doctoral degrees in Psychology, Management and Cultural Anthropology. Her Venia Legendi is in Psychology with focus on Work, Organisational and Cultural Psychology from Europa Universität, Viadrina, Germany. Her research areas include transcultural mental health, salutogenesis, transcultural conflict management and mediation, women in leadership, shame and love across cultures, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, and psychobiography. Her teaching areas are cross-cultural psychology, mental health, psychobiography, organizational theory, systems and design thinking, coaching, positive psychology, organizational behaviour and transcultural conflict management and mediation. She works as a licenced (Germany) systemic family therapist and facilitator in family therapy (SG), constellation facilitator (KI), mediator (BM 2001-2021) and hypnotherapist (TIM) in private practice.

Prof Annemarie Davis

Annemarie is an Associate Professor for Strategic Management within the Department of Business Management at the University of South Africa. She holds a Doctor of Commerce degree and her research thesis dealt with strategising practices of middle managers. Her research interests include strategic change, middle manager perspectives and how strategy is done in practice. She has supervised more than 35 Master’s degree studies to completion and 4 doctoral degrees. Annemarie has 22 years of experience in teaching Strategic Management in the higher education sector and has authored several chapters for prescribed books and published more than 15 articles in accredited journals that disseminate research findings to wider audiences. She is a member of the international Strategic Management Society and is a recognised figure to organise and collate activities for the African chapter of strategy-as-practice research interest groups. She served as the Head of Graduate Studies and Research in the College of Economic and Management Sciences for 6 years where she was tasked with operationalising the research postgraduate strategy in the College. During 2017 and 2018 she served as the acting Executive Director: Research Administration Department where she managed the institutional research administration portfolio.

Qualifications: BCom Communication, BCom Honours: Strategic Management, MBL, DCom: Business Management (UNISA

Prof Michelle May

Michelle is a professor at the department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of South Africa (UNISA). She is the manager of the Consulting Psychology Doctoral Programme (IOP, UNISA). She is the co-ordinator of the research focus areas Systems psychodynamics and Socio–analytic Methods (IOP, UNISA). She has supervised several students in primarily qualitative research projects to successful completion of their masters’ and doctoral degrees.   She has done research ethics training within the past three years – including the Training and resources in research ethics evaluation (TRREE) Modules 1, 2 and 3 during 2019.

She is a registered clinical psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.  She has been involved in consultancy through a psychodynamic frame since 1995. She was actively part of the management and development of the Institute for the Study of Leadership and Authority (ISLA) in South Africa. Michelle received extensive training in the field of group consultation, under which from ISLA and the Tavistock Institute (UK), and consulted in various programs of this nature – nationally and internationally. For the last 20 years Michelle have also contributed to the field of diversity management in South Africa as lecturer, researcher and consultant in several organisations – her contributions have included publications in accredited journals, book chapters, as well as presentations at national and international conferences. She has chaired, consulted in, and designed many workshops in the areas of diversity management and leadership development for organisations in the public and private sector.

Qualifications: PG Diploma in Tertiary Education (UNISA), MA Clinical Psychology (UCT), DLitt et Phil (UNISA)

Dr Louise Tonelli

Louise is a lecturer in the department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology. She has served on the departmental ethics committee since 2015. She supervises Internships, Master's and Doctoral students. Her field of interest is in Systems Psychodynamics in which she completed her PhD and runs research projects. Currently she is chair of the Interest Group of Systems Psychodynamics of Organisations (IGSPO) in SIOPSA.

Qualifications: BCOM IOP, MCOM IOP, PHD in Psychology

Prof Rudi Oosthuizen

Rudolf M Oosthuizen received a BA degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Pretoria in 1992 and obtained a BA (Honours) in Psychology at the same university in 1993. In 1999 he received a MA degree in Industrial and Personnel Psychology from the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education. The title of his dissertation was: “Coping of firefighters attached to a local authority, a fortigenic approach”. In 1999, he registered as an Industrial Psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and is also registered since 2014 as a Master HR Professional with the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP). In 2005 he completed a DLitt et Phil in Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The title of his thesis was: “Job and family stressors amongst firefighters”.

Currently Rudolf is a Professor in the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at UNISA in South Africa and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Psychology and Counselling at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia.  Rudolf acted as the Chair of the Department in 2021 and 2022 and is the Manager for the MCom IOP Professional (Coursework) programme and is responsible for the lecturing of Honours subjects and the supervision of Master and Doctoral students.  Rudolf has presented conference papers at national and international conferences and published extensively in accredited scientific journals and textbooks.

Dr Vaola Sambo

Vaola is the Chair of the CEMS Research Ethics Review Committee. She is currently acting in the position of College Ethics and Integrity Advisor in College of Economic and Management Sciences. Dr Sambo has been serving in Ethics Review Committees since she joined Unisa in 2017. Outside of Unisa she is a senior member of Council appointed by the Minister of Higher Education and Training to serve on various governance structures such as the Project Steering Committee of the Skills Institute for the Development of TVET Lecturing Staff, in partnership with the German Development Bank and Ekurhuleni East TVET College, where she serves as Chairperson of Council. She is a specialist in Public Finance and has published a number of papers and contributed to books. One of her papers was funded by the European Union and is being used by the National School of Government as a case study.

Dr Annelize van Niekerk

Annelize is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of South Africa. Annelize lectures on postgraduate level and supervises qualitative postgraduate research projects on masters and doctoral level. She specialises in the fields of qualitative research design, organisational and personnel psychology, leadership, integrity, ethics and organisational risk management. Annelize is also a previous Chair of the Departmental Research Ethics Committee. Annelize has published various articles and presented papers at both local and international conferences. Annelize began her career as behavioural specialist with SHL, specialising in psychological assessment consulting across numerous industries. Thereafter she gained extensive experience in the banking industry as Recruitment Coordinator for Capitec Bank. Before joining academia, Annelize held the position of Head: HR and Risk Management at a FMCG manufacturing organisation.

Dr Cebile Tebele

Cebile is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of South Africa. Cebile lectures at undergraduate and on postgraduate level in career psychology. She also supervises both quantitative and qualitative postgraduate research projects on masters level. She specialises in the fields of career psychology, graduateness, employee retention, adult learning, and ethics. Cebile is the current Chair of the Departmental Ethics Review Committee. Cebile has published various articles and presented papers at both local and international conferences.

Mrs Jenny Venter

Jenny Venter is registered with the HPCSA as an Industrial Psychologist and lectures on psychological adjustment and wellness in the work context at the department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of South Africa. Over the last 20 years her insatiable curiosity led her to a diversity of professional experiences in consulting and academia. She specialises in translating neurosciences into Organisational Psychology practices that enhance wellness and develop leadership and teams. Jenny is the Managing Editor of the Journal of Applied Neurosciences and serve on the Executive Board of the International Association of Applied Neuroscience. She is also co-founder of the Global Institute of Organisational Neuroscience. She is currently completing her PhD, with a focus on applied neurosciences. Jenny is a Certified Practitioner of the Predictive 6 Factor Resilience Scale and the Driven Resilience Program and thereby a Certified Resilience Coach (CReC) as well as a certified Level 1 BWRT ® (Brainworks Recursive Therapy) practitioner. Other professional registrations include the Society of Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa, the International Association for Applied Neurosciences, and the South African Board for People Practices.