Ken has managed the Swiss-South African Co-operation Initiative since its inception in March 2001. For five years prior to that, he was a private consultant in the fields of education and training. From 1989 to 1996 he was Assistant National Director of the Molteno Project, a leading educational NGO operating throughout Southern Africa. He has also run a group-wide adult education programme for a large mining corporation and taught for twelve years in Johannesburg and Soweto. Ken did a B.A. degree and post-graduate Higher Diploma in Education at the University of the Witwatersrand, followed later by an M.A. degree at Rhodes University, specialising in the evaluation of educational projects. He also did post-graduate studies in assessment at the College of St Mark & St John in Plymouth, U.K.

In January 2007, Thantshi Masitara joined SSACI as Programme Manager with responsibility for project implementation. Thantshi is an experienced educator and development professional who holds a master’s degree in education from Columbia University in New York. Thantshi began her career as a lecturer at the University of Botswana where she taught for four years before becoming Botswana country manager of a rural community-development project. Thereafter, she spent three years in exile in London, where she raised funds for Cosatu, before returning to Botswana to manage an enterprise-development project in rural villages.

After coming to South Africa in 1991, Thantshi undertook a range of programme research and evaluation consultancies before being appointed manager of a nationwide school-development project. From 2003 to 2006, she was Director of the Catholic Institute of Education which provides managerial and curricular support to Catholic schools around the country. Thantshi believes passionately in helping young people to realize their full personal potential in a complex, challenging world. Her wide experience in education and training, and of project management in rural and urban settings will be a great asset to SSACI.

Jayesh formally joined SSACI as Programme Officer in May 2004, having helped us on a consultancy basis since 2002. Jayesh has a strong background in training and people-development, especially in the non-profit sector where he has worked since 1997. His work experience spans high school science teaching, strategic planning for the national department of Education, training in performance management systems for Botswana Telecomms, skills-development facilitation for various South African companies and scriptwriting for the successful television programme "Educator Express". Jayesh has a particular interest in issues of transformation within organisations and society, and the personal empowerment of disadvantaged youths. He holds an M.Ed. degree in Community Education from Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg), a B.Ed. from the University of the Witwatersrand and a B.A. from UNISA.

Tobeka Boltina qualified as a medical doctor in 1993 from the then University of Natal Medical School. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry in 2002, she had assumed clinical duties in her capacity as general practitioner, medical officer and occupational health practitioner. She has worked as a medical advisor for two multinational pharmaceutical companies over the period 2002 to 2006. Since June 2006, she is Director: Public Affairs and Communications at Novartis, a Swiss-based multinational pharmaceutical whose aspiration is to be the world's most respected health care company.

A business economist by training, Richard Chenevard began his carreer in the private sector working for an insurance company and later an electricity supplier. After four years he joined an international humanitarian organisation where he spent the next twelve years, including assignments in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Angola and Uganda. His then stepped into development co-opration with an appointed in SDC's head office in Berne , where he spent 3 and 1/2 half years as an internal auditor, which included monitoring, organizational and HR issues , and the analysis of projects in various countries. In July 2005 he joined the SDC Office in Pretoria as Deputy Country Director. Richard has completed postgraduate studies in management control and sustainable development.

Mr Viktor Christen has served as Switzerland's Ambassador to South Africa and its neighbouring states of Botswana. Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Mauritius since September 2004. Prior to that, he was the Swiss Ambassador to Colombia and held diplomatic positions in Venezuela and Kenya. His keen interest in the promotion of peace and social development was fostered during five years as Deputy Head of the Division for International Organisations, Peace and Security within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern. An engineer by training (he holds a masters degree in mechanical engineering from the prestigious Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich), Viktor also spent several years in the IT industry before joining the diplomatic corps in 1979. From 1986 to 1991 he was the Swiss representative to the European Space Agency in Paris. Mr Christen joined the SSACI Board of Trustees in October 2004.

Nthabiseng Dube joined ABB as Vice President Group Marketing in July 2004. She is responsible for the Group's corporate affairs. With over a decade of marketing experience under her belt, Nthabiseng is currently studying towards her Masters in Business Administration. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of North West and a Management Advanced Program (MAP) certificate from Wits Business School. Since starting her career as a Console Operator/Liaison Officer at South African Breweries (SAB) in 1990, Nthabiseng has trekked a long trail in the marketing arena. Her marketing career kick-started at SABC Radio in 1993 when she was appointed Promotions Executive for Motsweding FM. She moved on to become Brand Manager, then Schedule Manager for national broadcasting channel SABC 1. After nine years with the public broadcaster, Nthabiseng moved on to Johnnic Communications now Avusa Limited where she served as an Account Director for Business Day and Financial Mail, responsible for marketing and communication strategies. Nthabiseng's extensive corporate knowledge is complemented by her experience in broadcasting, having been involved in drama and presenting for both radio and television. She served as an SABC Executive Committee Member for the Community Builder of the Year Project 2002. Nthabiseng serves on the boards of two organisations, ABB a Swiss based company, where she is the Vice President Group since July 2004 and as a non-executive director on the board of Swiss-South African Co-operation Initiative (SSACI).

Nozipho January-Bardill was appointed as a non executive member of the board of directors of Afrisam upon completion of the acquisition. She had been a member of the Holcim Board since November, 2006. In May 2007, Ambassador January-Bardill was appointed the Executive Director, Corporate Affairs for MTN Group, Pty Ltd and Spokesperson. Prior to her move to MTN she worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs as Deputy Director General, Human Capital Management, and Head of the Foreign Service Institute. She had served as South Africa's Ambassador to Switzerland, Lichtenstein and the Holy See from April 2001 to February 2005. She has just completed an 8 year term as a member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Ms January-Bardill has played a prominent role in the transformation of key public and private sector institutions since 1994. Between 1996 and 2001 she was Chief Director responsible for advising the speaker on the transformation of the new SA Parliament; served as Commissioner on the Black Economic Empowerment Commission; the Presidential Review Commission (HR Task Team); The University of Cape Town as a member of UCT's Council. During that period she also served on the boards of Southern Life, Momentum, Independent Newspapers, Cape and Siphumelele Investments. She holds a BA degree in English, Philosophy and Education from the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (Lesotho), an MA in Linguistics from the University of Essex (UK) and a Diploma in Human Resources Management, Damelin (SA).

Christoph Schmocker has a host of ideas about how people can play a part in helping disadvantaged groups. He spent many years working for aid organizations and getting to know people living under the toughest circumstances. Before joining UBS, he was managing director of the children's charity Terre des Hommes for five years. Schmocker has headed the UBS Optimus Foundation since September 2001. The foundation, which was set up in 1999, gives grants to carefully selected projects. The three words that describe him are: consistent; loyal; likes to sing. A quotation which he lives by is: "He who wants to build high towers must dwell with the fundament for a long time" (Anton Bruckner)

Mr Monwabisi Vika is a man of industry to his bootlaces and a veteran of the trades union movement. After working on production at Harmony Gold Mine for two years, he became an official of the Black Allied Mining and Construction Workers' Union and rose through its ranks between 1985 and 1995 to become National Organiser and finally General Secretary. With the advent of democracy in 1995, Monwabisi decided the trades union movement was in safe enough hands and left to join the Alpha stone and cement group (now Holcim) to serve as Group Industrial Relations Manager from 1995 to 1999, then Regional Manager in its ready-mixed concrete division from 1999 to 2001, and finally Director of Human Resources, 2001-2003. In 2003, he was appointed Managing Director of Klipstone Transport. He is also sole proprietor of his own company, Magnificent Mile .Monwabisi has served on SSACI's board of trustees since 2002, firstly as a representative of the corporate sponsors and, more recently, on behalf of the wider community.