Alan Campbell

Alan was born on the outskirts of Johannesburg as the second of two sons in his family.

He is a consummate professional, a team player, an uncompromising manager and a practical leader who leads by example. He is also a committed family man and a movie-buff who loves jazz and good food. Alan’s leadership journey started at an early age when he was appointed head prefect at his school. He was the youngest in his grade at the time. He could not have contemplated that he would be thrust into teaching and become headmaster of a high school at age 26.

Beyond education, Alan has considerable experience in business development and project implementation in the public and private sectors spanning many years and cutting across many countries in Africa. He has managed and led a number of corporate boards and is well-endowed in operations management, project and corporate finance, large-scale programme and project management, the conceptualization and implementation of complex IT Solutions, Business Development, Fundraising, Investments and Corporate Services (HR, Finance, Procurement, etc.).

He has strong views on the challenges currently facing Africa, its corporate sector and governments in general. His experience covers a range of sectors and industries, viz.: Food, Beverages, Wholesale, Retail, Health, Manufacturing, ICT, Finance and Banking, SMME Development, Infrastructure, Broadcasting (Television and Radio), etc. He has conducted and facilitated a number of workshops focusing on doing business in South Africa’s townships and rural areas, social marketing, sustainability of the non-profit sector, management, corporate governance, etc.

Alan has travelled extensively throughout Africa, the United States of America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South America and Australia. He has also interacted with a wide range of senior government officials and ministers in South Africa and other African countries, business executives and a cross section of community leaders, NGOs and development practitioners.

He married Petunia in 1993 and has three children. Alan believes that his experience enables him to offer the following:

• An ability to build strong and well-functioning teams – Working experience in the public sector as a senior civil servant, a consultant, a service provider and a member of a public entity board
• A thorough understanding of how the public sector functions and procures at all 3 levels and across all 9 provinces
• Experience in the application of the PFMA that governs financial management and procurement in the public sector
• Experience, contacts and networks in a range of industries and in the public sector in South Africa and many African countries where he lived and worked
• Strategic leadership

Alan worked in the Public Sector (UNDP, IEC, FoodBev SETA, WITS Tech and Olympus), the NGO sector (Youth Development Trust) and the Private Sector (ICTGlobe, Befinitive Datatech, Shisaka, Business Trust, FABCOS, Veritech, etc.) grappling with innovation, sustainability as well as engendering inclusivity and participation of smaller industry players.