South Africa
In 2007, founding partners Mark Turpin, Andrea van der Merwe and Philippa Kabali-Kagwa start up Kessels & Smit The Learning Company in South Africa. An important source of their inspiration comes from the unique opportunities and challenges that South Africa and the region present - bringing an African perspective to the international network, while at the same time adapting thinking from international contexts to suit the South African context. They are joined in 2008 by Amanda Barnes in Cape Town. Ann Chapman joins us in 2009 to support our administration work, and Paul Keursten joins in 2010 after moving to South Africa from Holland (where he was instrumental in setting up Kessels & Smit).
The consultants work with a wide range of organisations and people in the private, public and NGO sectors - turning organisational, team and individual challenges into powerful learning opportunities that result in growth, change and innovation as well as conducting research on related areas. Topics of special interest are issues such as diversity, performance improvement, leadership development, transformation and change, skills development and creating learning organisations.
To complement their consulting and coaching work, the consultants support various social entrepreneurship initiatives – taking the view that community development should be grounded in self-reliance rather than donor dependence, and that this perspective can lead to profitable returns for both investors and stakeholders in the community.
Working in these ways in South Africa helps us to make a vibrant contribution to growth, development and transformation in our country and the region through the generation and application of new knowledge to complex organisational and social problems.
In 2010, Kessels & Smit sets up a new 'learning space' at Unit 7, the Rosebank Fire Station, Johannesburg, providing a beautiful central space for learning and working. The learning space is also shared with other consultants and practitioners - resulting in a vibrant and busy environment!