Annual General Meeting 8-12 October 2012

Conference Speakers

IAN THOMAS
While working as a guide at Londolozi, a game lodge in South Africa, Ian and his tracker Phineas faced a life threatening situation when they were tasked with tracking an extremely aggressive lion on a daily basis. Initially they were in crisis mode, but then made some crucial decisions that were rapidly implemented. This changed everything and Ian, Phineas, and the lodge went from strength to strength. He also has a business degree and believes that within this story are many powerful lessons that businesses caught in the current financial crisis could learn and thrive on. This has resulted in a presentation that is content driven, but also contains humor, stunning photographs, threatening growls, and a story telling style that is so physical that he is forced to warm up before he starts.

I am sure that his spellbinding account of life in the bush will spark many new ideas in us about how we can ensure the success of our businesses in these interesting times, and I expect some good laughs along the way.

You can also visit Ian’s website at http://www.ianthomas.net/ to find out more.

Claude Baissac is an investment climate and country risk specialist with a focus on the Sub-Saharan state with over 15 years of experience. He has been a political and economic consultant, advising corporations and international organisations on economic policy, political risk, anti-corruption, investigations, security and sustainable investment. Claude is consultant at the World Bank on investment climate reform and accelerated growth.

He is passionate about Sub-Saharan Africa, and notably about how the private sector can establish new partnerships in support of accelerated and fair growth.

Claude is an SEZ and growth poles expert, and is the Secretary General of the World Economic Processing Zones Association. He has contributed to numerous projects and analyses since 1994, including for the World Bank and the UN.

In mining, he has consulted with Anglogold Ashanti, Banro, the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, Impala Platinum, Lonmin and newly-listed West African Minerals. He has been analysing South Africa’s long-term prospects as a mining investment and operating environment since 2008, developing scenarios for resilient investment and operation.

Between 2006 and 2009 he had a risk consultancy with Rory Steyn, former head of protection of President Mandela. Between 2002 and 2006 he was a corporate crisis management consultant with Kroll. In 2001 he was Deputy MD of West African airline Air Afrique, in charge of restructuring. Beforehand Claude was working in New York City and Washington DC. He has advised Fortune 100 and South Africa’s top 25 companies, conducting over 200 projects since 2002.

He is involved in a number of non-profit organisations promoting balanced and sustainable growth and development. A published and quoted author (including with the World Bank), he holds graduate degrees in economic geography and political science from France and the USA.