Structure

Yvonne Pennington
Appointed May 2023
Chairperson, BirdLife South Africa
Yvonne has made a sterling contribution to BirdLife South Africa over many years. She has been involved with Sandton Bird Club for thirty years, including in leadership positions. Yvonne has served as a co-opted Board member of BirdLife South Africa from July 2015 to March 2019 and, from 2019, Yvonne was appointed to the Board as the representative of the Northern Regional Bird Club Forum. In May 2023 she was elected as the Chairperson of the Board. She is also Chairperson of the BirdLife South Africa Fundraising Committee. Yvonne has consulted extensively on strategy, leadership development and grantmaking. She is a wildlife enthusiast, keen and knowledgeable birder, and has travelled the world, including in her capacity as social investment specialist and business consultant.

 

Philip Calinikos
Appointed May 2023
Treasurer, BirdLife South Africa
Philip is a Chartered Accountant by profession and advises on accounting and financial matters. He has previously served as Chairperson of the BirdLife South Africa Board, and as Treasurer and Chairman of the Audit Committee of BirdLife South Africa. He is a passionate birder and citizen scientist. He served as Chairman and Treasurer of his local bird club BirdLife Northern Gauteng for many years. He has also served as Treasurer on the Council of the Hellenic Community of Pretoria for a number of years.

 

Mark D. Anderson
Appointed October 2008
Chief Executive Officer
Mark has an MSc (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria. He was employed as a Specialist Nature Conservation Scientist with the Northern Cape Department of Environment and Nature Conservation for 18 years. Mark’s main responsibility as CEO is to grow BirdLife South Africa into a leading conservation organisation, and one in which all aspects of the organisation’s work is done scientifically and professionally.

 

Fanie du Plessis
Appointed March 2022
Chief Financial Officer
Fanie oversees the activities of the Business Division, consisting of bookkeeping, administration, events, membership, publications and the Wakkerstroom Centre. He is responsible for the financial management of the organisation, including financial reporting to the Board of Directors and the Audit and Risk Committee. Fanie serves on several organisational committees, including the African Birdlife Magazine Management, Marketing and Fundraising Committees. He is also responsible for the financial management of the BirdLife National Trust and the Middelpunt Wetland Trust.

Ismail Bhorat
Appointed August 2015
Ismail is the Executive Director of Melomed Hospital Holdings. After completing his schooling at Diocesan College (Bishops) in 2001, Ismail pursued a Business Science degree at the University of Cape Town, majoring in Finance and Accounting. Ismail then joined the Melomed Group where he has been instrumental in growing the group over the past 12 years. Ismail also serves as a Director and Vice-Chairman of the National Hospital Network, which represents a group of 214 independent healthcare facilities in South Africa and he is on the FNB Islamic Banking advisory board. Ismail is an avid birder and conservationist.

 

David Chamberlain
Appointed April 2015
David is a born and bred Pretorianer. After five years at Hilton College, a year in the Air Force Gymnasium and four years at UCT (B. Comm., BA (Hons.) Econ.), he moved back to Pretoria and has worked in the family hardware business ever since. He has served on the boards of the St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls and the Waterkloof House Preparatory School. David has published several bird books. He has undertaken many forays to the wild parts of Africa and other continents, to follow his birding passion. He has seen more than 2000 bird species in Africa. He is also a road runner, fly fisherman and opera singer.

Jason McCormick

Appointed November 2024
Educated at Michaelhouse and Stellenbosch University, Jason is a licensed pilot, avid naturalist and conservationist at heart. He joined McCormick Property Development in 2002 and was appointed as MD in 2011. Under his leadership, over half a million sqm in GLA have been added to the MPD portfolio. In June 2018, he was appointed CEO of Exemplar, the ownership arm of the development company. Exemplar is a listed real estate investment trust with a portfolio of 27 retail assets. In April 2020 Jason co-founded the One People Fund which delivered food for 7,5million meals to communities in need during lockdown.He is passionate about community upliftment and the potential that Exemplar and its assets have to fundamentally change the underprivileged and marginalized communities within which it operates; for good.

Linda Hart
Appointed May 2024
Linda holds an MBA in Business Administration and is currently exploring development opportunities within the leadership and behavioural economics fields. Aside from being a skilled developmental facilitator for entrepreneurs and a SETA accredited assessor, Linda is also an inspirational speaker, a personal development facilitator, business mentor, world traveller, nature lover and avid wild- and birdlife photographer. She is an insightful linguist and provocateur. Linda ran her first marathon on the Great Wall of China in 2012 and used this platform to draw attention to the plight of rhinos.

 

Vernon Head
Appointed April 2016
Vernon is an architect, and a recipient of various prestigious awards such as the N.I.A.E. Merit Award in New York in 1991. He is also an acclaimed author. The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World achieved ‘best seller” status and was translated into several other languages. His novel A Tree for the Birds was nominated for three different prizes, amongst which the Dayton International Prize for Literature in the USA. Aside from his many achievements, Vernon also serves on the Advisory Board of the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and is an International Fellow of the Explorers Club, New York. He remains an inquiring birdwatcher!

 

Galeboe Modisapodi
Appointed November 2017
Galeboe was born in Parys. He is a law graduate from the then University of Natal, Durban, having obtained B. Proc. LLB. He also obtained a Management Development Programme and Strategic HR Certificate from the Gordon Institute of Business Science. He has been employed as an HR professional for the past 20 years. He is a keen conservationist with a love for birding, and wildlife and nature photography. He is passionate about building a sustainable future his children and the other people of South Africa.

 

 

Matthew Biden

Appointed May 2022
Matthew is an avid birder, and passionate conservationist.  He has a Business Science degree and an honour’s degree in finance from the University of Cape Town. He also has an MSc in Environmental Sciences from Oxford University. He spent four years at one of London’s leading corporate advisory boutiques where he advised on mergers, acquisitions and restructuring and disposals for both listed companies and private equity owned assets. Matthew is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Portfolio (a collection of luxury hotels and private residences in South Africa) and a trustee of the Royal Portfolio Foundation. Additionally, he serves as an Alternate Director of the Thornybush Nature Reserve. Matthew has good business acumen and extensive financial experience in the UK and in South Africa

Dr Louise Coetzee

Appointed May 2022
Louise is a long-standing and loyal member of BirdLife South Africa and BirdLife Free State, and she has been involved with bird club activities for many years, including in various leadership roles.  She is the current Chairperson of BirdLife Free State, and editor of the bird club’s newsletter, Sakabula. Louise is an Acarologist and obtained a PhD in zoology from the University of the Free State in 2015.  She is a very good communicator and has excellent organisational skills, and her diverse skill set would help advance BirdLife South Africa’s presence in the central region of our country.

 

Nicolette (Nicky) Forbes

Appointed May 2022
Nicky is the current chairperson of BirdLife eThekwini KZN. She is a trained ecologist, has a MSc degree, and is a knowledgeable birder. Her company is actively involved in estuary management, habitat restoration and environmental compliance. She has extensive IT experience. Nicky is a member of a number of national and international bodies. She has superb strategic vision and has excellent organisational skills. She has almost single-handedly grown BirdLife eThekwini’s membership base, and it is now one of the largest and most active bird clubs in South Africa. Nicky has received several awards, including a WESSA Conservationist of the Year Award and a BirdLife South Africa Owl Award.

Andrew Mitchell
Chairperson

Chris Cory

Philip Calinikos

Germari Pieterse

Arthur Plint

BirdLife South Africa staff (in attendance): Mark D. Anderson, Fanie du Plessis

Yvonne Pennington
Chairperson

Philip Calinikos
Treasurer

David Chamberlain

Ismail Bhorat

Yvonne Pennington

Linda Hart

Galeboe Modisapodi

Yvonne Pennington
Chairperson

Linda Hart

Vernon Head

BirdLife South Africa staff (in attendance): Mark D. Anderson, Fanie du Plessis, Tarryn McKechnie, Hanneline Smit-Robinson, Kurt Martin

David Lawrence
Chairman

Humphrey Borkum

Philip Calinikos

Yvonne Pennington

Roger Wanless

Nicky Newton-King

BirdLife South Africa staff (in attendance): Mark D. Anderson, Fanie du Plessis

David Chamberlain
Chairman

Mark D. Anderson
CEO

Vernon Head
Board Member

Tanya Caldwell
Advertising

Fanie du Plessis
Chief Financial Officer

Anton Crone
Editor

Leni Martin
Assistant Editor

Samantha Morgan
Classified Advertising/Bulk Subscriptions

Bryony van Wyk
Designer

Prof. Peter Ryan
Scientific Advisor

Kurt Martin
Communications Manager

Mpho Magidi
Communications Officer