About
Meet the Ker & Downey® Africa team
Ker & Downey® Africa > About > Meet the team
Lee Kelsall
CEO of the Ker & Downey® Africa Group
Lee Kelsall is our CEO, although he prefers the title Chief Adventure Officer internally. He is passionate about travel and is committed to leaving a positive legacy for his children and the communities that he serves.
Sarah Morris
General Manager, Private Clients
Sarah is one of our most seasoned travel pros. With 15 African countries ticked off her bucket list, Sarah’s firsthand experience gives her unique insight in planning a seamless African safari experience.
Lisa Nel
Head of Group Marketing and Product
With 24 years of experience in the travel industry, Lisa’s Southern and East African product knowledge is second to none. She is also our go-to expert on sustainable travel practices and African family travel.
Jenieen van den Heever
Head of Group Technology and Data
Jenieen is responsible for creating a seamless client experience and boasts 10 years of experience in the travel industry.
Brondwyn Nel
Travel Administrator, Product and Rates
Brondwyn is our Travel Administrator and has over seven years experience in the travel industry. She is very technology focused.
Peter Pittendrigh
Operations Manager, Private Clients
Peter is responsible for the seamless operations at Ker & Downey® Africa and boasts over 11 years in the travel and tourism industry.
Lauren Barnard
Personal Travel Advisor, Private Clients
Lauren is a Personal Travel Advisor with over 14 years experience and has extension knowledge of the hospitality and tourism industry.
Marietjie Thomas
Travel Administrator
Marietjie is a valued Travel Administrator in the Private Clients division. She enjoys working as part of the global team and assisting with developing unique itineraries.
Jessica Solomon
Flights Expert
Jessica is the trusted advisor for our private clients. She has over 9 years of experience in the industry and is a valued member of the Ker & Downey® Africa team.
Marcelo Novais
General Manager, North America
With 20 years of experience in the luxury travel industry and 40 countries ticked off his bucket list, Marcelo is one of our most seasoned travelers, and managers to date.
Danalee May
Travel Consultant, North America
With over 22 years in the safari industry and 50 countries ticked off her list, Danalee is one of our most experienced travel consultants at Ker & Downey® Africa DMC.
Zanél Potgieter
Travel Assistant, North America
With more than 8 years of experience in the travel industry, Zanél is our trusted Travel Assistant at Ker & Downey Africa North America.
Joshua Forbes
Senior Digital Designer
Joshua is a tech-savvy Senior Digital Designer that has joined the Ker & Downey® Africa team with a mission to take the brand to new heights.
Julie Graham
PR and Content Manager
A travel writer at heart, Julie has traveled extensively throughout the African continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and more.
Natasha Jorge Mercury
Senior Product Executive
Natasha joins the Ker & Downey® Africa team as a Senior Product Executive with extensive tourism knowledge. With over 16 years experience in the industry, she is a valued addition to the team.
Irina Jordaan
General Manager, Russia & Eastern Europe
With over 15 years experience in the travel industry, Irina successfully heads the Ker & Downey® Africa Russia & Eastern Europe DMC.
Bente Rieser
Senior Consultant, Russia & Eastern Europe
Born in Sweden and based in Cape Town, Bente joins our Russia & Eastern Europe DMC division as a Senior Travel Consultant. She has over 14 years of experience in the travel industry and is a valued addition to the team.
Milana Zatcarnaia
Operations Consultant, Russia & Eastern Europe
Born in Saint-Petersburg and based in Cape Town, Milana is our trusted Operations Consultant for our Russia & Eastern Europe DMC division.
Luana Do Coutto
General Manager, Latin America
With 14 years of experience in the luxury travel industry in both Brazil and South Africa, Luana’s background has given her a unique insight into the needs of boutique tour operators and the demands of valuable clients.
Paulo Florencio
Travel Consultant, Portuguese Speaking Markets
With 8 years of experience in the travel industry and 27 countries ticked off his bucket list, Paulo is one of our most seasoned B2B sales consultants.
Adriana Hirata
Travel Consultant, Portuguese Speaking Markets
With 19 years of experience in the travel industry in both Brazil and Southern Africa, Adriana’s expertise lends herself to boutique agents in Portuguese Speaking Markets.
Silke Wahl
General Manager, Germany, Switzerland & Austria
Since joining Ker & Downey® Africa in 2014, Silke has built up our German DMC division from the ground-up. Her three-man team specialises in 6-star luxury travel to Africa.
Patrick Müesse
Travel Consultant, Germany, Switzerland & Austria
With 17 years of experience in the travel industry, Patrick is the perfect addition to the three-man German division.
Johanna Jobel
Travel Consultant, Germany, Switzerland & Austria
Johanna has worked in the travel industry for 6 years and has lived the African dream for 4. Her adventurous and positive nature makes her a great addition to Silke’s team.
Korshad Adili
General Manager, China & Hong Kong
Korshad has 12 years of experience in selling luxury African travel for the Chinese & Hong Kong markets.
David Dai
Regional Director of Sales and Marketing, China & Hong Kong
David has 12 years of experience in sales and marketing of luxury travel in Chinese markets making him the perfect addition to our China & Hong Kong division.
Wendy Liang
Social Media Manager, China & Hong Kong
Wendy is the Social Media Manager for our China & Hong Kong team and is based in Shanghai.
Emma Perrin
Business Development Manager
Emma’s African travel knowledge goes far beyond her 5 years in the travel industry. She is is perfectly suited to this role.
Cassandra Labuschagne
Head of Group Finance
Cassandra is our devoted Head of Group Manager who is at the core of our success as a company.
Anita Christiaans
Assistant Accountant
Anita is our trusted Assistant Accountant, and the right hand woman to our Head of Group Finance.
Cynthia Deneux
General Manager, France
With almost a decade of experience in the luxury travel industry and a variety of African destinations ticked off her travel list, Cynthia’s first-hand experience makes her the perfect fit to head our French division.
Kevin Power
Sales Consultant, French-Speaking Markets
Kevin is part of the French division as a trusted Sales Consultant with over 10 years experience in the travel and tourism industry.
Lynn Mbity
Sales Consultant, French Division
Born in Gabon and based in Cape Town, Lynn joins the French DMC division as an expert Sales Consultant with an education in Travel & Tourism Management. She has over 8 years of experience in the industry and is a valued addition to the Ker & Downey® Africa DMC team.
Catalina Schweizer
Travel Consultant, Latin America
With over 25 countries ticked off her bucket list and over 5 years of experience in the travel industry, Catalina joins the Latin America team as our trusted Travel Consultant.
Renata Ferreira
Sales Manager, Spanish-Speaking Markets
Renata joined the Ker & Downey® Africa team in 2021 and brings with her 23 years of experience in the tourism industry from marketing, commercial, and product management.
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