About

Meet the Ker & Downey® Africa team

Ker & Downey® Africa > About > Meet the team

Ker & Downey® Africa

Private Clients

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.

Lauren Barnard

Private Travel Advisor, Private Clients

Lauren is a Personal Travel Advisor with over 14 years experience and has extensive knowledge of the hospitality and tourism industry.

Natasha Langley

Private Travel Advisor, Private Clients

Natasha joins the team with over 12 years of experience in all aspects of the travel industry. She has spent the last eight years living and working in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and is now based in Cape Town.

Marietjie Thomas

Travel Administrator, Private Clients

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 Advisor, Private Clients

Jessica is the flights specialist 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.

Brondwyn Nel

Sales & Operations Coordinator, Private Clients

Brondwyn is in our Sales & Operations team and has over seven years experience in the travel industry.

Ker & Downey® South Africa

Spanish-Speaking & Latin America

Renata Ferreira

Sales Manager, Spanish & Portuguese-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.

Catalina Schweizer

Travel Consultant, Spanish-Speaking Markets

With over 25 countries ticked off her bucket list and over 5 years of experience in the travel industry, Catalina joins the Spanish-Speaking Markets team as our trusted Travel Consultant.

Portuguese Speaking Markets

Paulo Florencio

Operations Manager, Portuguese and Spanish 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.

Nara Blanck

Travel Consultant, Portuguese Speaking Markets

With 12 years of experience in the travel industry in both Brazil and Southern Africa, Nara’s expertise lends herself to boutique agents in Portuguese Speaking Markets.

Germany, Switzerland & Austria

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.

Sibo Sikhakhane

Sibo Sikhakhane

Travel Administrator, Germany, Switzerland & Austria

Sibo joins the Ker & Downey® Africa Germany, Switzerland & Austria DMC team as a Travel Administrator with a keen eye for detail and a strong focus on customer service.

Central and Eastern Europe

Irina Jordaan

General Manager, Central and Eastern Europe

With over 15 years experience in the travel industry, Irina successfully heads the Ker & Downey® Africa Central and Eastern Europe DMC. 

Vitaly Dudkin

Senior Travel Consultant, Central and Eastern Europe

Vitaly joins the Ker & Downey® Africa Central and Eastern Europe DMC with 22 years of experience in the luxury travel industry and a very special interest in travel to South Africa.

Marina Balashova

Marina Balashova

Senior Travel Consultant, Central and Eastern Europe

Marina holds a degree in tourism and hotel management and joins the Ker & Downey® Africa Central and Eastern Europe DMC with 14 years of specialized experience in the industry.

Aleksandra Kliueva

Aleksandra Kliueva

Admin Assistant, Central and Eastern Europe

Aleksandra is an asset to the Ker & Downey® Africa Central and Eastern Europe DMC team, striving to offer nothing but the best to her clients and colleagues alike.

China & Hong Kong

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.

Central Resources

Product and Marketing

Anja du Plessis

Marketing Manager B2B and Brand

Anja comes with a wealth of experience having previously worked in the hospitality and PR industry within travel, and in business development in the financial services industry. 

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.

Finance

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.

Robyn De Freitas

Financial Administrator

Robyn joined the Ker & Downey® Africa team in December 2021. Her expertise as a financial administrator in the hospitality industry makes her a valued addition to the team.

Technology and Data

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.

Elene Wagenaar

Travel Administrator, Product and Rates

Elene joins the team as a Travel Administrator working with products and rates. With over 4 years of experience, she is meticulous about detail and providing the very best service.

Bernadette Poulton

Systems & Rates Administrator

Bernadette is Ker & Downey® Africa’s new System & Rates Administrator, and a valued member of the team.

Contact us, we are here every step of the way

Meet the team and want to learn more about the Ker & Downey® Africa team? Get in touch to find out how we are pioneering African travel.