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Our Leadership Team
Each FBW Associate leads their field of expertise and heads a dedicated discipline team, supported by a value chain of professionals within the FBW ecosystem.
All operate under the FBW Constitution and Professional Code of Conduct. Together, they form a multi-disciplinary network that brings depth, credibility, and practical experience to every client engagement ensuring direct access to the right expert, backed by a wider team, to meet your business needs.
Neil Smith
Discipline Head of Brand Strategy
Founder & Chairperson
Neil Smith began designing brands to fund his Visual Communication studies at CPUT, where he was named Student of the Year and won three national design awards. He later founded Probe Magazine and, after completing advanced studies in Strategic Brand Management, launched SmithGroup, serving parastatals, corporates, and NGOs. Today, he leads NSBrandExperience and founded First Business Wellness (FBW) to support SMMEs. A former Chair of Design South Africa and advisor to CPUT and Stellenbosch University, Neil has earned international recognition for Excellence in Brand Strategy and NGO Marketing, and remains dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs with the professional support he lacked at 24.
Email:neil@businesswellness.co.za
Founder & Chairperson
Neil Smith began designing brands to fund his Visual Communication studies at CPUT, where he was named Student of the Year and won three national design awards. He later founded Probe Magazine and, after completing advanced studies in Strategic Brand Management, launched SmithGroup, serving parastatals, corporates, and NGOs. Today, he leads NSBrandExperience and founded First Business Wellness (FBW) to support SMMEs. A former Chair of Design South Africa and advisor to CPUT and Stellenbosch University, Neil has earned international recognition for Excellence in Brand Strategy and NGO Marketing, and remains dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs with the professional support he lacked at 24.
Email:neil@businesswellness.co.za
Prof Mariette Fourie-Jardim
Discipline Head of Cognitive Strategy
Dr Mariette Fourie-Jardim, a strategic advisor and mind-brain consultant, is the Director at Cognitive Craft (Pty) Ltd.
With a deep understanding of how the brain adapts and evolves, underpinned by neuroscience, her work integrates neuroplasticity and a growth mindset culture, empowering individuals and organizations to unlock their full potential by rewiring cognitive pathways for innovation, resilience, and adaptability.
She holds a PhD in the cognate fields of Mind, Brain and Education Science. Cognitive Craft serves various clients ranging from individuals, higher education, to businesses and statutory bodies.
Email:mariette@businesswellness.co.za
Dr Mariette Fourie-Jardim, a strategic advisor and mind-brain consultant, is the Director at Cognitive Craft (Pty) Ltd.
With a deep understanding of how the brain adapts and evolves, underpinned by neuroscience, her work integrates neuroplasticity and a growth mindset culture, empowering individuals and organizations to unlock their full potential by rewiring cognitive pathways for innovation, resilience, and adaptability.
She holds a PhD in the cognate fields of Mind, Brain and Education Science. Cognitive Craft serves various clients ranging from individuals, higher education, to businesses and statutory bodies.
Email:mariette@businesswellness.co.za
Prof Duvenage
Pieter Duvenage is a South African philosopher, academic, and public thinker known for bridging classical ideas with modern societal challenges. He has studied and lectured at leading universities in South Africa and Germany and currently serves as an extraordinary professor of philosophy at North-West University. His work explores the connection between ethics, public life, responsible debate, and understanding in a fast-changing technological era. Pieter is widely published and frequently appears in national media as a commentator on the relationship between thought, politics, and society. His most comprehensive work, Moving Thought, reflects years of study on what it means to think and act wisely in turbulent times.
Email: pieter@businesswellness.co.za
Email: pieter@businesswellness.co.za
Dr Karin Badenhorst
Discipline Head of Sustainability
BSc (US) PhD (UJ) MBA (UCT GSB)
Karin held partnerships with Andersen and EY in her early career. She is also the founder of the Footsteps Foundation with the aim of transforming vulnerable societies through the enablement of inclusive and sustainable economic development.
Her life mission is to revolutionise industries towards greater social and environmental stewardship utilising scalable opportunities in the Green Economy, especially those in dire need of reducing their irreversible harmful impact on Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.
Email:karin@businesswellness.co.za
BSc (US) PhD (UJ) MBA (UCT GSB)
Karin held partnerships with Andersen and EY in her early career. She is also the founder of the Footsteps Foundation with the aim of transforming vulnerable societies through the enablement of inclusive and sustainable economic development.
Her life mission is to revolutionise industries towards greater social and environmental stewardship utilising scalable opportunities in the Green Economy, especially those in dire need of reducing their irreversible harmful impact on Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.
Email:karin@businesswellness.co.za
Shawn Coetzee
Discipline Head of People & Culture
Shawn Coetzee is the Managing Director of SC Management and Advisory Solutions (Pty) Ltd and former CEO of SAPO Trust, serving the South African fruit industry globally.
With over 20 years of executive leadership, he is a turnaround specialist, strategic thinker, and leadership development expert. He holds an MBA from Stellenbosch University and chairs its Business School Alumni Association (Western Cape). A Licensee of LMI and advocate of values-based, servant leadership, he mentors leaders across all levels. Shawn is a former OECD Chair, UNECE delegate, and currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Legal Aid South Africa and member of IoDSA and IRMSA.
Email:shawn@businesswellness.co.za
Shawn Coetzee is the Managing Director of SC Management and Advisory Solutions (Pty) Ltd and former CEO of SAPO Trust, serving the South African fruit industry globally.
With over 20 years of executive leadership, he is a turnaround specialist, strategic thinker, and leadership development expert. He holds an MBA from Stellenbosch University and chairs its Business School Alumni Association (Western Cape). A Licensee of LMI and advocate of values-based, servant leadership, he mentors leaders across all levels. Shawn is a former OECD Chair, UNECE delegate, and currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Legal Aid South Africa and member of IoDSA and IRMSA.
Email:shawn@businesswellness.co.za
Jarrod Lyons
Discipline Head of Business Development Master of Science (MSc), Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology at UCT. National Diploma ND, Oceanography, Chemical and Physical at CPUT. Jarrod Lyons is an experienced advisor in sustainable infrastructure and green economy investment, with over 15 years in both public and private sectors. As former Executive: Business Development at the Atlantis Special Economic Zone, he led investor attraction, project structuring, and development of South Africa’s leading Greentech hub. His expertise includes renewable energy, circular economy, SEZ optimisation, and policy navigation. With a background in biotechnology and environmental science, Jarrod blends technical insight with commercial strategy to help clients unlock investment, navigate regulation, and build resilient partnerships across Africa’s evolving energy landscape.
Email:jarrod@businesswellness.co.za
Email:jarrod@businesswellness.co.za
Lizel Jardim
Discipline Head of Legal
B.Proc, LLB, PG Cert in Corporate Law (cum laude) Lizel is the co-founder of Jardim Bekker Attorneys. Putting others' needs ahead of her own, she made the decision to complete her articles at the Legal Aid Clinic in Stellenbosch, and then followed this with a full-time position as an admitted attorney at the Legal Aid Board.
Lizel is an admitted conveyancer in the Cape of Good Hope Provincial Division and has gained the right to appear in the High Court.
Email:lizel@businesswellness.co.za
B.Proc, LLB, PG Cert in Corporate Law (cum laude) Lizel is the co-founder of Jardim Bekker Attorneys. Putting others' needs ahead of her own, she made the decision to complete her articles at the Legal Aid Clinic in Stellenbosch, and then followed this with a full-time position as an admitted attorney at the Legal Aid Board.
Lizel is an admitted conveyancer in the Cape of Good Hope Provincial Division and has gained the right to appear in the High Court.
Email:lizel@businesswellness.co.za
Mark Augustine
Discipline Head of Finance
Mark is a Professional Accountant (SA) with a B.Com(Acc) and brings extensive experience in both blue-chip corporates and the SMME sector. He began his career as a management accountant in Sanlam’s Employee Benefits division and has a strong passion for helping SMMEs grow into valuable assets that generate wealth on exit or sale. As Managing Director of Pinnacle Accounting for over 20 years, Mark has led a team providing accounting, tax, and advisory services to a diverse range of clients—from manufacturers to medical professionals. He specialises in tax planning and SARS dispute resolution, ensuring businesses maximise available benefits while remaining fully compliant.
Email:mark@businesswellness.co.za
Mark is a Professional Accountant (SA) with a B.Com(Acc) and brings extensive experience in both blue-chip corporates and the SMME sector. He began his career as a management accountant in Sanlam’s Employee Benefits division and has a strong passion for helping SMMEs grow into valuable assets that generate wealth on exit or sale. As Managing Director of Pinnacle Accounting for over 20 years, Mark has led a team providing accounting, tax, and advisory services to a diverse range of clients—from manufacturers to medical professionals. He specialises in tax planning and SARS dispute resolution, ensuring businesses maximise available benefits while remaining fully compliant.
Email:mark@businesswellness.co.za
Kyle O'Neill
Discipline Head of ICT
Kyle O’Neill (BA, Psychology) brings over a decade of experience in IT and technology, specialising in business IT services and strategic support. He focuses on enabling SMMEs in South Africa and across Africa, where reliable IT solutions drive long-term growth and innovation. As a hands-on professional, Kyle and his team deliver tailored IT management and support that streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and align with business goals. Their approach positions IT as a core enabler, not just a function. Passionate about empowering businesses of all sizes, Kyle is committed to collaborating, solving challenges, and driving innovation in the B2B space.
Email:kyle@businesswellness.co.za
Kyle O’Neill (BA, Psychology) brings over a decade of experience in IT and technology, specialising in business IT services and strategic support. He focuses on enabling SMMEs in South Africa and across Africa, where reliable IT solutions drive long-term growth and innovation. As a hands-on professional, Kyle and his team deliver tailored IT management and support that streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and align with business goals. Their approach positions IT as a core enabler, not just a function. Passionate about empowering businesses of all sizes, Kyle is committed to collaborating, solving challenges, and driving innovation in the B2B space.
Email:kyle@businesswellness.co.za
Jerome Topley
Advocacy & Growth
A seasoned strategist and communicator, he has held senior leadership roles across government, academia, and industry, including Managing Director of AystoGro and former Chief of Staff at the Western Cape Ministry of Agriculture. Known for his deal-making, fundraising, and partnership-building skills, Jerome drives FBW’s mission to foster collaboration and sustainable growth within South Africa’s SMME
ecosystem.
Email:jerome@businesswellness.co.za
A seasoned strategist and communicator, he has held senior leadership roles across government, academia, and industry, including Managing Director of AystoGro and former Chief of Staff at the Western Cape Ministry of Agriculture. Known for his deal-making, fundraising, and partnership-building skills, Jerome drives FBW’s mission to foster collaboration and sustainable growth within South Africa’s SMME
ecosystem.
Email:jerome@businesswellness.co.za
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