Johannesburg Office

Sandra Jetten

Sandra Jetten is TechnoServe’s Vice President and Regional Director for Africa. The Africa Division currently has 240 staff who run 45 programs in 8 countries: South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana. Prior to becoming the Regional Director for Africa, Sandra was TechnoServe’s Entrepreneurship Director. In this role she consolidated TechnoServe’s knowledge on entrepreneurship development and articulated the strategy. She furthermore led a team of staff and volunteer consultants to codify Believe Begin Become, TechnoServe’s successful business plan competition.
 

Paul Green

Paul Green is the Country Director for TechnoServe South Africa.  Paul joined Technoserve in January 2007 as Senior Program Manager. Before joining TechnoServe, Paul worked as a management consultant with McKinsey and Company in their Johannesburg office for four years, where he served clients in the basic materials and financial services sectors on a variety of topics. He is a Zimbabwean by origin, a South African by descent, a Mechanical Engineer by training and holds an MBA from the University of Oxford.

Email: pgreen@technoserve.org.za

Korkor Cudjoe

Korkor joined Technoserve in April 2006 as a fundraiser. She holds an Honours degree in Business Management and for 12 years developed various small business enterprises in the cosmetics, health & beauty, and textiles industries in Swaziland and South Africa.
She made a transition three years ago into the development sector through project management, working first for the South African Human Rights Commission, and then the Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority (Theta). She is currently doing her Masters in Public & Development Management at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Email: kcudjoe@technoserve.org.za

Elizabeth Girdwood

Elizabeth joined TechnoServe’s South Africa team in May 2006 as a Business Advisor and Programme Manager of MABEDI (the Maruleng and Bushbuckridge Economic Development Initiative). An economist by training and graduate of the University of Cape Town, her working life has focused predominantly on strategy and organisational development consulting. She has travelled the African continent extensively, the most recent trip involving the purchase of a Swahili Dhow and a nine-month sail down the east African coast! Liz divides her time between TechnoServe’s Johannesburg office and the MABEDI offices in Bushbuckridge.

Email: egirdwood@technoserve.org.za

Sekoati joined TNS as a Business Advisor in March 2006 after running his own business for the past 5 years (currently run by his wife). During that time he managed an outsourced Shell LiveWIRE South Africa which had four programmes to stimulate interest in enterprise: Business Idea Generation Programme (workshops); Business Skills Training Programme (5 day intensive programme); Business Mentorship and Business Awards. He also spend 3 years recruiting, interviewing, selecting and training franchisees on behalf of Exel Petroleum.
 

Jill Macari

Jill joined TechnoServe in January 2007 as the programme coordinator for TechnoServe’s Believe- Begin- Become business plan competition. She is responsible for the logistical planning and implementation of the programme. Prior to joining TechnoServe, Jill worked with the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust in Cape Town as the programme manager for the Khayelitsha Golf Driving Range, where she was responsible for programme development, fundraising and facility management. Jill originates from the United States and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Fairfield University in Fairfield Connecticut USA.
 
Email: jmacari@technoserve.org.za

Petunia Kekana

Petunia Kekana joined Technoserve in January 2006, as a Part-Time Executive Assistant for a year in Africa Division and currently Full-Time Receptionist in South Africa Division. She worked for The Oval Office Recruitment Agency for 1 year as an Executive Receptionist, Modisakeng Labour Consulting for 3 years as a Secretary, Wits University for 4 years as a Secretary and The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 3 years in various units.   
 

Email: pkekana@technoserve.org.za

Sachin Agarwal

Sachin Agarwal joined Technoserve in August 2007 as a Senior Programme Manager. His work at Technoserve will includes serving clients in the Kwa-Zulu Natal, Mpumulanga and Limpopo provinces. Sachin has several years of experience as a management consultant in North American and Europe. Most recently he worked with one of the retail banks in South Africa, managing the sale of credit cards. Having grown up in India, he has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Delhi, and an MBA from INSEAD.

Email: sagarwal@technoserve.org.za  

Moloko Maja

Moloko Goodness Maja joint TechnoServe SA in September 2007 as Office Manager. Moloko worked for Micro Finance Regulatory Council (MFRC, now called National Credit Regulator – NCR) as Personal Assistant to Chief Executive Officer then later transferred to Chief Financial Officer’s office still as a Personal Assistant. Her formal corporate career started began in January 2000 at NEC Johannesburg Liaison Office in January 2000 where she worked as a Receptionist/Assistant to Office Administrator. Seventeen months later she was promoted to Marketing Assistant.
 

Moloko Goodness Maja obtained her junior degree from University of the North (now known as University of Limpopo), then proceeded to Rand Afrikaans University – RAU (now known as University of Johannesburg) where she obtained Honours degree in Development Studies.  

Email: mmaja@technoserve.org.za

Thembi Tshabalala

Thembi joined TechnoServe as Programme Administrator responsible for the Believe; Begin; Become; Business Plan Competition. Her responsibilities include amongst other things; the execution of administrative functions relating to participants’ recruitment processes. She has direct expertise and understanding of business relations.

Within her career Thembi worked for companies such as Hyperama Retail chain store; ASHAR Communications and Gray World Wide.

Thembi is assisting with events management for AGAPE Family Church as part of her community support programme. She holds a Media Studies Diploma attained at Boston Media House.

  Bushbuckridge Office

Lawrence holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics, a diploma from the Institute of Chartered Administrators and Secretaries (Zimbabwe) and is currently completing his Ph.D studies with the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has been a lecturer at Chibero College of Agriculture and Bindura University of Science Education for number years. He later joined Zitholele Consulting, a subsidiary of Golder Associates Africa as a consultant working extensively on local and international developmental projects. Lawrence joined TechnoServe SA in July 2006 as a Business Advisor on the Bohlabela (MABEDI) four year project.

Email: lgadzikwa@technoserve.org.za

Khanyi Mathenjwa

Khanyi joined Technoserve in March 2006 as a trainee business advisor. For the past two years she worked with CSIR for Marula and Palm wine project in a rural in Northern KZN. Her responsibilities included community liaison and business management skills transfer to the community

Khanyi originates from Northern KZN and obtained her first degree in Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Zululand, and in 2002 further graduated with honours degree in Business Science.
 

Farm Mentors