Hector Eliott

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Hands-on | Creative | Knowledgeable | Strategic | Dedicated | Buck Stops with Him

Hector takes direct responsibility for the quality of everything that Bearfish Strategic Services delivers to our clients. Epitomizing both bear and fish, he is rational yet creative, solid yet sensitive. He keeps a firm eye on all projects as they proceed, and the buck always stops with him.

Born and bred in South Africa, he matriculated at Rondebosch Boys High School in Cape Town and graduated from Rhodes University with a First Class Honours degree in English, having also majored in History and Journalism.

He was a conscientious objector in support of the End Conscription Campaign in South Africa yet joined the ranks of the British Army during the genocidal conflict in the former Yugoslavia. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and obtained a commission in the elite Parachute Regiment, before being badly injured. After leaving the army he lived in Australia and New Zealand, before moving to the USA, working in fields as diverse as construction, marketing, software development and security, and consulting to global businesses such as Honda and Bank of America.

After 12 years abroad, he came home to find a niche where he could contribute to his country. He has since had some 12 years’ experience in local government, at both strategic levels and in transport safety and security. He also completed a Masters in Engineering at the University of Stellenbosch during this time, specialising in Transport Studies.

Hector founded Bearfish Strategic Services in 2017 and has gathered together a results-driven team that is diverse in every way, with an extensive range of qualifications and skillsets, which he leads both firmly and with compassion.

Dr Joanne Corrigall

HEAD OF RESEARCH

Public Health, Behaviour Change and Communications Specialist
MBCHB (WITS) MMED (UCT) FCPHM (SA) DMH (SA)

Dr Corrigall is an innovative and experienced strategist, scientist, communicator, and leader, with a wealth of experience in conceptualizing, designing, managing and evaluating a diverse range of health and communication projects. With fifteen years’ experience leading local and international projects, she is able to investigate complex issues and translate findings into effective policy interventions and communication campaigns for multi-level behaviour change.

With a background in both Psychiatry and Public Health, she has applied her rich knowledge of behaviour change with success in a wide range of contexts, from advocacy work on liquor legislation to road safety, violence prevention, occupational health, mental health promotion, HIV, child and maternal health and political campaigns. Understanding that changing behaviour is not just about impactful communication, but also about creating environments conducive to behaviour change, most of her work has been transdisciplinary and intersectoral.

She is an experienced researcher having conducted numerous primary and secondary research studies, working with both quantitative and qualitative data. She has designed and led large household surveys, multi-country policy implementation evaluations, randomized controlled trials as well as literature reviews on a wide range of topics. She is currently an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Cape Town’s Primary Health Care directorate and has lectured master’s degree students both locally and abroad.

Her communication and advocacy toolbox includes filmmaking, photography, copy writing, digital marketing and music production. She has used multimedia communication and public engagement to mobilise audiences from policy makers to communities and was campaign manager for a large alcohol abuse campaign, which successfully mobilised stakeholders around key alcohol policy issues in South Africa.

She has worked in more than ten countries and clients have included local and international government ministries, universities, non-governmental organizations, including the World Health Organization and International Development Research Centre, as well as corporate clients such as Dundee Precious Metals, the Behaviour Change Agency, Cipla and Ole Media.

Rowena Fester

HEAD OF STRATEGIC PROJECTS

Creative | Managerial | Vibrant | 21st Century Marketing and Communications Guru

A proud Capetonian, Rowena completed a BA Hons degree at the University of Cape Town before studying advertising and marketing at the AAA School of Advertising. While gaining experience in the advertising world, Rowena studied further for a Diploma in Marketing Research from SAMRA and completed the Management Development programme at the University of Stellenbosch Business School.

Having spent 20 years working in advertising, on some of the biggest brands in South Africa, Rowena joined Bearfish Strategic Services originally to manage one of their major projects and later as Head of Strategic Projects. Her experience in all traditional above- and below-the-line advertising disciplines also extends to internal and external communications, marketing research, digital marketing, social media strategy and content, corporate identity and environmental design. She is a highly capable manager, proficient in the design and implementation of systems and processes, the structuring of service level agreements, fee negotiations with clients and project evaluation protocols.

Rowena’s professional, intelligent and hard-working nature contributes greatly to the atmosphere and overall character of the Bearfish Strategic Services experience.

Dr Pascal Nteziyaremye

STRATEGIC COORDINATOR, ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY

Road Safety Specialist | Expert yet Humble | Thorough

Dr Nteziyaremye is responsible for the strategic coordination of road safety strategies at Bearfish Strategic Services. His experience includes seven years of road safety research – particularly on pedestrian safety – and consulting services in Rwanda, South Africa, and Namibia in various transportation-related fields. He has a passion for road safety and sustainable mobility.

Born and raised in Rwanda, he completed his BSc (Eng) degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Rwanda, before obtaining a Master of Science – MSc (Eng) – and a PhD degree in Civil Engineering/Transportation Engineering, from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. During his postgraduate studies, Pascal developed a vast skill set in transportation disciplines and acquired extra skills in Transportation Planning, Road Safety Evaluation, and Travel Behaviour Influence through workshops and training courses in Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium. Through self-learning, he developed various skills, including GIS spatial analysis and geospatial modelling, statistical analysis (using IBM-SPSS, Stata and R), and crash modelling. Applying the iRAP Star Rating methodology – for road safety inspections, road safety assessment, and safer road designs – has been a recent addition to his skill set.

He worked as a junior transport engineer for several consulting firms in Rwanda, conducting traffic counts and pavement conditions surveys. In South Africa, he was a research facilitator on behalf of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), investigating the feasibility of changing the driving side in Rwanda. He also contributed to the development of a Road Safety Implementation Programme for the Western Cape. He was a teaching assistant at the University of Stellenbosch, presenting lectures on road safety and non-motorised transport planning as part of the Transport Science course to undergraduate students. He worked with GoMetro (Pty) Ltd on a business model for bus services in Kigali, Rwanda. For this project, he planned and executed onboard bus surveys (55 bus routes, 400 buses, 19 540 vehicle trips, 405 273 bus passengers) for the entire Kigali bus network, conducted transport data analysis, and contributed to a feasibility study for a Real-Time Passenger Information System for the City of Kigali. More recently, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Stellenbosch, extending his research projects for publication.

Dene McLeod

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Creative | Passionate | Dedicated

A love of film led Dene to study at the University of Cape Town, where he completed a BA Honours degree in Film Theory and Practice, winning the Robyn Cohen Award for Best Student in his final year.

Dene brings over 14 years’ experience to the role of Production Manager. He has worked as a Senior Video Editor on reality TV series, made-for-TV movies, and various animated shows and series. Dene has also worked as a producer and has overseen the production of hundreds of hours of content, both for broadcast and for social media.

A passion for producing high quality content, on budget and on time, is what drives Dene.

Britt Trainer

ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Efficient | Effective | Human Resources | Financial Administration

Born and educated in the USA, Britt obtained a BA Degree from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado before working in hospital administration in New York.

After emigrating to South Africa, she joined Xhosa Fundis as Administration Manager. Xhosa Fundis provides isiXhosa language training and produces isiXhosa textbooks. In this position, Britt became knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of South Africa’s complex administrative environment.

She joined Bearfish Strategic Services as the Head of Administration, and she deals with finance, human resources and day to day administration of the business.

Andile Mdakane

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Solutions Driven | Conceptual | Creative | Media and Communications Adept

Born and educated in KwaZulu-Natal, Andile comes to Bearfish Strategic Services with project management experience in many different fields. She started her career as a Consumer Relations Ambassador for Peter Stuyvesant, a position which involved research, reporting, conceptualising and implementing consumer-orientated activations for the brand – from small, carefully tailored events to international music spectaculars. She then moved into senior management support in South Africa and in London.

Returning home at the end of her contract, Andile managed a major puppetry project commissioned by MTN for the 2010 World Cup and later moved into the advertising world with responsibility for activities related to the Oakley brand such as account management and project managing their involvement in the Cape Epic. Her next step was into the position of content producer for a TV talk show broadcast nationally on SABC3.

Knowledgeable, experienced and energetic, Andile brings with her a professional, can-do approach plus solidly honed skills – a combination that personifies Bearfish Strategic Services.

Saarah Malick

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER

Tenacious | Exacting | Efficient | Resolute

Saarah was born and educated in Cape Town, where she completed a degree in Public Relations before pursuing a career in advertising. She has extensive experience across traditional and non-traditional communication platforms and has worked on some of South Africa’s most well-known brands.

In her role at Bearfish, she is responsible for the smooth running of multiple projects and campaigns. She approaches her role with tenacity and the wherewithal to overcome any potential obstacles, all the while maintaining a mischievous sense of humour.

Saajidah Williams

RESEARCH ANALYST

Studious | Resourceful | Initiative | Endurance

Saajidah has an impressive resume, boasting a Master’s Degree in Engineering as well as two Honours Degrees, one in Psychology and one in Social Anthropology. She has extensive experience in the field of road safety research, with her Master’s thesis focussed on the Night Time Traffic Death Toll, and a subsequent Honours project investigating drivers’ attitudes towards Speed.

Saajidah brings to the team a depth of insight and an eagerness to learn and solve problems.

Ambra Clemens

HR SPECIALIST

Growing up in Johannesburg, Ambra studied Industrial Psychology at Rand Afrikaans University (now referred to as University of Johannesburg) and later obtained a BA Honours Degree from UNISA. She is an HR Specialist with over 15 years’ experience both in global and local businesses across industries.

Ambra is passionate about People Development and the wellbeing of employees in the workplace.

She incorporates her ‘know-how’ of her Positive Intelligence Training to all aspects of People Advisory at Bearfish.

Sean Jacobs

PROJECT MANAGER

Understanding | Unpretentious | Unapologetically obsessed with quality

Born in Cape Town, Sean grew up in Port Elizabeth (or Gqeberha as it’s known these days) and completed a BA Degree majoring in Industrial & Organisational Psychology and Sociology.

After returning from some time in London, Sean spent 10 years at one of the country’s leading automotive manufacturers, gaining experience in diverse roles including customer service, learning and development, and quality assurance – before playing a pivotal role in launching and maturing the social media presence of three prominent and highly-respected brands within the group.

Sean then moved back to Cape Town to head up the social media efforts of the country’s leading removals and relocations group, before being appointed to the Western Cape Government’s first dedicated social media team. Under his stewardship, the province’s social media account was recognised as the Best Managed Social Media Account by the Government Communication & Information System (GCIS) and proved an invaluable asset in times of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a wide range of knowledge and experience, and a solutions-oriented attitude, Sean identifies and takes ownership of team challenges, constantly driving efficiency and improvement.

Angelique Oliver

COMMUNITY MANAGER

Curious | Diligent | Whimsical | Creative

Originally from Port Elizabeth, Angie completed her secondary and tertiary studies there before moving to Cape Town. After an internship at a public relations firm, she switched gears and flung herself into the world of digital and social media, a world she’s been inhabiting for close on to ten years. She has worked for a number of social media agencies as well as freelancing as a social media specialist.

Angie manages the Safely Home social media platforms, responsible for content creation and always-on community management, ensuring that this important platform provides the necessary behaviour change nudges that will help us to achieve our client’s vision of reducing fatalities on the Western Cape’s roads.

Deon Liebenberg

HEAD OF OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGER

Practical | Congenial | Wise | Deeply Experienced | Hard and Soft Skills

Deon matriculated at Wynberg Boys High School and qualified with a National Higher Diploma in Civil Engineering from what is now the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Starting out as a structural consultant, he moved into project management and is a registered member of the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP).

Deon has consulted to many architectural and project management companies and developers on numerous projects around the country, from public works to shopping malls, hospitals, luxury residences and high-rise office buildings.

In 2018 he joined Bearfish Strategic Services as a senior project manager to lead the District Safety Plans project. These are integrated road safety and security interventions involving the introduction of new technology, integrated law enforcement operations and driver attitude/behaviour change strategies.

Deon brought on board people of different backgrounds, beliefs, personalities and ambitions, melding his practical skills with his warm and gently humorous nature.

His skilful management of multiple stakeholders including provincial traffic law enforcement, municipal traffic authorities, the SA Police Service, road engineers, educators, provincial quality management and evaluation officials contributed to the successful operation of the DSPs.

Androux Havenga

IT SPECIALIST

Androux was born and raised in Cape Town and completed a Diploma in Information Technology (IT) at Prestige Academy.  He has extensive experience managing security and server operations for big and small companies. 

His role at Bearfish is to ensure that we meet approved IT security requirements and the day-to-day management of IT operations.  

Simo Mngomeni 

PROJECT ASSISTANT

Simo is a highly skilled creative producer with a passion for storytelling and a commitment to delivering exceptional results. With over a decade of experience, Simo has honed his skills in creative writing, directing, and producing. In addition, he has worked in project management, content creation, ideation, production management, event management, research, client relationship management, marketing, account management, and business strategy.

Simo's passion for storytelling has been a driving force throughout his career. He has worked on numerous high-profile productions, both locally and internationally, and has been recognized for his abilities with a South African Film and Television Award and nomination to the International Emmy Awards with the Late Night News with the Loyiso Gola team.

He has a natural ability to connect with people from all walks of life, which has enabled him to deliver outstanding results while also fostering long-lasting partnerships. Simo's strategic thinking and business acumen have also helped him to develop effective marketing and account management strategies that have contributed to growth and success.

Michelle O'Cuinneagain

ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT 

Born and bred in Cape Town, Michelle studied at UCT and graduated with a BA LLB. She was admitted as an attorney in 2000 and after a “gap year” in Northern Ireland where her husband was playing professional rugby, she returned to Cape Town and worked as a consultant at Ernst & Young, specialising in International Tax. While working at Ernst and Young she completed her Higher Diploma in Tax at UCT.  

After her twin daughters were born, Michelle took a break from the corporate world, and received an Interior Decor qualification from the BHC School of Design whereafter she started and ran her own interior decor business for a number of years.  

Used to juggling many balls at one time, Michelle brings her innate organisational skills and efficiency to her role at Bearfish. 

Gabby Almano

BOOKKEEPER

Gabby was recently awarded her BA (SA) designation from the Chartered Institute of Business Accountants (CIBA) and has over 10 years of experience working in the film industry – for large production companies including Netflix.

She’s an accomplished all-rounder with a strong capacity for learning and has excellent problem-solving and management skills, making use of her extensive experience and expertise gained in a wide range of industries including security, hospitality, landscaping and film.

Her closest friends have nicknamed her “The Ninja” (she even has the T-shirt) because of her uncanny ability to get things done, even when conditions are less than ideal. Gabby’s biggest role, however, is being a mom of two very busy little boys.