SPEAKER LINE UP

Jaco is the Managing Director of Annique Spa & Aesthetics, as well as the MD of its Online Store, Beautyonline. He has been in the health and skincare business for over 16 Years and specialises in therapist and management sales training. Jaco also helps to manage more than 600 Annique Agents all over the country with their sales and targets, along with the spa and the Online Store. He is truly passionate about the industry and is always on the lookout for new ideas and processes to make the Client experience even better.

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Jaco will form part of the panel – Talent Magnet vs Drama Queen Magnet – Are You Attracting the Right Staff into Your Business? – which takes place on Sunday, 3 September @ 14h30.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Laurien has obtained a wealth of knowledge from different sectors in beauty. She has worked as a therapist both nationally and internationally; as well as having experience in management, training and education; in addition to recruitment for over 10 years. Laurien has been the owner of the Matis Institute in Fourways since 2015 and still offers recruitment services for clients in spas and salons.

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Laurien will form part of the panel – Talent Magnet vs Drama Queen Magnet – Are You Attracting the Right Staff into Your Business – which takes place on Sunday, 3 September @ 14h30.

Caval studied Hospitality and started his professional journey in 5* hotels and lodges locally and abroad. His decade-plus first-hand operational experience made the transition from qualified Chef and Lecturer to Hospitality Recruitment Consultant effortless. Blending two of Caval’s great loves, the Humanities (cum Laude graduate 2010) and Hospitality (C&G 2007), he lives by his monikers of the People’s Champion and The #NoDaysOffRecruiter, having helped hundreds of job seekers make that next move, while providing clients with talented and committed professionals.

At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Caval will form part of the panel – Talent Magnet vs Drama Queen Magnet – Are You Attracting the Right Staff into Your Business – which takes place on Sunday, 3 September @ 14h30.

Sharon is the Director, Spa & Fitness Operations & Development MEA & Türkiye Global Wellness at Hilton, Middle East & Africa Area Office. After initially commencing her working life in banking and finance, she then crossed over to the health and fitness industry. Sharon has worked at many prestigious properties, including Stapleford Park in Leicestershire/ Clarins Spa; Viverano Spa at the Five Lakes Hotel & Golf Resort in Essex; Champneys (Citypoint) in London, the Willow Stream Spa at The Fairmont Hotel Dubai; and Jannati (a privately owned ladies health club and spa). She joined Mandara Spa at The Monarch Dubai as

Pre-opening Spa Manager and was involved in completing all elements of the 5* flagship spa, bringing it to an operational opening.

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Sharon will participate (via Zoom) on the Laws of Attraction panel, on Sunday, 3 September @ 10h35, which will focus on trending spa treatments and global wellness movements and how these can be incorporated in your spa menu.

Karen is the Founder of Cape Wellness Spas and the ‘mother’ of 18 therapists and 3 spa managers. She has also been the CEO of Morris Financial Services since 2001. An accountant and general tax practitioner in private practice by profession, Karen has been assisting individuals and companies with their accounting, financial and tax elements for more than 22 years. But over time her passion for the wellness industry has developed enormously, leading her to build and own 3 successful spas. She particularly loves assisting and watching other female business owners grow and succeed. For the past 20 years, she has specialised in the wellness industry, including operating as the Group Financial Manager of a large Spa and Education Group for 3 years during this time.

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Karen will form part of the panel – Cementing Your Financial Foundation – which takes place on Sunday, 3 September @ 11h45. During this session, Karen will be one of two spa business managers who will share some insights into their financial challenges with practical tips and strategies for building a more resilient business.

Lerato holds a National Diploma in Somatology from the University of Johannesburg and also studied business management at Wits Business School. She has worked in several esteemed establishments, including R 'n R Health and Skin Care, TUSC, and Life Day Spa Rosebank, where she became a Team Leader for the Group. She also played a pivotal role in setting up Urban Bliss Wellness Spa. In 2018, Lerato's career took an international turn when she was appointed Spa Manager at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda. As her career progressed, Lerato assumed the role of Business Relations Manager at Amani Spas & Wellness Head Office. She is currently the Spa Manager and Turnaround Strategist at Radisson OR Tambo Hotel & Convention Centre.

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Lerato will form part of the panel Troubleshooting Central – The Potential Pitfalls for Spa Managers and How to Avoid Them – which takes place on Monday, 4 September @ 09h30. During this session Lerato will provide tips on identifying possible problem areas and what evasive action to take.

Lauren recently joined the Camelot Group Head Office team as an Operations Manager in Gauteng. She holds a BTECH in Somatology and has completed her CIDESCO qualification. Lauren’s quest for growth and knowledge took her to Miami, where she did a management course, honing her leadership skills. She spent six transformative years on cruise liners, in management positions for four out of the six. Her time onboard allowed her to master the art of delivering impeccable spa services while leading diverse teams. For three prosperous years, Lauren has been an invaluable asset to Camelot Spa. Her journey has seen her open and successfully run two Camelot Spa branches in Pretoria, amid the challenges of the Covid-19 era.

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Lauren will form part of the panel – Troubleshooting Central – The Potential Pitfalls for Spa Managers and How to Avoid Them – which takes place on Monday, 4 September @ 09h30.

Jared joined the world renowned Four Seasons Group as the Spa Manager for its Westcliff property in March 2023. He completed his beauty training at Camelot International in 2008 and subsequently found it challenging to enter the workforce because, at that time, not many people believed that males could be therapists. Eventually Jared was given an opportunity to join the team at Mount Grace as a Junior Therapist, where he expanded his skills and later joined Canyon Ranch for their opening team on board the Seven Seas Mariner. Thereafter, Jared re-joined the Mount Grace team, as the Head Therapist. After some time, Jared left to try his hand at other positions including assisting with the set-up and opening of a nail salon, and training and sales rep work. He then joined the team at The Saxon Hotel and Spa, where he worked his way up from the front desk assistant and therapist to Spa Manager. In this capacity he won the Luxury Spa Awards Best Spa Manager for Africa in 2015. The same year he opened Hines and Harley Men’s Grooming Lounge, which has won multiple Professional Beauty Awards.
 

At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Jared will form part of the panel – Troubleshooting Central – The Potential Pitfalls for Spa Managers and How to Avoid Them – which takes place on Monday, 4 September @ 09h30

Francisco is the Spa Manager of the renowned J Wellness Circle Spa at the TAJ Hotel in Cape Town, as well as its Quality Assurance Manager. He previously worked as an independent Spa Consultant and has over 15 years of experience in the Hotel Spa sector, having been involved in successfully managing and directing some iconic Hotel Spas in the country, such as Mount Grace Country House & Spa and Arabella Hotel Spa. Francisco also worked with the Amani Spas Group as their COO, which gave him extensive and in-depth knowledge in this field. 

At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Francisco will form part of the panel – Cementing Your Financial Foundation – which takes place on Sunday, 3 September @ 11h45. During this session, Francisco will be one of two spa business managers who will share some insights into their financial challenges with practical tips and strategies for building a more resilient business. 

Tanya Lopes is spa manager at the award-winning Saxon Spa in Johannesburg. She studied at the Centro Nacional de Estética in Portugal, where she started her career as a somatologist. Tanya then joined Cabella Aqua in London, quickly progressing into managerial positions. She subsequently spent five years at Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden as Retail and Sales Manager. In 2008 Tanya was head hunted by Spas of Distinction Group, returning to South Africa as their Operations Director. She joined Saxon Spa in 2015 and was involved in the spa’s extensive revamp. She regularly spearheads the creation and development of unique signature treatments at the spa.

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Tanya will form part of the panel – The Balance Sheet of the Future: How Sustainable Initiatives Enhance Your Bottom Line – which takes place on Monday, 4 September @ 10h20. Tanya will reveal the many and significant sustainability projects the Saxon Hotel & Spa property has implemented to reduce its carbon footprint.

Angela is a recruitment consultant at Spa Sense Consultants. She describes herself as an ‘Admin Guru’ specializing in Recruitment and CV compiling, as well as a client liaising professional.

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Angela will form part of the panel – Talent Magnet vs Drama Queen Magnet – Are You Attracting the Right Staff into Your Business – which takes place on Sunday, 3 September @ 14h30.

Ian is a serial entrepreneur and founder of the Hatch Institute and Sorbet Group. He specialises in leadership, people development, race relations and building corporate cultures that are obsessive about customer service. Ian is the creator of Cultureneering™, a framework to create a new breed of culture-driven leaders who require specific skills to meet the complex demands of our volatile socio-political and economic landscape. He is the author of 3 books: ‘Cultureneering’; ‘The Soul of Sorbet’; and ‘Get That Feeling’. 

At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Ian will present the Opening Keynote Address on Sunday, 3 September @ 9h45 on the topic: The Relationship between Culture and Service and How to Navigate the Socio-Political Complexities of the South African Landscape.

Richard is CTO of Flow Communications (Pty) Ltd, one of South Africa’s leading independent marketing and communications agencies. He has extensive experience in managing large development teams and complex web projects. With a Master’s Degree in Journalism and an impressive knowledge of the web, Richard oversees Flow’s digital strategy and work in the digital realm – work that has been recognised through numerous awards

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Richard will present the session – Online Onslaught Part 1 – Forget Instagram and Facebook, How Does Your Spa Rank in Cyberspace? He will reveal important tips on how to boost your ranking and make your spa instantly visible in online searches.

Keshantha Naidoo is the Founder and Director at Channel Reach, a niche digital marketing agency specializing in social media, content marketing, and communications. Keshantha has over 20 years of experience in corporate banking, product management, marketing and communications. She is passionate about social media and technology influencing the modern-day marketing space.

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At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Keshantha will present the session – Online Onslaught Part 2 – Is Your Website Design Attracting or Repelling Potential Guests – which takes place on Sunday, 3 September @ 15h30. Keshantha will focus on the UX (user experience) of navigating websites and what features you need to include to appeal to visitors.

As turnkey sustainability practitioner, Charné advocates and influences sustainability in the wellness industry. Her work includes creating the Sustainable Spa Practitioner Course, GreenSpa Guide and GreenSpa Calculator.

At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Charne will form part of the panel – The Balance Sheet of the Future: How Sustainable Initiatives Enhance Your Bottom Line – which takes place on Monday, 4 September @ 10h20. This session will show how all spas can cost-effectively embark on a sustainability journey and how it may even contribute to the bottom line.

Marisa is the founder and MD of The Spa Consultants, an award-winning spa development consultancy business that delivers originality, profitability and inspiration from concept to completion. The company has created operationally unique business models for the spa industry and project-managed many spas. Marisa frequently attends overseas spa conventions, has written innumerable articles about the beauty and spa industry for leading publications, and is a regular speaker at local and international conferences. She is also the co-founder of The Spa Professionals Guild.

At the World Spa & Wellness Convention, Marisa will form part of the panel – Laws of Attraction – which takes place on Sunday, 3 September @ 10h45. During this session, Marisa will talk about the treatments and new innovations that are trending globally, and whether you can incorporate these into your Spa Treatment Menu to entice new and existing guests.