Renske Minnaar
CEO
Renske Minnaar has been at the helm of Bergzicht Training & Development as CEO since May 2013. Along with her team, she has worked tirelessly to drive the vision of our founding members and to ensure the financial sustainability of our organisation by focusing on fundraising, programme accreditation, financial control and the relevance of our organisation’s training.
Renske completed a Diploma in Hotel Management in Johannesburg in 1981, where after she built a career in the Hospitality and Services industries working in various marketing and sales positions at Fedics Food Services, Avis, Teljoy Communications and also at Vodacom. There she was involved in the company’s first cellular phone roll-out in South Africa in 1994 and later in Australia. In 1996 she entered the wine industry focusing specifically on export marketing and also brand development at Spier, a well-known wine estate in Stellenbosch.
She joined our NGO in June 2011 as a Director of our Board and served on the Board until May 2013, when she was appointed as CEO.
Benita Petersen
Training Manager
Benita Petersen joined our team as Training Manager at Bergzicht Training & Development in 2022. She is passionate about adding value to further the vision and objectives of the organisation, and thrives in challenging environments. Benita is well-versed in dealing with multiple stakeholders and experienced in strategic planning and management, monitoring and evaluation, and organisational efficiency improvement. Her understanding of community needs and strong focus on holistic sustainability inventions make her an invaluable asset to the team.
Her academic accolades include a BA Honours degree in Public Administration (University of the Western Cape), Business Management (Stanford Business College) and certification in various management, development and evaluation programmes (University of Stellenbosch). She is currently studying towards her Master’s degree in Public Administration.
Benita’s background in both national and provincial government departments highlights her strong leadership dynamic in project management, executive support and high level coordination. Her most recent position was held at a local government authority as Manager Human Settlements Development, responsible for housing development and basic services interventions across the municipal area.
Nathalie Skippers
Student Development Manager
Nathalie Skippers joined Bergzicht Training & Development in February 2018 and is responsible for professional mentoring and support to students and alumni. Her role grew over the years from student support to playing a key role in the expanding of the organisation’s developmental offering to enhance sustainable career development for Bergzicht alumnus.
Nathalie is a registered social worker with more than 20 years of experience working as a Social Worker and Probation Officer in the non-profit sector and for the Department of Social Development. Her dedication to the field of social work is apparent from the various awards she received from the Department of Social Development over the years – from the Newcomer Showing the Greatest Potential Award in 2003 to the Merit Award for Excellent Social Work Services in 2013. Nathalie has also worked as a Co-Coordinator for the Johann Rupert Bursary Fund of the Johann & Gaynor Rupert Foundation where she also offered career guidance and mentoring to learners.
An experienced Project Manager and Facilitator, Nathalie has also been involved in community outreach programmes with the private organisations Kingdom Kids and Prospering Parents. She is proficient in conceptualising youth development programmes, and offering career guidance and mentoring to learners through these organisations.
Louisa le Roux
Fundraising Administrator
Louisa joined Bergzicht Training & Development in 2016. She is primarily responsible for Fundraising and Training Material Development and also serves on the Student Selection Panel. Aspiring to make a positive contribution through teaching and upliftment, she believes education is a key to future success.
Louisa’s qualifications include a Master’s degree (Cum Laude) in Classical Culture (University of Stellenbosch), a Higher Education Diploma (University of Stellenbosch) and Secretarial Skills (Stellenbosch College), including Office Management.
Louisa has solid experience in empowering the disadvantaged and disabled through involvement in rehabilitation and mental development programmes. She has previously also held positions as Public Relations Officer and Research Executive, where she was responsible for sales and marketing, project management and client relations respectively. Furthermore, she has also worked in Kenya as a Volunteer Group Instructor to facilitate horse riding therapy at Riding for the Disabled.
Ingrid Andrews
Receptionist & Events Assistant
Ingrid Andrews is a Bergzicht Training & Development alumnus who initially joined our team in 2012 as a Placement Bureau Officer. Ingrid has played a key role in the development of our students over the years. In 2016, she was appointed as an Administrative Assistant, focusing on our fundraising and PR initiatives. In 2022 her role transitioned to that of Receptionist and Events Assistant, responsible for candidate registration, student orientation and assisting in administration across all departments
After earning her certification at Bergzicht Training in 1994, she completed an Introduction to Public Administration course at Tygerberg College in 1996. This was followed by a SA Host course in 2006 as well as wine tasting, Customer Care and Time Management courses. Her work experience includes filling the position as Manager at the Backpackers Lodge and Banhoek Lodge in Stellenbosch, as a well as being a Junior Consultant at the Stellenbosch Tourism Information Centre.
Crusade Malgas
Office Administrator
Our office would not run smoothly without the front office support offered by the dedicated Crusade Malgas who joined our team as Bergzicht Training & Development in 2022. Crusade is eager to offer inspiration and motivated to maintain accuracy in the service delivery of her responsibilities.
After earning her Senior Certificate at Cloetesville Secondary School in Stellenbosch, she completed her qualification in Information Technology & Computer Science at Boland College. Her experience includes working as Production Assistant at a local printing company, as well as Store Associate in the commercial sector.
Crusade’s skillset includes office data processing, accounting skills and client relations.
Jenna-Leigh Hendricks
Training Administrator
Our training courses and programmes could not run successfully without the hands-on support provided by Jenna-Leigh, who joined our team in 2022. Jenna-Leigh is responsible for securing SETA accreditation and support, policies and procedures, student administration, fundraising and financial administration. She is organised, self-motivated and passionate about continually improving in assistance of management.
Widely experienced in management assistance, Jenna-Leigh has held positions as a Skills Development Technician, Senior Office Administrator and Employment Equity Administrator.
Her qualifications include a National diploma in Management Assistance (Boland College) and professional designation as Skills Development Technician (ASDSA).
