Nikhil has over 20 years of expertise in corporate and business unit strategy, operational turnarounds, capital planning and optimisation, sustainable cost reduction and throughput improvement, working with some of the largest multinationals in Africa, Asia and Australia.  In addition to being Managing Partner, Nikhil heads DB & Associates’ strategy practice, advising clients across a range of industries including media, manufacturing and mining.

After graduating from the University of Cape Town with an Economics Degree, Hal spent two years in the Barlow Group in the UK before returning to South Africa to join the Rennies Group, where he was involved in their shipping and transport, travel, and trucking division.  He later spent two years on secondment in Taiwan and Hong Kong with Rennies’ then parent company, Jardine, Matheson & Co, in their ship owning and agency subsidiaries.  He returned to South Africa to rejoin the Barlow Group, and for the next few years ran businesses including metal fabrication, appliance manufacturing, timber merchanting and, finally in the unbundled Nampak Group, security printing.  Appointed later to run Nampak’s environmental and corporate affairs portfolios, he spent five years in the Group Head Office, before striking out on his own, consulting within the tourism industry to the Hollard Group. 

Since graduating with an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand School of Business, Chris has spent more than 40 years primarily in the mining and steel related industries in South Africa, the USA, Zimbabwe, China and Japan.  He is currently assisting a significant South African engineering company re-enter the Zimbabwean market after an absence of some years. 

Tamara is a Business Development Advisor with over 12 years of experience in a variety of sectors.  She has worked internationally, both for a local British government organisation and more recently for the international trade office of the British Government in South Africa.  There she headed up the Inward Investment team developing business opportunities for South African companies looking to invest internationally.  Tamara is now broadening her experience in the private sector and offering her expertise by identifying new business prospects for DB & Associates' team of specialists.

Leslie is an industrial engineer with over 20 years of management consulting experience in a range of industries such as mining, manufacturing, packaging, processing, life assurance and financial services.  He delivers high-quality outputs based on sound research and analysis related to strategy, decision analytics and support, business process and capacity improvement, financial and risk modelling, and project management.

Sherina has vast experience in the financial services and management consulting industry, with over 17 years combined.  She has managed teams in the banking sector ensuring that compliance and risk is matched to industry standard.  She was also instrumental in many successful projects across diverse industries within financial services, manufacturing, retail and natural resources throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and internationally.  As a member of the Business Development Team, Sherina offers her wealth of experience and knowledge to identify new business prospects for DB & Associates' team of specialists.

Themba is an experienced mining engineer with a demonstrated history of 24 years of working in the mining and metals industry specialising in mining supplies, mining consultation, MMCC preparation course facilitation, concrete pumping, building and construction.  He is skilled in underground mining, surface mining, mining training and construction. He holds a Bachelor's degree focused in Mining and Mineral Engineering from the University of Johannesburg and is a holder of Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency. 

Thapedi is a business process improvement specialist with seven years of consulting and industry experience.  His expertise includes training design and delivery, evaluation, testing, organisational development, management, marketing, project management, and performance improvement.  He has led several process improvement efforts as identified through business reviews and “as is process” to map the new process improvements with control and optimisation strategies.