THE TEAM

Samantha brings diverse experience from her entrepreneurial career from Aircraft Interior Refurbishment to discovering Mumbo Island on Lake Malawi whilst on a kayaking expedition and starting Kayak Africa. Aswell as extensive travel and adventure, one of which was her 5 month journey in Namibia which included a 120km walk through the Namib desert from where Oryx brand originated.

20 000 Drums NPO ‘Transformation through Celebration’ followed implementing traditional African workshops and training for 30 000 youth in rural communities across South Africa. Her Desert Salt adventure started by packing bags on her dining room table. She has a 14 year old son Kiran.

Ian is joint CEO of Evolve Capital*, a business started with his brother Garth in 2013. Ian is also CEO of Portfolio Media, one of the leading tourism marketing businesses in SA. Amongst others, Portfolio Media owns the well-known brand, Portfolio Collection.

Ian is a qualified chartered accountant, who brings 23 years of entrepreneurial experience in running and growing businesses. He has been involved in entrepreneurship facilitation since 2005, working both with larger groups and one-on-one, mostly with the common theme of how to grow a one-person business into a larger, thriving entity.

Garth is joint CEO of Evolve Capital* and prior to starting Evolve Capital, he was head of Old Mutual Private Equity and a member of a successful team for 10 years. Over this time this team developed a strong track record, invested in 23 transactions and exited 15, including landmark private equity deals such as PEP and Life Healthcare.

Garth is currently a board member and chairs the investment committee of Life Healthcare, an Alsi 40 listed company and has been a member of this board for over 9 years. He has also served on the boards and committees of Metro Cash & Carry, Air Liquid, Tourvest and Libstar.

Prior to joining OMPE Garth was a founder member of African Harvest, a listed financial services company, where he was a member of their private equity and corporate finance teams.

Deshalan has enjoyed a varied career in industries which include FMCG, nutrition, die-casting, automotive electronics, consumer electronics, chemicals and renewable energy. He has headed departments for international manufacturing organizations such as Cargill, Samsung Electronics, PFK Electronics and Rheinmetall Denel Munition. While at Samsung Electronics, Deshalan gained full training in Seoul South Korea. He is highly skilled in business systems and has worked on multiple implementations of ERP systems which include SAP and Odoo. In his most recent position he headed operations at Balancell Energy, a start-up and was instrumental in streamlining the supply chain & heading the business systems project which saw the company grow 20 times in turnover within a 2 year period.

Shafiek is responsible for overseeing procurement, creditors and logistics. What Shafiek enjoys most about his job and being good at it, is being in direct contact with the suppliers/customers, whom he considers to be an integral part of the company.

Shafiek puts others above himself and is always concerned if his neighbours have food on their table. He is responsible for his 78-year-old father. He also has a brother with Dementia whom he provides for. He would love to go to the Holy city, Makkah and Madina one day, but for now a week away with no cell phone in the Wilderness would be a bonus.

Tracey-lee is energetic and goal-oriented. She is a seasoned professional with a passion for efficiency and excellence. Armed with a Higher Certificate in Economics and Management Science, as well as a bachelor’s degree in public Procurement Management, she possesses a solid foundation in both business theory and practical application.

Currently serving as a Sales, Debtors, and Logistics Controller, Tracey-lee's career is marked by her adeptness in office administration and customer service. With a knack for multitasking, she effortlessly manages diverse responsibilities, ensuring smooth operations and optimal performance.

Driven by a thirst for knowledge and personal growth, Tracey-lee is on a mission to further enhance her expertise by pursuing an Honors degree. Her commitment to continuous learning reflects her dedication to staying abreast of industry trends and best practices.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Tracey-lee finds joy in enriching her mind through reading, particularly delving into books on self-improvement and financial management. Family holds a special place in her heart, and she cherishes moments spent with her loved ones, especially her adored 6-year-old daughter.

Megan Davies, expert in accounting with a signified history of working within the commerce sector. She is a certified senior accountant in the process of completing her Financial Management degree. With well over 15 years of experience, providing comprehensive financial services tailored to the business needs. With extensive managing skill she ensures that accurate management accounts are provided. She commits to tasks being carried out smoothly in alignment with the GAAP. In addition, she is skilled in the following accounting software; SAP, Pastel and Odoo. She also has knowledge in the preparation of financial statements, budgeting, and tax planning. As a dedicated, diligent, and detail-oriented professional, she shows competence, trustworthiness and finds herself to be a superior problem solver with analytical capabilities. She has a passion for creating healthy cultures to enhance the well-being of all employees. Megan has met the needs of many businesses, just to mention a few, Staff Dynamics, Graphic supply world and Under Armour. She is a great asset to our business.

Gladys has enjoyed a varied career in industries that include IT Distribution, IT Retail, IT Networking and Food Manufacturing. She has certification in APC, Lenovo, and a sales and marketing diploma.

She has over 10 years as a noteworthy leader, heading departments for IT Distribution, Microsoft, Kaspersky Anti-virus, HP, EPSON, LENOVO, and CISCO Networking such as Siltek Distribution Dynamics, Cobalt IT Distribution, Broadnet Africa, IT Retailers such as E-consumables, Pastellar Consultancy and Food Manufacturing at Ukama Packing Solutions and Smart Pack.

While at Smart Pack Gladys gained extensive experience and training in blending, milling of seeds into flour, labelling, packing orders, receiving, and dispatching stock as well as a Food Safety Manager.

She ensured that the business complied with all the relevant Food Safety Standards and codes of practice, made sure that suppliers adhered to quality control and food safety ISO Standards. Staff training and that they complied with all the relevant food safety standards and codes of practice. Updating and maintaining the food safety standards manuals when necessary.

She has training and certification in Food Safety and Hygiene Level 2.

Oryx has taught her communication skills, working as a team, food safety, hygiene, and it feels like a second home working here. She would like to be successful in life, learning as much as she can.

Cindy loves resolving problems and cleanliness. She sees herself in a higher management position at Oryx.

She enjoys listening to music, watching movies, reading, writing, and swimming.

Oryx is totally a new experience for her as she was in nursing before. She would like to own a house and a car. She loves to dance and sing.

She would like to travel around the world. She enjoys playing netball with her but most importantly spending time with her grandchild, family and she loves baking.

Oryx is a warm and loving working environment; it gives one strength to go on. She would like to run her own business, have a car and house. Rifqah loves to work and meet her daily targets, and one day to be a supervisor. She loves to take walks, cleaning, and spending time with her one and only son.

Oryx has taught her a lot of things such as packing, labeling, hygiene, and food safety.

She hopes to start her own business one day, and she loves cooking.

She sees herself running her own restaurant one day with Oryx Desert Salt on the tables. She enjoys watching TV and listening to music.

Oryx is a supportive place to work, everyone treats each other as family and helps one grow. He sees himself running a company just as successful as Oryx. He feels good waking up each morning knowing that he needs to work and support his family. He sees himself as a driver for Oryx and in the Forbes magazine. Athenkosi enjoys playing soccer, making music and cooking.

Oryx is a nice place to work.

Her dream is to own a house and a car one day.

She loves watching movies as it relaxes her.

In the next 5 years she wants to be financially stable, and she enjoys cooking.

Oryx is a joyful place to work, and he has learned a lot about salt and pepper as well as other spices.

He would like to grow within Oryx, become an assistant driver one day. Morne loves his pigeons and hopes that one day he will become a pigeon racing champion. He sees himself driving the delivery van for Oryx. He enjoys taking walks with his children and cooking.

Oryx is a very good workplace; I work with a supportive team. I would love to own a house one day.

He loves long distance driving and wishes to live in a mansion with his family. He enjoys listening to music and hanging out with his friend.

In the early days Eva travelled across Europe and the Middle East, this gave her the opportunity to run a hostel in Israel where she immersed herself in diverse cultures and experiences. Upon her return, she embraced the art world, managing sales at a thriving art shop and working in the film industry's art department. It was during this time that she met Clive, her husband, and together they built a beautiful family with four children.

For almost a decade, Eva has been an invaluable member of the Oryx team. As a dedicated sales consultant, she has a remarkable ability to form meaningful connections with both clients and her colleagues. Despite working remotely, she continues to retain and gain new clients, showcasing her exceptional skills and dedication.

Eva's passion for health and wellness is evident in her lifestyle choices. As a devoted health enthusiast, her ethos for nutrition and sustainability perfectly aligns with the core values of the Oryx brand. Her commitment to promoting a healthier and more sustainable world resonates deeply with Oryx and its mission.

Gernie has been in the FMCG industry for 21 years and has vast experience in sales and customer relations. She is passionate about selling a quality product to her customers and this is why she has such long standing relationships in the industry. Her core values are about creating a relationship and consistency with the customers that she services.  Her other passion is equestrianism and horsemanship, taking on young horses off the track and producing them in to show jumpers and dressage equines.  She competes in showjumping and dressage and has been riding for 38 years.

Amanda is a Brand Ambassador for Oryx introducing clients to these great products, building relationships in both hospitality and retail in the South, West and East of Johannesburg.
Amanda is service orientated and believes it’s all about the interactions offering a top service to customers giving them the best experience of your products for a long lasting and profitable relationship.
Amanda loves her family and is the mother of a very rambunctious little girl which is the light of her mother’s life. She also enjoys being creative in the kitchen and is an avid gardener focusing on her blossoming veggie garden.
Amanda also enjoys travel and would love to go on a cruise to some exotic locations one day.

“We are naturally attuned to respond to stories. Words have different vibrations, so we resonate with them and therein lies their power. Every business has a story to tell and it’s my great pleasure to help Oryx Desert Salt communicate the truth and power of what they stand for and the uniqueness of their vision”.  

Nina writes blogs, press releases and articles for Oryx. She also writes up interviews with Oryx collaborators about health, new product lines and respecting the ecology of our planet. She is part of the Oryx Marketing Team.

Nina has a background in corporate retail IT, then moved on to owning a business distributing locally sourced natural and organic products. Since selling NEO Trading in 2012, she has developed her passion for words as a professional independent writer, working with many businesses in the natural and organic field. She is also a Thinking Environment coach, potter and singer/guitarist jazz musician.

Suzanne Thomson is a passionate and accomplished business owner and brand consultant. With a love for working with people and a knack for innovative problem-solving, Suzanne has supported many businesses in their online and real world growth. 

With a deep love for health and wellness - and in the process of qualifying as a Hormone & Menstrual Cycle Coach - she understands the importance of good quality salt and is passionate about bringing Oryx Desert Salt to the world in as many ways as she can!

Katie is a seasoned performance marketer, with over 15 years’ experience helping businesses grow through implementing effective paid media strategies. She has worked across most verticals and run campaigns in over 120 countries.  She is a farm girl at heart, having grown up on a poultry farm in the Western Cape. When she is not head down in data analytics; she can be found off on some adventure, be it rock climbing in the Cederberg or spearfishing in Mozambique and the like.

Oryx Desert Salt has worked with Candice for years.  She has taken many of the fabulous foodie and product photos that appear on our website, adverts and social media; she calls it ‘edible content’.   With a magical eye for design, she finds innovative ways of presenting products and food in an eye-catching and appealing way. Candice has a light-hearted, fun and humorous touch; her photos reflect her professionalism and inventiveness.  

You can find Candice’s work here: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialpostsa/