About us

Veea Group was originally founded in the UK by Luke Lavery. The company, which started small in 2014, grew to become market leaders in early careers attraction, development and education. Veea Group provided a unique platform for diverse future talent to be identified, engaged and nurtured. Some of the clients they have worked with over the years include EY, HSBC, JLL, Places for People, Royal Bank, Wates, AVIVA Investors. Veea Group also worked directly with university and school students (mostly in their sixth form years), providing employability, core business skills and emotional intelligence training.  

 

At the start of 2020 it was time for Veea Group to grow into South Africa. Luke reached out to Antonette and Veea Group SA was born. After a successful incubation period, Veea Group SA officiallly became an independent spin-off company in South Africa during the second half of 2021. 

 

We are a Level 4 B-BBEE procurement level.

Antonette Botes

Founder and Managing Director

Antonette is a purpose driven woman with a passion for development. Combining her Industrial Psychology and NeuroLeadership Coaching background she delivers value to her clients on an individual as well as organisational level. She has significant experience in graduate recruitment and consulting as well as early career skills training, development and coaching. 

 

"When we start our career journey, we all have an opportunity to build a foundation. I believe that if you start early with setting up and crafting your foundation, you will be better prepared for later stages in your career."

Did you know that a bamboo tree takes 5 years to grow? It has to be watered and fertilised in the ground where it has been planted EVERY day. Then, after 5 years, once it breaks through the ground, it will explode into the air and grow 90 feet (approx. 28 meters) tall in just six weeks! 

 

In the same way, young professionals need to craft and build a solid foundation during their early career to ensure a strong structure is in place when they move into next stages of their careers. 

 

Degrees and certifications:

  • Masters in Industrial/Organisational Psychology

  • Brain Based Coaching Certification (Results Coaching - NeuroLeadership Institute)

  • Stakeholder Centred Leadership (SCL) Trainer

  • Certified Enneagram Practitioner

  • Hogan Assessment Certification

Associates of Veea

The below individuals work with Veea on an associate basis:

Pam Cherry

Pam is a career coach, personal branding consultant and speaker. She coaches professionals to articulate their value and craft meaningful presence in their professional lives. Pam have worked with consumer brands, employer brands, scholarship programmes, corporate companies and education providers across South Africa to access and develop young talent. 

Luke Lavery

The founder of Veea Group UK, Luke, remains part of Veea as a delivery consultant/trainer and close ally. Together with his passion for development, Luke has a way of connecting the dots and finding innovative solutions to your problem. His experience and insight is invaluable to our team. 

Natasha Thomas

Natasha is a Career & Life Coach dedicated to helping individuals succeed in the world of work, by helping to build their confidence. She is passionate about working with those curious about understanding themselves and how to harness their strengths to be more effective in all they do. With over 15 years working experience as an HR professional – she uses her experience and qualifications to better support her clients on their journey.

JD Nel

J-D is a leadership development coach with
more than a decade of experience. He specialises in helping leaders, teams and
organisations transform and grow. He believes business plays a large role in the transformation and upliftment of society.
He is a certified coach and experienced facilitator with a masters degree in business
ethics. J-D has worked in the corporate and entrepreneurial space - from
helping startup founders in
ideation phase to supporting
leaders of global organisations.

Rifqa Wilschut

Rifqa is a seasoned Retail and HR professional with over 15 years industry experience complimented by her certification as a career and life coach. She has coached more than 100 aspiring graduates using new age transformation techniques. You will find her sessions engaging, introspective and self rewarding. Rifqa specialises in goal setting.

Carol Mwazi

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