OUR TEAM
Having a team with the required expertise to execute projects, is critical to achieving success. Our multi-disciplinary team of professionals has strong backgrounds in the aviation, healthcare, wildlife tourism, corporate and organisational safety arenas and offers over 100 years of combined experience in human factors training and safety management in high-risk domains.
NEIL CLARKE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Neil's expertise lies in bridging Safety and Innovation Across Industries.
With a 30-year aviation career, including roles as an International Airline Captain, Neil focuses on integrating Human Factors and Risk Management principles to enhance safety and resilience in high-risk sectors such as uncrewed aviation, mining, and wildlife conservation. As a Senior Associate at GoCrisis (UK), he designs practical strategies and Non-Technical Skills (NTS) programs that empower teams to navigate complexity while aligning leadership goals with operational execution.
Beginning in equity trading, Neil transitioned to pioneer wildlife aviation operations, later expanding his skills and experience in the International Airline Industry. This diverse journey inspired his cross-industry frameworks, adapting aviation-derived methodologies—such as situational awareness and error mitigation—to sectors like safari operations and mining.
Committed to collaboration, Neil prioritizes scalable tools and knowledge-sharing to help organizations cultivate proactive, human-centric systems. His work centers on equipping teams to meet current challenges and anticipate future risks, unlocking cultures where safety and performance thrive together.
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MIKE CAVENEY
BUSINESS EXECUTIVE
Michael worked for Anglo American as a corporate pilot before joining South African Airways. He spent 25 years as a long-range pilot ending his career as a Senior Captain on the Airbus A340 fleet. As an airline pilot, he had many opportunities to observe, experience, and interact with people, resulting in acquiring the social and cognitive skills required to operate in a highly skilled high-risk environment. He has used these transferable skills to train other people working in high-risk industries in effective leadership, complex problem solving, decision making, teamwork, communication, stress, and fatigue management. Throughout his airline years, he has had exposure to human factors, safety science, and risk management and participated as a LOSA auditor. He has an avid interest in finance, business management, and how start-up businesses grow to realise their full potential.
COBUS TOERIEN
AVIATION SAFETY SPECIALIST
Cobus Toerien is the Chairman of the Accident Analysis and Prevention Committee of AVPA-SA (Aviation Professional Association) and is an IFALPA (International Federation of Airline Pilots) accredited Aircraft Accident Investigator, advising on Safety Management and Human Factors. He graduated from the South African Military Academy with a BMil degree and, after completing four operational tours on Impala and Mirage type aircraft, served as the Officer Commanding of 2 Squadron - The Flying Cheetahs - flying Cheetah aircraft for 5 years. In 1999, Cobus joined a large international airline as an Aircraft Accident Investigator, before heading up the department as the Flight Safety Manager. Cobus has flown Boeing and Airbus aircraft globally during his tenure at the airline and has facilitated CRM and Human Factors courses over the last two decades. Cobus brings this wealth of knowledge and skills to the Human Factor Hub.
MATITA TSHABALALA
HUMAN FACTORS SPECIALIST
Matita has been working in the aviation sector for twenty (20) years. He held different positions in Operations, HR and Safety departments. He is a registered Industrial Psychologist with the Health Profession Council of South Africa (HPCSA) - since 2013. Matita is also registered as a Human Factors Specialist and Aviation Psychologist with the European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP) since 2012 and 2016 respectively. His interest is in Organisational Development, Systems Thinking, Complexity/Chaos theory and Cognitive Psychology. He is also a Coach and a Change Management consultant.
JC DE KLERK
EVIDENCE-BASED TRAINING SPECIALIST
JC is Human Factors and Airline Training Specialist. After completing an Industrial and Organizational Psychology degree at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, he returned to his native country Namibia where he held various positions in the aviation and the tourist industry. He continued his airline career with Singapore Airlines and then with Jetstar, a subsidiary of Qantas where he held the position of Human Factors Manager and Flight Instructor. He stayed connected to the tourism and safari industry whilst abroad by managing a Safari Consultancy agency assisting Asian travelers with their safari itinerary to Southern Africa.
As a result of being based in Asia for 16 yrs in a company with 42 different nationalities, JC brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in a cross-cultural working environment to assist in developing non-technical skills in high-risk environments.
His experience in Evidence-Based Training programs is a passion he uses to assist in developing training systems in organisations. His experience has been cultivated by the responsibilities of managing dynamic teams in complex environments.
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MALORA KEEVEY
HUMAN FACTORS & RISK SPECIALIST
Malora has more than 20 years of experience living, working, and traveling in remote wilderness environments in Africa. She was the managing director, for an independent company that provided risk and assistance services to a host of tourism and safari operators across Africa. Her work experience has incorporated several industry sectors such as insurance, aviation, medicine as well as conservation. Her journey and experience have evolved her passion for adopting a variety of human factor disciplines to advance effective risk management in industries operating in geographically dispersed and remote contexts. Malora has completed an M.Com degree in Applied Risk Management, and she’s currently working on a Ph.D. in behavioural decision-making under uncertainty with Erasmus University, Rotterdam. She holds an Honours degree in Psychology and a Diploma in organisational change management. She is a registered Trauma Counsellor with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
TONY SCHAPIRO
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Tony has amassed over 40 years of distinguished experience in aviation, human factors, and safety. He began his career with a 12-year tenure in the South African Air Force, where he served as a pilot for 10 years and completed an Accident Investigation course.
During this time, he held key roles as Flight Safety Officer and later Flight Safety Coordinator, in addition to fulfilling public relations responsibilities. Following his military service, Tony transitioned to the commercial aviation sector, commencing his career at Comair before joining South African Airways (SAA). At SAA, he served as PR Director and was an Executive Committee member of ALPA-SA for six years. Notably, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Critical Incident Response Programme (CIRP).
Tony subsequently relocated to the Middle East, where he spent nearly two decades as a B777 pilot for Emirates Airline, operating across a global network. During this period, he developed deep expertise in managing the human aspects of a modern, multicultural airline within a complex operational environment. He contributed significantly to Emirates' Peer Support team for 15 years and served as a Human Factors Instructor for four years, leveraging his extensive experience and passion for teaching to deliver training to both pilots and cabin crew. Tony continues to fly part-time with Cemair, maintaining his active involvement in aviation.
With extensive cross-cultural exposure and decades of expertise in aviation, human factors, and safety, Tony has expanded his influence beyond aviation, applying his knowledge to other high-risk industries, including mining, wildlife conservation, and drone operations. His unique blend of practical experience and instructional expertise positions him as a valuable asset in enhancing safety and operational effectiveness across diverse sectors.
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MARK CAMERON
HUMAN FACTORS & SAFETY SPECIALIST
Mark started his career as a cadet in the Bristow Helicopters in 1980. In his 19 years with Bristow, he operated in Asia, Africa and Europe. This covered offshore, onshore, public transport, HELSO and SAR operations. During this time, he qualified as a UK CAA examiner on the Bell 212 and a CRM facilitator. British Midland offered a new career on the Airbus 320 series of aircraft. This then provided an opportunity to join Emirates Airline in Dubai operating the Airbus 330, 340 and 380 on their global network, both as a Type Rating Instructor and CRM facilitator. To bolster his academic profile, Mark undertook a MSc in Air Safety Management with The City University, London. Mark moved to the ground in Emirates, firstly as a Human Factors Specialist and then as a Flight Safety Manager. While at Emirates, Mark was a key contributor to the research and development of an eye tracking capability within the simulator training environment. Having returned to the UK, Mark is now living in Scotland and is the author of several journal and periodical articles and is named in two US and EU patents relating to the use of mid-fidelity simulation training of airline pilots.
ANTHEA JACKSON
HUMAN FACTORS & TRAINING SPECIALIST
After obtaining her BA degree from the University of Cape Town, Anthea took up a managerial position in a prestigious flora export business in the Western Cape. She subsequently pursued her love for aviation and graduated as a commercial pilot serving distinguished careers both at SA Express and SAA. Anthea's interest in human factors was augmented by her time as a simulator flight instructor on the Airbus A320 while living in Singapore where she conducted CBT-A training & assessment on Type Rating & MCC courses for CAE/AACE. Anthea is an accomplished CRM trainer & contributes a wealth of experience to the Human Factor hub.
Anthea is currently pursuing a diploma in Natural Health Nutrition whilst keeping her flying career active in Cape Town.
DOMINIC LE ROUX
ERGONOMIST & HUMAN FACTORS PROFESSIONAL
In the early stages of her career, Dominic worked in orthopaedic rehabilitation, helping patients recover from injuries and improve their physical function. She then pursued further studies, obtaining a Master's degree in Ergonomics (Human Factors) from Loughborough University (UK).
After completing her postgraduate degree, Dominic transitioned into the field of high-performance sport. In this role, she focused on workload and athlete monitoring, using her expertise in human factors to optimise the training and performance of elite athletes.
Building on this experience, Dominic then further expanded her consulting work to other industries, including banking, mining, and healthcare. In these diverse settings, she applied her strong background in ergonomics and human factors to help organisations improve workplace safety, productivity, and employee wellbeing. She is a registered member and Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist at the CIEHF (Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors).
TALLULAH BUYS DU PLESSIS
ERGONOMIST & HUMAN FACTORS PROFESSIONAL
Tallulah recently graduated with an MSc in Human Factors and Ergonomics from the University of Nottingham in the UK, with distinction. Before this, she completed her undergraduate and honors degree in BCom Industrial Psychology at the University of Stellenbosch, which laid the foundation for her pursuit of human factors and ergonomics. It was during this time that she first developed an interest in understanding human behaviour.
Tallulah's education, combined with a Google UX (user experience) Design course, has provided her with a comprehensive understanding of cognitive and organizational behaviour, human-machine interaction, physical ergonomics, system design and safety. Additionally she gained hands-on experience in applying human-centered methodologies to enhance user performance, safety, and well-being across various domains.
She is passionate about leveraging her expertise to contribute to the development of meaningful, user-centered solutions that improve the usability, safety and performance of systems by applying evidence-based human factors principles.
