The people behind the work

Founding Partner

Martin Sutherland

Founding Partner / Director of Innovation & Research

South Africa

Martin is the Co-Founder and Global Director of Peopletree Group. With over 30 years of professional consulting experience across ICT, Energy, Financial Services & Banking, Transport, Retail, and Manufacturing, his approach is characterised by practical, data-driven talent solutions that improve the design of an organisation's people ecosystem.

Managing Partner

Brett Mulder

Managing Partner / Director of Business Operations

Netherlands

Brett joined Peopletree Group in 2013 and has been Managing Partner since 2019. He has helped clients in over 30 countries optimise their human capital and achieve business goals. With years of experience developing and implementing effective leadership and talent strategies, he brings deep expertise to his role and is committed to delivering customised solutions that meet the unique needs of each client.

Nigel Lee

Non Executive Director

Mauritius

Nigel Lee brings extensive experience in the Financial Services Sector. A Curtin University Australia graduate, member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and the Mauritius Institute of Directors, Nigel has held leadership roles for over 15 years.

Leigh Hoft

Marketing Manager

South Africa

Leigh Höft brings a rich background in healthcare and marketing. With a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from Wits Business School, she transitioned from Physiotherapist to Head of Product before finding her passion in marketing.

John Retana

Operations Director

Latin America

With a background in Industrial Engineering, John's passion for delivering innovative and effective solutions has helped organisations across healthcare, finance, and manufacturing achieve their business goals. He is dedicated to helping clients optimise the design of their people ecosystems for sustainable growth.

Rob Heymann

Head of Technology Solutions

South Africa

Rob is a full-stack software engineer with over 15 years of experience at one of the largest banking groups in Africa. He manages the complete secure development lifecycle for our technology platform and client implementations. A Scrum and Agile specialist, Rob leads a team of development, business intelligence, and UX/UI specialists.

Jannes Roos

Data Systems Engineer

South Africa

Jannes is Peopletree Group's Data Systems Engineer, joining in 2018 as a Database Administrator. He designs sustainable data solutions for clients and manages data lifecycles and the Tableau Server environment, ensuring secure, compliant, and scalable data architecture.

Jemima Haddad

Client Services Manager

South Africa

Jemima's background in recruitment and marketing has been invaluable since joining Peopletree Group in 2019. She works closely with the executive team to create structures and processes that enable more efficient delivery of solutions and services as the business grows and scales.

Debbie O'Meara

Financial Manager

South Africa

Debbie is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a decade of experience at KPMG in Audit and Technical Accounting Advisory. She manages all aspects of the finance function, working with our global network of clients, partners, and audit teams to ensure strong financial controls and regulatory compliance.

Felicia Mabena

Data Operations Specialist

South Africa

Felicia Mabena is a data analyst and project manager with over a decade of experience in data quality, governance, and business intelligence. She supports organisations in structuring and analysing data to enable clear, informed decision-making. She works across the full analytics cycle, from building reliable data foundations and reporting to delivering deeper insights that inform workforce decisions. Felicia also specialises in Tableau design and administration, alongside experience across platforms including SAP, Salesforce, Shopify, and Microsoft Azure.

Shania Haffajee

Customer Success Manager

South Africa

Shania works closely with clients to ensure every solution we deliver is successfully implemented and adopted. With 15+ years across client success, project management, and operations, she has led cross-functional teams and managed complex portfolios for startups and large enterprises.

Seotlelo Rapolai

Customer Success Manager

South Africa

Seotlelo is passionate about helping clients succeed through genuine customer focus and streamlined processes. With over a decade of experience in the talent assessment industry, Seo has thrived across account management, project coordination, customer experience, and sales support.

Phindile Hlabangane

Talent Management Consultant

South Africa

Phindile is a talent management consultant with over 17 years of experience across talent acquisition, people development, and organisational transformation. She works with organisations to design and deliver practical talent solutions spanning talent management, leadership, and culture. Her background covers financial services, consulting, FMCG, and NGOs.

Jennifer Zelvin McCloskey

Director U.S. Operations

United States

Jennifer Zelvin McCloskey, Esq., serves as Director of U.S. Operations. A licensed attorney with over 20 years of experience in corporate bankruptcy, commercial litigation, and estate planning. She holds an LL.M. in Taxation and a Certification in Estate Planning from Villanova University.