Although our team is young, we’ve been travelling Africa for hundreds of years combined. We know just about every corner of the destinations we promote, allowing us to create curated experiences that show you the best of what our astonishing continent has to offer.
As Steadfast Africans, we draw on our decades of combined experience to create once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences for every client we serve. No matter what your African dream is, we’re here to help you make your adventure an unforgettable one.
Nick’s previous life was as a cricket and travel writer for ten years. Often through combining these two favourite passions, he travelled non-stop and visited over 60 countries as he mastered the art of living in aeroplanes and hotels. As a result, Nick is the consummate travel expert.
After finally realising there was no place better in the world than Cape Town, he hardly leaves Kloof Street and helps everyone else with their travel plans instead. A huge believer that the Cape is the best place in the world, he is unlikely to let you visit Africa without spending some days at its tip.
Nick has great joie de vivre and refined tastes but is also a master of what represents good value for money. He is also never shy to make the most of his extraordinary network and takes great pleasure in reciprocating accordingly by generously hosting everyone in South Africa. As the ultimate host, he is driven by the reward that comes with everyone else’s satisfaction.
Nick’s area of expertise: Being as well travelled as he is, Nick knows all of the best places to visit and things to do – or someone who knows the spots and stops – in almost every corner of the globe. Think Grand Budapest Hotel Concierge Club.
“I’m fortunate to have a close network of influential friends around the globe and nowhere is that more significant than in South Africa’s ‘lifestyle economy’. When you book with us, you get a level of hospitality and access that other travel and concierge companies are simply incapable of offering.”
Olivia is a University of Cape Town MBA graduate and successful entrepreneur. She built up a marketing agency, taking it from a small start-up to market-leader with significant nationwide operations – a business she sold to do the MBA in 2016.
As a lover of spreadsheets, accounting, compliance and ensuring that everything she does is just right, Liv is a perfect foil for Nick, whose history is more on the cavalier and adventurous side of life.
With a keen eye for detail and a passionate solutions-oriented approach, Olivia is a very competent COO. Thank heavens we have her as Nick’s boss too – we need a level head around here.
Olivia’s area of expertise: Olivia gives great guidance about business operations, but her advice about where to watch spectacular sunsets while sipping champagne with her feet in the sand is the best.
“I might be the boss of the office but don’t get me wrong, my happy places are savouring life in the Franschhoek vineyards or 4×4’ing around Namibia as the sun sets over the dunes – travel is the best investment money can buy. I only wish Nick wasn’t so addicted to this office and we could travel even more.”
Born in England to a Welsh family, Isabella has spent the second half of her young life in the Cape. After university she started her career as an (excellent) graphic designer, but her love for all things travel – especially safari, food and wine – has led her to luxury travel planning. And she’s a natural. Isabella has wanderlust by nature and she has been to almost every top hotel and lodge in the region.
Her nature is gentle and caring and her thoughtful travel planning is creative and efficient. We are so lucky to have her as one of Steadfast’s most knowledgeable travel designers (and definitely our best graphics designer!). Nothing is too much trouble for this unflappable nad uber-connected rockstar.
Isabella’s area of expertise: As a Franschhoek local, Isabella has the inside scoop on everything in the Winelands. She also knows everyone there, and the combination of the two makes for a noted superpower.
“I come from a family whose motto is “work hard play hard”: at Steadfast we work hard so you can play hard!”
Born in Johannesburg, Nina studied Visual Communication (Honours), specialising in Branding and Graphic Design.
She took some valuable time off after her studies to travel and broadened her horizons at a buzzing natural wine bar in Amsterdam, and over a ski season in the Austrian Alps. Now back on home soil, when she’s not helping clients plan their next trip, she’s watching cooking and travel shows, hosting dinner parties, or soaking up the sun.
Her collaborative and creative nature, ability to think out of the box, and willingness to go the extra mile makes her a perfect fit at Steadfast. With a natural sense of curiosity and open-mindedness, she’s a conscious and adventurous traveller – which usually entails discovering roads less travelled with a backpack or researching ways to make it more sustainable. If she won the lotto, she’d probably be dancing in Rio or writing a food and travel book all about Mexico.
Nina’s area of expertise: Designing and planning experiences in meticulous detail that are sure to blow clients’ hair back.
“Take more chances. Dance more dances.”
Originally from Zimbabwe, Shawn grew up in a small town in White River, Mpumalanga. She studied Psychology at the University of Cape Town before beginning her career in hospitality, working in the world-renowned Sabi Sand region. Most recently, she was based in Antigua, where she gained international experience working for an airline company.
Calm under pressure and naturally people-oriented, she brings warmth, adaptability, and a grounded presence to every interaction, whether with guests or colleagues.
Outside of work, she’s happiest in nature, learning about wildlife or spending time with friends and family. Her travel style leans toward immersive, peaceful experiences, whether out on safari or by the sea, and Southern Africa remains close to her heart as one of the world’s most remarkable travel regions.
Shawn’s area of expertise: Her passion and expertise lie in safari travel, shaped by a childhood spent exploring nearby game reserves and a deep connection to the bush.
“And into the bush I go, to lose my mind and find my soul”
Proudly born and raised in Cape Town, Francesca studied travel and tourism and built her career as a leisure and corporate travel consultant in both Cape Town and London. Her passion for crafting the perfect trip and love for Africa made joining Steadfast a natural progression.
With a knack for smooth, stress-free, tailor-made journeys packed with fun and immersive experiences, she brings deep destination knowledge and hands-on expertise to every itinerary. A seeker at heart, outside of work she loves the ocean, nature, animals, and creating adventures that connect travellers with the true spirit of a place.
Francesca’s area of expertise: Francesca is great at designing and managing personalised travel experiences. She combines extensive knowledge of destinations with hands-on experience in bookings, tour operations, and seamless itinerary planning.
“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent in the ideas of living.”
Karla grew up between Namibia and Cape Town so she has safari running through her veins. Studying Humanities with a major in Psychology, Karla went on to work in sales for a period before finding Steadfast through a friend – who thought her love of travel, sales and planning would be great assets to the team.
Karla’s approachability and open-mindedness make her really easy to talk to – crucial in client relations, while her diligence and aptitude for research make sure every i is dotted and t is crossed and nothing ever slips through the cracks.
A lover of nature through and through, she spends her downtime hiking, volunteering with animal conservation organisations, painting or going on weekend excursions.
When she does venture further afield, she most enjoys self-driving road trips, walking safaris, and game drives – she’s happy to be anywhere there is wildlife and beautiful scenery.
Karla’s area of expertise: South Africa – especially the Garden Route – and Namibia.
“Enjoy being in the process of becoming”
A consummate expert in luxury hospitality and service delivery, operations-driven Leande knows what it takes to turn guests’ wildest dreams into reality. Her positive, go-getter attitude means that she easily builds rapport with both owners and guests to ensure an outstanding villa experience for everyone involved.
Leande’s background is as a successful talent-agent. She also headed the start up of an international super-luxe villa company. Leande is highly competent, bright and driven with a deep understanding of all things luxury, especially food and wine.
Leande’s area of expertise: Guest focused, goal oriented and well connected – Leande is able to anticipate guests needs to ensure they never want for anything.
“Privacy is the new luxury. Don’t compromise on your downtime.”
A Hout Bay local, Billi is a born-and-bred Capetonian who makes the most of what the
beautiful city has to offer at any opportunity, whether that’s dinners out with friends, morning cold swims, hot yoga or sundowners.
Joining Steadfast by way of word of mouth, she has a natural affinity for hospitality. A people person and problem solver – both crucial traits in the business – her background and work experience in real estate brings a particularly nuanced understanding to our villa team.
When it comes to her own travel tastes, warm and tropical top the wishlist – essentially anywhere she can spend her days sipping a margarita on the beach. Nature trips are also a strong contender – she’s been to the Kruger National Park for 14 years running and knows it like the back of her hand.
Billi’s area of expertise: Matching clients to the perfect villa, and insight into off-market hidden gems
“I hope there is a charcuterie board”
Lee-Anne has been in luxury hospitality for 18 years. She started at Clovelly Country Club and worked her way into tour operating, golf travel and Mauritius holidays.
She has spent the last 12 years exclusively managing bookings of luxury villas in Cape Town, and has worked at established companies Nox and Capsol. So when it comes to villas on the Atlantic Seaboard, no one has more experience.
Lee-Anne loves travel, weekends at beautiful houses with gin and tonics, spa treatments and her teenage WP water polo representing children. We are seriously lucky to have her on board as she takes problems in her stride and calmly makes a few calls to make problems disappear in a flash.
Lee-Anne’s area of expertise: Lee-Anne is probably the most connected person in Cape Town. From Ward Councillors to the Traffic Department – her speed dial list is second to none!
“Mistakes & pressures are inevitable; the secret to getting past them is to stay calm”
Born in Cape Town, and raised in Germany, Nicole studied event management but returned to home soil to start her working life, initially as a PA and property manager. This paved the way for joining Steadfast, where her problem solving and organisational skills, and ability to keep calm under pressure are hugely valued.
Friendly, warm, and passionate, she’s a natural when it comes to working with people. An active lifestyle enthusiast, you will find her surfing at sunrise, horse riding, and generally on the go, or seeking good food (a crucial skill on the Steadfast team).
Travel wise, she loves exploring new cultures and places, but if she had to choose the ideal destination it would be a city near the ocean so she can have the best of urban and beach life.
Nicole’s area of expertise: Problem-solving on all thing’s property.
“Keep your head high, your heart light, and your smile bright.”
Kylie grew up in Johannesburg and studied at Stellenbosch University, starting her career in marketing and events before spending six years working on superyachts as a second stewardess. Her time spent travelling the world taught her the importance of service, attention to detail, and understanding different personalities and cultures.
Joining Steadfast Africa felt like the perfect blend of everything she’s passionate about: hospitality, creating memorable experiences, working in beautiful spaces, and engaging with all kinds of guests. With strong people skills and a love of organisation, Kylie brings calm, warmth, and efficiency to every guest stay.
Outside of work, Kylie enjoys walking her dogs, yoga or Pilates, and getting creative. Her travel style leans towards exploring hidden gems and destinations, and Japan, New Zealand, and the vineyards of Tuscany top her wish list.
Kylie’s area of expertise: She’s especially passionate about anticipating what someone might need before they even ask, and always goes the extra mile to make them feel at home.
Cara grew up in Johannesburg and studied in the UK, completing her undergraduate degree in Film Studies and Visual Culture at the University of Exeter, followed by a Master’s in Cultural and Creative Industries at King’s College London. With a background in the travel industry and as the founder of an art company supporting emerging South African artists, she brings a creative and strategic edge to her work.
Having been involved in running her family’s luxury villa for years, Cara joined Steadfast Africa to help enhance and elevate the guest experience. Her expertise lies in villa marketing and experience coordination, always with a focus on detail and quality.
Outside of work, you’ll find her hiking with her dog Suki or diving into a sewing project –anything involving colour, fabric, and texture sparks her creativity. Her travel style is off-the-beaten-path adventures, and she’s currently planning to explore more of Africa, particularly West Africa.
Cara’s area of expertise: She’s known for her ability to strategise, negotiate, and bring teams together to make things happen.
“I will succeed because I am insane”
Talent finds joy in making a difference in people’s lives, so being the Guest Experience Manager at Steadfast Africa gives him the opportunity to do just that. Nick got to know Talent on the golf course where he ran the bar and knew every member’s name while he made sure their drinks were always full. He is quick with a joke and to light up a smoke!
Charming, handsome and bright, Talent has high standards and isn’t happy until everything is perfect. He is new to the luxury villa hospitality and concierge game and has a bright career ahead of him. Having been in the hospitality industry for 3 years, he has all of the necessary skills to ensure that your experience as our guest is seamless and tailored to your needs. With a passion for property and people, Talent is the most suited man for the job.
Talent’s area of expertise include having an eye for detail, sharp memory and great communication skills. He is also an undercover golf pro with a killer swing so watch out if you see him at the Met.
“Golf excites me but proving my guest the everlasting experience is what drives me.”
A former farm boy from the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Rogan initially moved to the Cape to study Business Science Marketing at UCT. As with everything else, he made very light work of that degree as he excelled in the Mother City and also established himself as an authority of cool. This is Rogan’s first job, but you would think he has been at it for years as he just about runs the place.
Rogan is seriously organised, bright, creative and personable. He went from intern to head of marketing in six weeks, and goodness knows where he will be in six years. We are very privileged to have this man on our team.
A lover of fashion, food and spending quality time with friends, he’s happiest when he has a glass of bubbles in one hand, and his insta popping over a tasting menu in the other.
Rogan’s area of expertise: Always keen to dress up and go out, Rogan knows all of Cape Town’s hippest hot spots, especially when it comes to food. He’s also a pretty good dumpling maker.
“I love traveling almost as much as I love posting about it on Instagram”
Growing up in La Lucia, Durban, Samantha studied Fashion Merchandising, Marketing and Media at Fedisa Fashion School and then completed a Luxury Business Management course at Institut Français de la Mode in Paris in 2024. Her marketing career has evolved over the past three years, leading her to Steadfast, where her combination of left- and right-brained thinking allows her to be strategic and organised but also creative – with a love of design and curation. Warm and friendly, yet she knows how to get the job done.
She considers herself lucky to have been able to travel extensively throughout her life, experiencing different cultures and lifestyles. And while she appreciates the finer things, Samantha tries to integrate sustainability into every part of her life and work.
She is animal obsessed, has a deep love for local South African products and is happiest in nature, and will usually combine that with travel. Aside from travel, she loves and enjoys seeing friends, going out for dinners, and immersing herself in the fashion industry. Switzerland is top of her list to visit next.
“Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is the special occasion.”
Matthew is a born-and-raised Capetonian. After growing up in the city’s Northern Suburbs, he attended the University of the Western Cape and completed his accounting undergraduate degree – he chose Stellenbosch university for the postgraduate Chartered Accountancy. We cleverly stole this finance whizz from a serious auditing firm, and we hope he’ll be on our team forever because we’ve never seen him make a mistake. ANd Nick has never looked at a bank account (not that Liv would give him the password even if he wanted to). Matthew’s management accountancy skills are obviously also a massive enormous asset to our biz.
When he’s not deftly taking care of Steadfast’s millions, you can find Matthew playing sport and spending time with friends and family. A rugby enthusiast and all-round legend, Matthew is the most huggable BFG with a smile and a chuckle at every turn.
Matthew’s area of expertise: Owning the books, so we don’t have to! He also has an excellent sense of humour and the world’s loveliest smile (but you still have to pay him on time – he’s HUGE!).
“If you want to buy things without looking at the price tag, you have to be able to work without looking at the clock.”
Rwandan Seth had been a driver in Cape Town for ten years when Nick and Liv met the man with the kindest smile in town. Seth is now a qualified tour guide who is passionate about showing our clients around Cape Town enjoyably and safely.
Seth is patient, friendly and always very well dressed. Nothing is too much trouble for him. He knows all of our secret spots and is a man you want on your side.
Area of expertise: Anything and everything to do with Cape Town – Seth knows where to go and what to do if you want to have the best experience in the Cape.
Fun fact: He has never received a speeding fine, and probably never will!
“Live your life by a compass not a clock.”
Max takes his role as Office Dog very seriously. He is by far the friendliest team member at 8am on a Monday morning and is always ready to greet everyone with a wagging tail.
Between his regular patrols to the front door (no visitor goes unannounced), Max keeps a close eye on the team, making sure everyone is doing their work and staying happy. Whether he’s snoozing under a desk or offering mid-meeting morale support, Max brings daily joy, loyalty, and a touch of lovable chaos to the office.
Area of expertise: Walks in the park, indulging in tummy rubs, and detecting the sound of a snack being opened from across the room.
“Show up every day with enthusiasm”
Suki is the calm, watchful presence of the downstairs office: quiet, poised, and always within a few metres of her person, Cara. She prefers to observe rather than perform, often found tucked under a desk, subtly monitoring the day’s activities with the focus of someone who takes office life very seriously.
Though gentle by nature, Suki’s loyalty is unmatched. Her laid-back demeanour vanishes the moment another dog crosses her path (especially Max upstairs) whose uninvited tail wags are met with involuntary barks. Suki truly comes out of her shell when in the dog park, however still keeps her circle close.
Area of expertise: Silent supervision, emotional support on demand, and acting completely calm until the presence of another dog requires otherwise.
“Show up every day with loyalty”
