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. Thanks 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!”
A Capetonian born and raised in the city’s southern suburbs, Waleed served as Marketing Manager for a hotel group for many years, before finally realising his affinity for connecting with people made him better suited to sales.
A longstanding relationship with Steadfast (who was initially a client) gave him an unique understanding of the business and made his eventual transition to the team seamless. He’s a huge asset – not only for his natural charisma, but also his resourcefulness and reliability.
Happiest in the sunshine, in his downtime you’ll find him doing pretty much anything adventurous and nature-based. His travel personality is no different – outdoorsy – and so bush, forest and beach destinations are where he’ll be booking.
Waleed’s area of expertise: Safari travel and experiences spanning Southern and Eastern Africa.
“Radiate positivity and good vibes, to attract positive outcomes, and individuals who inspire & uplift you”
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.”
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”
With a go-getter attitude as well as extensive experience in the luxury travel space both locally and internationally, this Hout-Bay-Republic-Citizen knows exactly what it takes to match a client to the perfect property. When she’s not curating extraordinary experiences for steadfast travellers, she enjoys going on spontaneous adventures – preferably with a glass of wine in hand.
Lorelle quit a budding career as an estate agent to join the Steadfast family. She is the best property manager we’ve ever seen in the game – it is literally and figuratively in her blood. With a shrewd understanding of real estate principles, a great eye for detail and a no-nonsense attitude, Lorelle gets the job done with impressive results. Especially when her nautical man has “gone fishing”.
Lorelle’s area of expertise: Burst geysers, impossible clients, earning massive yields on beautiful property, laughing and smiling and chardonnay. In that order.
“When deciding if you should or shouldn’t, jump right right in. What if it works out exactly as you imagined or even greater. Entertain that thought.”
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.”
A lifelong Capetonian, Chelsea’s upbringing in South Africa has afforded her a deep appreciation for its natural beauty and diverse cultures.
Her degrees in Foundation Phase Teaching and Applied Business Psychology give her an invaluable combination of analytical and people skills. Steadfast was the perfect place for her to combine this with her safari operations experience, and hands on approach to help craft unforgettable client
experiences.
A highly organised, detail-oriented, and adaptable planner, she has that rare ability to work well under pressure and problem solve, making her a born operations manager.
Outside of work, she loves spending time with her daughter and counts herself a coffee connoisseur. An immersive traveller, she embraces every aspect of a destination, from its natural beauty to local
culture. On her bucket list are some of the more remote parts of Africa.
Chelsea’s area of expertise: The logistics of African travel, particularly Botswana and Kruger National Park.
“Traveling leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
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.
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.”
Charged with analysing and evaluating our villa properties to provide investment advice, Leo has plenty on his plate at work. As a Victoria Falls local over the years though, adventure is in his blood and you’ll likely find him on safari, taking surf trips or scuba diving, when he’s not running numbers.
Leo studied commerce at Stellenbosch and has taken several property courses since. He has an excellent analytical mind and a fresh approach to economics. He has laid the groundwork for our property fund – get in touch with him to find out more.
Leo’s areas of expertise: Aside from knowing the best places to get into adventure activities (like late-night dancefloors), Leo can help advise you on property’s top shelf. Revenue and yield projections are child play for this economics buff, who is also an undercover joller. Still waters run deep!
“The best investment on Earth is earth.” Louis Glickman
Both a city slicker and a nature lover, Bella is at home on the runways of Paris or barefoot hiking trails of the Cape forests, and is the quintessential Cape Town “It girl”.
After studying psychology, media and communications, Bella’s passion for people, places and connecting these spheres of life, lead her to real estate, where she thrives. It was then only a matter of time before she managed to incorporate her love of the Mother City into her career to become Steadfast Afriac’s social media whizz.
If there’s a party Bella is front middle of the dance floor, and the same goes for luxury hotels, restaurant openings, safaris, yachts, private planes etc – we are proud to have her on our team. Nick says there is no need to go anywhere anymore – you can just watch Bella’s insta work and feel like you’ve done it all!
Bella’s area of expertise: A Cape Town socialite and restaurant guru, Bella will give you the best tips for the places to wine, dine and go out on the town. She is also a sh*t hot real estate broker if you feel you can’t leave Cape Town without owning some of it.
“Eat well, travel often and love always.”
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.”
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.”
