Jo co-founded Wildlife ACT in 2008 alongside Chris Kelly and Dr Simon Morgan, driven by a desire to bridge the gap between wildlife conservation and community development in rural Africa. With a background in commerce, economics, and marketing, including work on conservation campaigns at a leading South African agency, he brought strategic and communications expertise to the organisation from its earliest days.
Jo grew up in a small town in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, close to Zululand, where wildlife adventures shaped an early connection to the natural world. He completed a degree in Commerce and Economics at Stellenbosch University, where he first crossed paths with Chris Kelly and Simon Morgan, before moving to Cape Town to complete a postgraduate degree.
He went on to work for one of South Africa’s leading advertising and marketing agencies, where his work included campaigns for a major international conservation organisation.
Having grown up in rural Africa, Jo was acutely aware that wildlife conservation efforts and community development did not always meet. This tension motivated him to leave the corporate world and co-found Wildlife ACT in 2008, an organisation built to address exactly that mismatch. As Co-Founder and Non-Executive Trustee, Jo is proud to be part of an organisation that contributes to the sustainable preservation of one of the world’s most diverse and threatened ecosystems, while ensuring that the communities living alongside wildlife are part of the conservation story.
“Growing up in rural Africa, I have always been aware of the fact that wildlife conservation efforts and community development needs did not always meet. This is when I made the decision to leave the 9 to 5 world and help establish Wildlife ACT. You can call me Jo!”