MEET THE TEAM
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Wayne Coetzer - General Manager Wayne has extensive experience in the hotel industry including time spent at a private game lodge and abroad. He has been with the Oyster Box for eight years and is one of 30 employees retained from the old Oyster Box to oversee the opening of the new property, having undergone extensive training within sibling hotels in the Red Carnation Hotels Collection both in SA and overseas, during the two-year renovation period. Wayne’s passion for the ethos on which the original Oyster Box was based, continues to fuel his energies for providing outstanding service, as well as in his relationships with staff and guests alike. |
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Tyler Liebenberg – Deputy General Manager Tyler’s hotel career started 16 years ago as a receptionist at the Sandton Sun Hotel in Gauteng, where she was involved in the opening of the Sandton Towers Hotel for the Southern Sun Hotel Group. From receptionist, to executive floor attendant to duty manager, the ‘hotel bug’ had bitten. In 1997 she moved over to the Hilton Hotel in Sandton as executive floor manger, progressing to assistant front office manager and shortly thereafter to front office manager. Tyler spent 10 years with the Hilton group gaining valuable experience travelling and training regionally and internationally. She was part of the opening management team of The Oyster Box in 2009. |
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Sally Gray – General Manager Sales, Red Carnation Hotel Collection South Africa Sally has extensive experience in the hospitality and travel industries, having spent the past 20 years, in various capacities, working within the Thompsons Travel Group. Most recently she has held the position of General Manager: Global Sales for Thompsons Africa and brings a wealth of skill and experience to developing both the international and domestic travel markets on behalf of the Red Carnation Hotel Group portfolio. She is integrally involved in the day to day running of the business, from formulating strategy, to the building of the brand, establishing and maintaining relationships with Clients. Based at The Oyster Box in Umhlanga, Sally is responsible for the Sales of all the Red Carnation Group’s South African operations. . |
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Kevin Joseph – Executive Chef Award-winning executive chef, Kevin Joseph has been at the Oyster Box for six years and is one of the original 30 staff retained during the refurbishment period. He started his career in the South African Navy where he received his basic chef training and since then has accumulated a wealth of hands-on experience at leading hotels in South Africa and around the world. These include The Peninsula Hotel in Cape Town, the Raffles Hotel in Singapore and the Michelin-starred ‘Tamarind’ and ‘Claridges’ Restaurants in London. He has spent the invaluable time in various hotels within the Red Carnation Hotels Collection including The Milestone and Summer Lodge Hotels in London, both with AA Rosette award-winning restaurants, and within South Africa’s Red Carnation portfolio, the international award winning Bushman’s Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat and the Twelve Apostles in Cape Town. Kevin is a member of the South African Chef’s Association and the International Wine and Food Society. He is the current chairman of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) branch and was recently awarded a prestigious Blazon by the Chaîne. |
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Candice Stanley – Reservations Manager After completing a diploma in Hospitality Management with the International Hotel School, Candice worked at the Hilton, Durban. It was there that she gained valuable experience and awareness for the concept of outstanding service. Travels abroad and working for a number of hotel groups have made Candice passionate about her career. Her aim is to ensure that every guest enjoys their most memorable stay ever at The Oyster Box. |
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Stuart McFarlane – Food & Beverage ManagerStuart’s hospitality experience is varied and encompasses stints both in the kitchen and front of house. A three-year period at the prestigious Chateau & Relais property, Ellerman House as Food and Beverage Manager followed his time as the Executive Sous Chef at Birkenhead House (another Royal Portfolio property) in Hermanus. His natural ability and flair for controls and budgets lead him to pursue his career further in this field. He joined Royal Malewane (the Luxury Safari lodge of The Royal Portfolio) near Hoedspruit in 1999, as Chef de Partie. His administrative, reception and office experiences were put to good use in the front office areas as relief Front Office Manager. Stuart gained valuable knowledge and experience as he moved between the Royal Portfolio properties. Before relocating to the bush, he worked at The Westcliff Hotel, in Johannesburg as Front Desk Concierge and relief Night Auditor. Stuart was most recently Deputy General Manager at La Residence, one of three hotels in the The Royal Portfolio, luxury hotel group.He has a diploma in Hotel Management from The Fern Hill in Pietermaritzburg. E: smcfarlane@oysterbox.co.za; T: +27 31 561 2233 |
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Jennifer Petzer – Senior Banqueting Co-ordinator Jennifer has spent seven years honing her skills as a banqueting co-ordinator, two of which were spent on cruise ships including the Queen Mary 2. She also spent a period doing hospitality recruitment, which deepened her understanding of the industry at every level. Most recently she was events & operations manager at Suncoast Events, before taking on the position of senior banqueting co-ordinator at the newly opened Oyster Box. |
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Khanyi Mcunu - Sales Executive Khanyi received her B Com Degree in 2007 in Hospitality Management from Stenden South Africa (formerly known as EISS) and completed her in-service training at Bushman Sands in Shamwari and the Protea Hotel Wanderers, where she was responsible for Guest Liaison and Reservations. Before joining the Oyster Box as a sales executive in 2009, she gained valuable experience as a junior events co-ordinator with Events Lab. Khanyi’s natural love of people and her ability to network, makes every day a challenge and provides the opportunity to form long-term relationships with different people, from different walks of life, in an effort to develop these partnerships into long-term relationships. |
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Trevor Burgess - ConciergeTrevor has been preparing himself for his job as a Concierge from a young age. He loved meeting people and adventure and he went in search of both by travelling overseas where he worked in a catering company, sailing & working on yachts, working at a private lodge as lodge manager and as an activity co-ordinator for a corporate team-building company. |