MEET THE TEAM
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Clive Bennett - Managing Director of Red Carnation Hotels in South Africa After completing his Hotel Management training at The Savoy in London, Clive spent six years at The Carlton in Johannesburg. In 1987 he was appointed as general manager of The Royal in Durban and in 1992 became an executive director of The Three Cities Hotels. In 2000 he moved to Europe to take up the position of MD for a specialised banqueting production business before returning to the hotel industry to manage the Annabelle Hotel in Cyprus. He returned to SA in 2004 as general manager of The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa in Cape Town. In December 2004 he was appointed managing director of Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat, the Relais and Chateaux property in the Cederberg. In November 2006 he negotiated and concluded the purchase of The Oyster Box in Umhlanga on behalf of Red Carnation Hotels and in November 2006 took on the position of managing director of the The Red Carnation Hotel Collection (includes Bushmans Kloof, The Twelve Apostles & The Oyster Box) in South Africa. |
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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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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 Breezes Resort & Spa in Bali, 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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Karen van Schalkwyk – Marketing & Sales Manager With a career spanning 14 years in the hospitality industry, including time spent at Wilderness Safaris and The Saxon Hotel in Gauteng, Karen’s position as sales and marketing manager for The Oyster Box, servicing both local and international markets, keeps her challenged at every level. She is integrally involved in the day to day running of the business, from formulating strategy, to the building of the brand and establishing & maintaining relationships with Clients. |
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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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Nick Bosse - Food and Beverage Manager Nick has been in hospitality for 10 years, seven of which he has spent at The Oyster Box as F&B Manager and the balance at various hotels and pubs in South Africa and abroad. He has a Diploma in International Hotel Management from Varsity College and a Certificate from the Cape Wine Academy. During the renovation period Nick spent 20 months at The Twelve Apostles. He list opening the new Oyster Box as the highlight of his career to date and the opportunity to head up the F & B department, incredibly challenging and rewarding. |
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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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Thato Goimane – SommelierThato Goimane’s ‘love affair’ with wine started while working as a waiter at a Johannesburg restaurant, when he observed a group of diners at a wine tasting. Coming from Soweto, he thought that all the ‘sniffing and swirling’ of the glasses and the comments being made about the wine was ‘pretty impressive’ and there and then he decided he wanted to make wine his career. |
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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. |