Team Spirit
Gist's technical team consists of 8 fully trained and experienced technicians. The Technical Services team is lead by Riaan Snijman (Technical Services Manager) and Senior Technicians Ian Monk and Marius Muller, specialising in schools, SOHO, other small to medium size enterprises and Corporate SME's. We realize that small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) require quality, prompt and reliable service held together with an honest, human approach. We believe that no question is a ‘Stupid Question!’
Willem Malherbe is an alumnus of the University of the Free State where he obtained the degrees BA, BA Hons in Sociology (with distinction); MA in Social Demography and Masters in Town and Regional Planning (with distinction). He was also awarded a Certificate in Management by the UFS Business School.
His career included being a Human Science and Higher Education researcher and expert, University Lecturer, University Registrar and Strategic Planner and senior University Manager.
He attended several international scientific and higher education conferences abroad and visited numerous internationally renowned universities on study tours while participating in various Association of Commonwealth Universities benchmarking exercises on behalf of the UFS, locally and abroad.
At the end of 2009 he left his University management position to become a planning consultant. In this capacity he became involved with Gist and eventually was appointed as MD to bring a strategic plan developed for Gist, to fruition.
Jaco is a founding shareholder of Gist and heads up the organisation as the Commercial Director. Jaco's hands-on approach and technological expertise has been a key strength of our business over the past 10 years.
Before heading up Gist! as Managing Director untill August 2010, he was area manager for Bonchem Cape (Pty) Ltd and lecturer in Histology, at the University of the Free State.
He has been active in the IT industry since 1993 and holds a B. Sc. (hons.) from the University of the Free State. Jaco has been given the task of running the Sales & Marketing for the rapidly growing Gist! in August 2010.
Elana Rossouw joined the Gist team in February 2003 as Admin Assistant with a secretarial/ administrative diploma.
Gist’s belief to invest in its people and Elena’s vigour to grow ensured a Gist bursary that enabled her further tertiary education in Financial Management with a diploma from Northlink College in 2009.
Having grown with Gist, her vast experience and gained financial knowledge ensures that the finances of Gist is guarded and led by her as competent and well qualified Financial Director.
Melissa joined Gist in 2007 as Personal Assist to the Managing Director. The experience she gained by working for various enterprises locally and abroad, as well as at Gist has earned her the valuable position of being the key link between Clients, Technical Services and the Financial department. As Administrative Assistant to the whole of Gist she is also the first friendly voice you will hear when you phone Gist and the first friendly face that you will encounter at our office. She ensures that you receive fit for purpose attention, according to your business need, from either our Technical team or our Financial Department.
Willem Malherbe Jnr is a co-founder of Gist and is based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He founded Gist together with Jaco Pieterse in 2001 after a finance career in PricewaterhouseCoopers. In 2002 he joined Vodacom's corporate finance team and in 2006 moved on to a strategy and general management career at Vodafone Netherlands. He is passionate about business and holds an MBA from Henley Management College and is a Chartered Accountant (SA).
