Andrew Charman
Andrew trained as a sociologist and development specialist, studying at the University of Cape Town and Cambridge where he obtained a PhD degree. Andrew has worked as a researcher, a project manager and development practitioner on a range of projects across diverse settings in Southern Africa, including rural areas and townships. In 2010, Andrew co-founded the Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation (SLF) (www.livelihoods.org.za) with the aim of contributing knowledge to socio-economic development challenges, through conducting research, enabling participatory engagement and facilitating appropriate support. At SLF, Andrew has led a series of projects to understand the policy and regulatory barriers impacting on micro-enterprises in South Africa’s townships. As a development practitioner, Andrew seeks to translate research into interventions that can better serve people’s development needs through innovative enterprise development solutions, targeted infrastructure investments, new forms of social organisation and policy reforms.
Contact Andrew: Andrew.Charman@livelihoods.org.za
Leif Petersen
Leif has worked for the last 15 years in the field of South Africa’s township microenterprises and markets. As a co-founding director of SLF, he has presented a substantive body of academic, commercial and mainstream reporting and presentations on township economy markets, in particular market intelligence for sectors including Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) retailing, supply chain development, and market dynamics of grocery trading, liquor retailing, traditional medicine, and informal manufacturing. His PhD and Post-Doctoral work focused on qualitative understanding of businesses and consumers of traditional medicines and food in the township context. He has strong interests in translating research insights and interconnectedness within developing economies of Africa, Asia and the Pacific into practical interventions to support livelihoods. Among his range of projects and interests, Leif is a Research Fellow at the Africa Open Institute at the University of Stellenbosch and an Adjunct Fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia).
Contact Leif: Leif@livelihoods.co.za
Thireshen Govender
Thireshen is an architect practising and teaching in Johannesburg. Having graduated from the University of Cape Town as an architect, he trained in local practices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Through the awarding of a Chevening Scholarship, he further advanced his studies in Urban Design at The University College of London (Bartlett) in the United Kingdom. He traveled extensively, widely informed by a keen interest on how post-traumatic cities define themselves socially and spatially. In 2008, he founded UrbanWorks Architecture & Urbanism, a design-research studio, to deepen knowledge on post-apartheid spatial practices in order develop innovative and responsive design strategies toward radical transformation in South African cities. The practice works across scales and disciplines to explore how space and design can productively play a role in urban transformation through carefully curated interventions. In addition to international teaching and talks, Thireshen leads a design-research unit at the University of Johannesburg’s Graduate School of Architecture. The unit investigates and documents the spatial consequence of post-apartheid socio-economic practices in architecture and urbanism.
Contact Thireshen: Thireshen.Govender@livelihoods.org.za
