S.A. On Tour: Hilton, Pietermaritzburg

Samantha Williams is an award winning revenue specialist and currently holds the senior management position of Commercial Director at Profitroom. Before joining Profitroom she worked as a senior revenue and product manager working with a mixed portfolio of over 75 hotels and prior to this held sales and marketing manager positions for leisure resorts and hotels in the UK. Highly respected and with a strong background in hospitality, revenue management and leadership she has worked across numerous hotel marketing and management disciplines and is able to relate to the challenges that hoteliers face. 

She is passionate about helping hoteliers maximise and grow their revenue and is an advocate for personalised, automated processes and integrated systems that help to make the sales process easy for employees and more engaging for guests. At Profitroom Samantha leads on the strategic and operational activities to deliver transformative, tangible results for leisure hotels and resorts in the Africa, Europe and beyond.

For over 20 years, Michael has been developing and training leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. Having resided in the UK for 16 years and presented leadership training in over 25 countries, he has a wealth of international experience and practical know-how.

Working with government departments, businesses, corporates, NPO's as well as sports teams to build leaders, strengthen companies, envision, and inspire.

Michael is an adventurer at heart, together with a small overland team he has driven in a 4x4 from London, UK to Cape Town in South Africa, climbed Kilimanjaro, and visited 66 countries.

In 2009 I received a master trainers’ certificate from HP, in business and IT. I also have a few years in the NGO and teaching sector before joining RFAD.

I have been working with the foundation for 9 years, overseeing the KZN region. In 2020 I had the privilege of taking on the Free State and Northern Cape as well. My role at the foundation is to ensure we do all we can to make dreams come true for children with life threatening illnesses.

As an accomplished senior sales leader with 16 years of experience, Cagdas Duran has a proven track record in building strategic partnerships, taking lead in global expansions, client engagement, and consultation across diverse industries. His expertise spans technology, finance, International trade, and legal sectors.

Currently at Protect Group, Cagdas leads sales, strategic partnerships and operational activities to deliver transformative, tangible results for leisure hotels and resorts across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey. He advocates for tailored, white labelled, automated refund processes and integrated systems, making the refund process seamless and swift for the guests.

With a keen eye for problem-solving and a motivational leadership style, Cagdas excels in delivering and growing complex global customer operations and leading large-scale transformation projects. He is with Protect Group for three years, and he moved to Cape Town in October 2022 to initiate Protect’s 15th global office around the world. Having lived and worked in the USA and Canada for a decade, now South Africa marks his third expat journey.

Through his experiences as a global citizen, embracing diverse cultures, and attending international conferences and seminars, Cagdas is equipped to connect with people from all backgrounds. His commitment to mentoring and fostering genuine connections further enhances his impact on both personal and professional levels. As a former basketball player and Formula 1 enthusiast, Cagdas brings a competitive spirit to everything he does. He has traveled to 39 countries and has a big passion for travel, continuous learning, and engagement with emerging technologies.

Donald Lamont is the Director of Product Development for First Group Resorts & Hotels. He has over 15 years of experience in the hotel and leisure industry and has a strong financial, legal and technology background. In his current role, he is responsible for the group's adoption of new technologies & services, the development and rollout of new leisure products, and the enhancement of existing property facilities and services.

Over the last couple of years, Donald’s portfolio has included the group’s adoption of dynamic rates, the implementation of rate parity monitor systems, the design and implementation of several rewards and loyalty-based products, the implementation of business intelligence and customer relationship management software, and the automation of various back office services.