Professional background and experience:

Chris Todd is an Attorney and Partner at the law firm Bowmans.  He was admitted to practice as an Attorney in 1996, after completing degrees at the University of Cape Town, and Oxford University. 

During his career Chris has focused his practice on Employment Law and Employee Benefits, Investigations, and Public Law Dispute Resolution. For two years he practised in a corporate mergers and acquisitions team, where he was responsible for a variety of transactions for a parastatal transport company involving the disposal of non-core businesses, in the mining industry in the disposal of shares in new and mature mining ventures, and in disposals of the South African businesses of multinational corporations as part of global transactions. He subsequently returned to full-time employment and public law practice combining negotiation and ADR with policy and advisory work in these areas.

In the course of his dispute resolution practice Chris has represented local government entities in a lengthy process of public sector pension fund restructuring which involved several years of complex negotiation, litigation and ADR; and in employment litigation at various levels including public and private employment law tribunals, in the Labour Court, Labour Appeal Court and Constitutional Court. Chris has also represented a range of public sector clients in boardroom or senior executive disputes and in related investigation, mediation or facilitation processes; and, pro bono, in public interest matters for NPO clients.

Chris co-authored Commercial Mediation, a User’s Guide, Juta, 2012 (with John Brand and Felicity Steadman) (second edition published in 2016).  He is also author or co-author of three books on different areas of Employment Law (Business Transfers and Employment Rights in South Africa, Lexis Nexis, with du Toit & Bosch; Collective Bargaining Law, Siber Ink; and Contracts of Employment, Siber Ink, second edition with Talita Laubscher).

Mediation experience and style:

Chris’ dispute resolution career includes roles as Adjudicator, having served as an acting Judge of the Labour Court and of the High Court, and as an arbitrator in private tribunals. He was trained and accredited by CEDR as a Commercial Mediator in 2007 and completed a negotiation course at the Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation in 2008. His experience in commercial mediation includes representing a City as lead negotiator in mediations involving several hundred million rand pension fund deficits and representing two major mining houses in mediation of a mass personal injury claim. Chris has advised a multinational banking group on corruption allegations in Tanzania, has conducted training for a US-headquartered global multi-national in Kenya, Nigeria and Angola, and currently represents a South African-based natural resources group in a complex and high-value cross-border dispute involving entities and shareholders in South Africa, Mauritius, UAE and Ghana.  In his role as mediator, Chris usually follows a facilitative mediation style, applying his extensive practical experience to the pursuit of consensual resolution of complex disputes. 

Chairing enquiries and investigations experience:

Chris has many years of experience in chairing inquiries, serving as an arbitrator, and serving as a Judge in both the Labour Court and more recently in the High Court.

Comments from mediation clients:

"Chris Todd was a terrific mediator and very committed to seeking a resolution. We were unable to reach a resolution, but the parties are very strong-willed. I am in the US but would recommend Chris and Conflict Dynamics to any attorney in need of a mediator in South Africa. Thank you for your services. "