Professional background and experience:

PJ is an admitted attorney who has specialised in commercial law for over twenty years. As the Corporate Commercial Director of Gillan & Veldhuizen Inc, he has advised both local and foreign governments on company law matters. PJ is accredited as a commercial arbitrator with the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa (AFSA), accredited as a mediator with both Conflict Dynamics and Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution and is a fellow of the Institute of Directors. 

PJ holds a dual Masters in Commercial Law and an MBA with a distinction in International Corporate Finance. In addition, PJ has completed programs in Advanced Corporate Law and Securities provided by the University of South Africa, in Negotiation by the University of Windsor (Canada), the Harvard ManageMentor® course, the Oxford University Executive Leadership Programme and the Harvard Law Schools Advanced Mediation of Complex Disputes. He has also authored several articles and lectured on issues of company law and corporate governance including the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a remedy to swiftly and cost-effectively deal with disputes.

Mediation experience and style:

PJ specialises in commercial ADR and has mediated and adjudicated many company law disputes. He has worked as a neutral third party for the Companies Tribunal of South Africa, the Financial Services Tribunal and Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) Appeal Board. Outside of this, as a private practitioner, PJ both conducts commercial mediation, and acts as an attorney, assisting clients to prepare for mediations.

Chairing enquiries and investigations experience:

PJ has experience in chairing disciplinary hearings of senior and executive level staff members both in the private and non-profit sectors. In addition, PJ has been appointed to independently investigate conduct-related issues of boards and senior-level employees, most notably in the not-for-profit sector. He investigated the well-publicised war crimes allegations made by Amnesty International against private military contractors in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique. His approach is to be as non-formalistic and as technical as possible, but at the same time ensuring that the principles of natural justice are adhered to and that a credible outcome is apparent to all concerned.  

Comments from clients:

“Energetic and committed.”