Barney Jordaan has been involved in the mediation and conflict resolution field since 1987 as a practising mediator, trainer, academic and author. Barney is a certified mediator with Conflict Dynamics, the International Mediation Institute; the Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement; the ADR Group (UK); and CEDR (UK). Between 2011 and 2014 he also acted as an external consultant to the World Bank Group’s Office of Mediation Services. He served as a part-time senior commissioner with the CCMA and several bargaining councils for many years.

Barney holds a doctorate in law from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He was a professor of law at Stellenbosch University, specialising in employment law until 1997, when he swapped law to become more of a 'pracademic', teaching negotiation, conflict resolution and mediation at several business schools in South Africa and abroad while continuing to keep a foot in practice. He was appointed professor at Vlerick Business School, Belgium in 2014 where he continues to teach in the field of negotiation.

Prior to moving to Belgium in 2014, Barney held several academic appointments in South Africa. These included 14 years as a professor of law at Stellenbosch University and thereafter as a professor of negotiation and conflict management at the University of Stellenbosch Business School and the Graduate School of Business (University of Cape Town). Barney is also the co-founder of the Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement at the USB. In conjunction with his academic involvement, Barney also practised as a human rights lawyer in South Africa during the apartheid era before co-founding a consulting firm in 1998 which advises blue-chip clients on conflict management strategies, negotiation and related matters.

He continues to train, consult and teach work in the negotiation and dispute resolution fields in various parts of Europe as well as South Africa.

Barney is available to teach in English and Afrikaans.