Felicity has worked as a trainer since 1981 starting with the Institute of Industrial Relations. Felicity has trained mediators since 1989 when she joined the Independent Mediation Service of South Africa (IMSSA). At that time she was trained in the Training for Learning approach to training. She trained mediators for the IMSSA for many years and co-designed the training materials for the newly established Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in 1996. She also co-designed training materials and conducted training for the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation for training mediators and negotiations around the world. Felicity is currently Head of the Faculty of the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) Mediator Skills Training course, and she trains mediators in South Africa for Conflict Dynamics.

Felicity Steadman comes from a business and industrial relations background. She has worked in companies, including in the Premier Group in South Africa, and in dispute resolution organisations such as IMSSA, the CCMA, and CEDR. She is a Director in Conflict Dynamics in South Africa. She works internationally and in South Africa. She has worked as an independent mediator for more than 30 years.

 She was first accredited as a mediator in 1989 by IMSSA, and then in 2003 by CEDR in the UK. She has also been trained as a senior conciliator with the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (UK), and is an ILM Qualified Workplace Mediator. She is DiSAC Accredited and also Certified by the International Mediation Institute. She has a BA Hons. from the University of the Witwatersrand and an MA in Industrial Relations from the University of Warwick. She has also completed the Certificate of Industrial Relations and the Higher Diploma in Labour Law, both at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Felicity has written extensively in the dispute resolution field, including as co-author with John Brand and Chris Todd: Commercial Mediation: A User’s Guide. This comprehensive overview of commercial mediation in South Africa provides a practical guide for mediators and parties, and their representatives, on what to expect from mediation and how to get the most out of the process.

Felicity is able to conduct training in English.