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Meet the Executive Team
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Dereck and Beverly Joubert
Dereck and Beverly Joubert are world-renowned filmmakers and conservationists who have worked in Africa's most remote and extraordinary wildlife strongholds for over 25 years. As five time Emmy-award winning filmmakers, their documentaries including Eye of the Leopard and Eternal Enemies have been watched by billions of people around the world. Further, their books and numerous magazine articles send news of Africa to international readers in over 150 countries. They are honored to have been recently appointed as National Geographic Society “Explorers in Residence”.
Their work and passions can be shared at: www.wildlifeconservationfilms.com
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Mark Read
Mark Read is the Chairman of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) South Africa as well as the Africa representative on the international Board of WWF in Switzerland. He is a well-respected African art expert and the owner of two prestigious art galleries in South Africa. As the director of the Institute of Human Evolution at the University of the Witwatersrand, and vice chairperson of the Paleontological Scientific Trust (PAST) in southern Africa, he has a significant passion for anthropology. Mark is also devoted and knowledgeable botanist.
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Paul Harris
Paul Harris is a top entrepreneur who has a genuine passion for wildlife, cultural heritage and the tourism industry. Paul was the CEO of one of South Africa’s largest banking groups and adds enormous value to Great Plains Conservation. He is also the owner of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux property, Ellerman House in Cape Town. As a Great Plains Conservation’s sister property, Ellerman House serves as the perfect companion for its style and elegance. Paul’s passion extends to art and Ellerman House exhibits one of the most extensive private collections of African Art in the world. He is an active partner in Great Plains.
Visit www.ellerman.co.za
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Dorian Hoy
Dorian was born in Cyprus and at a very early age moved to South Africa with his parents and siblings. Here he spent his early years in the Natal Midlands where he completed his schooling. Following this he went on to study at the Royal Agricultural College in the UK for three years and since then his career has mostly been in the tourism industry. He started off at Mala Mala Game Reserve and then went across to Dubai to set up the Al Maha Desert Reserve. He returned to South Africa after two years where he ran and guided horse safaris in the St Lucia Wetland Park. Following this Dorian spent a further 4 years in Abu Dhabi and Morocco working on separate wildlife projects.
Dorian lives in Kasane with his wife and 2 young sons and has been the Regional Managing Director for the Botswana arm of Great Plains since 2008.
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Meet Selinda's People
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Previous managers of our Selinda Camp, David and Alice have now moved to Zarafa as of late December 2011. David and Alice first visited Botswana in May 2009 travelling through the Delta on a two week mobile safari, their lives have never been the same since. What was planned as a once in a lifetime holiday changed into a life and career altering experience. The country, wilderness, wildlife and most of all people captured something indescribable inside them. On their return to Scotland they decided immediately to return and within 6 months were back in Botswana working as camp managers.
They both have professional backgrounds, David in finance having studied engineering at University and Alice worked in the equestrian world in Scotland and is also a professional cook. Having been brought up in the countryside of the UK, Alice from England and David from Scotland, they have a real passion for wildlife and the outdoors although meeting different people is what they really love.
Their first month in Botswana was spent completing a field guide course which has helped identify the exceptional wildlife to be seen from the camp.
They have settled very quickly into the African way of life and pride themselves in making the Selinda Reserve a home from home for those who visit, providing a warm feel where people can fully relax. To them the Selinda Reserve camps are one large family looking after their guests in their own special way. Although David keeps threatening we have not heard his talents on the bagpipes yet, maybe you could be the first!
It takes a special group of people to look after an area as cherished as the Selinda Reserve. A dedicated staff of 70 is at its core. Based in the Reserve or in our local Kasane office, they are the true stewards of the area. Each of them is proud and eager to share their culture and country with all the guests. Their enthusiasm and commitment ensure that the Selinda Reserve is an exceptional safari destination. They bring the safari alive, infusing it with the charm of local Batswana hospitality. It's the kind of hospitality found in Africa's remote villages, where strangers are viewed as bearers of knowledge and stimulation, as lost family members from a distant tribe to be welcomed, fed and cared for. It is Batswana's tradition to be hospitable, although a shy and modest people.
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The senior guide of the Selinda Reserve, Dux (Prodounced Dukes)
There is a special group of people behind the Selinda Reserve, and that begins with the dedicated staff of around 70 people in the field and local office in Kasane. Without people who are proud and eager to share their culture and the well cared for wild areas of their country, Selinda would be just another safari destination. Their enthusiasm and special commitment to your trip brings it alive, sets it aside from most other camps and infuses this with the charm of our natural Botswana hospitality, the kind you will experience in remote villages where strangers are viewed as bearers of knowledge and stimulation, as well as lost family members, even from a distant tribe to be welcomed, fed and taken care of. It is our tradition to be hospitable, although we are a shy and modest people.
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 Liz and John - Selinda Camp Managers
Liz and John’s enthusiasm for the natural world has grown thanks to many trips to through Botswana and to some of Africa’s most exciting wilderness areas. Although they have travelled to many other exotic destinations, Africa is where their hearts lie. They have completed various nature and field guiding courses which have expanded their knowledge of the natural world and led them both down a path of new discoveries, one which they enjoy sharing with friends and guests.
John is a man of many hobbies and passions and although his previous life in Information Technology has not proved to be very useful in the bush, he loves getting lost in the bush with his camera and field guide in hand. Liz has a background of Environmental Management which has been of benefit in the camps but she also enjoys watching the amazing sunsets in camp whilst sharing stories with the guests over sundowners and at dinner.
They started with Great Plains Conservation as the Relief Management couple for Duba Plains, Zarafa and Selinda camps and naturally John and Liz got a taste of the variety and diversity of these luxury establishments and their environments. They have settled in at Selinda Camp as the permanent managers in December 2011 where they share the camp with many wonderful staff, guides and managers who ensure that the guest experience is first class, and one which will be both memorable and enjoyable.
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Pete Unwin and Sharon Stevens manage the Selinda Reserve from their tented camp between Zarafa and Selinda Camps. With a propensity for the outdoors, Botswana lured them both. As a country with unspoiled beauty, true wilderness and dense wildlife, it was a natural fit. They began their Botswana adventure in 2003, working in the Okavango Delta for four and half years before migrating "north" to the Selinda Reserve. They feel extremely privileged and lucky to be able to do what they love while calling Botswana home.
Pete originates from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He first moved to a private game reserve in the Eastern Cape, where he worked for five years honing his skills and passion for the "bush". Ready for a challenge, he looked north to Botswana to further his career. Now, after more than 10 years in the industry, his knowledge and expertise in field operations are unrivaled. Each year has further intensified his personal belief in how crucial a healthy environment is to our soul.
Sharon also hails from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. After finishing school in South Africa, she moved to the USA. The time she spent away from Africa accentuated her love and appreciation of its wild places, diverse cultures and found her even more eager to learn its nuances. Upon returning, she enrolled in a tourism course, and after graduation she moved to the bush. And so the love affair began, she's even more absorbed now in enhancing the natural habitats of her home.
Pete and Sharon, along with a superb team of people, have created an experience of which we are all proud. Together, Selinda Reserve is a leader in conservation tourism.
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 Gee - Assistant Concession Manager
Gee was born in Kavimba, a small village in the Chobe area. It is here that he completed his primary education from 1988 through to 1994 followed by a junior certificate in Kasane from 1995 to 1996 and then completed his Cambridge certificate in Francistown.
In 2000 Gee travelled to Michigan in the USA where he studied further and worked part time before returning to Botswana in 2004.
Gee’s career in tourism started as a waiter in a lodge in Kasane in 2005. During the five years spent at that lodge, Gee climbed the ranks from waiter to Food & Beverage Stock Controller and later promoted to assistant Food & Beverage Manager and Duty Manager.
In 2010 Gee joined Great Plains Conservation Botswana at their head office in Kasane. He assisted with reservations on a temporary basis before being employed on a permanent basis in their Purchasing Department.
Gee’s love for the bush saw him acquire his guide’s license and as such has been transferred to the Selinda Concession as Assistant Concession Manager.
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Meet Duba's People
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 Lizzy joined Great Plains to manage Duba Plains camp with Ishmael in 2010. She is a very outgoing, driven person who enjoys bird watching and travelling. Having attained a degree in Conservation, Tourism and Sustainable Development, Lizzy joined the tourism industry in 1996 after giving up her teaching career starting off in hotels in her hometown of Francistown. She moved up to the Okavango Delta in 1998 and never looked back.
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Meet Mara Plains' People
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 Richard Pye, born in Mombasa, Kenya, grew up speaking Kiswahili and learning the ropes from local fisherman. Throughout his life, Richard spent much time in the Chyulu Hills, where along side his uncle Richard Bonham, he developed and nurtured his love of wildlife and conservation. He began guiding at age 17, specializing in walking safaris. As a Kenya native, he’s educated on continent in Kenya & South Africa, where he graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BSc in Social Sciences, focused on Archaeology and Anthropology. His safari experience is extensive – managing camps across Kenya and Tanzania, operating a conservancy in the Tana Delta (Kenya), guiding a 3-month exclusive overland trip through East Africa, and tracking African wild dog on foot across Northern Kenya as a researcher. We are pleased to have a man of this diverse experience at the helm at Mara Plains.
Joining Richard is Lorna Buchanan-Jardine, hailing from Scotland, where her love of the outdoors was fostered by exploration of the surrounding highlands. She was first hooked on Africa & travel at the age of 14 when on safari in the Kruger, and she’s been on-the-go since. After school, Lorna immediately left for South America to hike the Inca Trail, then onward to drive the length of New Zealand and Australia, kayak Malaysia, and cycle across France. All of this bolstered her appetite for photography, which she later studied at the International Centre of Photography in New York and then at Newcastle College. Post-degree Lorna assisted well-renown London-based photographers, traveling intermittently to pursue personal photographic projects in India and to gather material for her exhibitions. In the following years as a freelancer, she landed in Kenya with her rucksack, an old manual Nikon and an intention of photographing the Digo tribe. But with the then elections and slightly associated chaos, she & Richard instead drove 15,000 kilometres around Southern Africa. After 2 years, she moved to Kenya full time and we are lucky to have her, and her immense talent – leading Mara Plains.
For anyone wishing to learn photography while on safari at Mara Plains, Lorna is more than happy to show you how to get the best results from your camera.
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Meet ol Donyo's People
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 Cyrus and Abi, our managers at ol Donyo Lodge, share advanced degrees in zoology and biology and a passion for field work in Africa. Their scientific backgrounds landed them in unique locations around the world, including Africa, where they eventually met.
Born into a family with roots in Kenya, but raised in the UK, Cyrus has been enjoying safari from a young age and always aspired to work in the African bush. Since working in a safari camp is not a job suggested by most career offices, he became a scientist to try and fulfill this ambition. After obtaining a degree in Animal Behaviour (Psychology & Zoology) from Reading University he spent two years in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa (at Tswalu) on a meerkat project for Cambridge University. He then went on to complete a field-based Masters (specialising in Barbary macaques) through Roehampton University. In 2005, Cyrus then returned to Botswana’s Kalahari and Jack's Camp in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. After four years at Jack's Camp working as both manager and guide, Cyrus joined Abu Camp (Elephant Back Safaris) in the Okavango Delta. After a year of sharing space with these gentle giants, Cyrus leapt at the opportunity to join Great Plains Conservation and its conservation efforts in Kenya.
 Born and raised in southeast England, Abi entered the world with a love of wildlife, and evolved a passion for travel as soon as old enough. In pursuit of these dreams, she obtained a degree in Zoology from Bristol University and then immediately embarked on a PhD from the University of Sussex. Her thesis focused on the learning, memory and behaviour in birds, which landed her for a few months' fieldwork in chilly Finland. After all this hard academic graft, she went “round-the-world”. For one year, she traveled independently, except during a few weeks volunteering at a wild animal sanctuary in Bolivia, where she was accepted into a group of Spider monkeys and walked with ocelot through the jungle. Having satiated her travel bug – at least temporarily – she returned to the UK and became a veterinary nurse at a small animal practice and an Operations executive in a busy toy company (of all things!). With the lure of the wild still in her soul, she joined Jack’s Camp as a safari guide in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana for one year after which she and Cyrus joined Abu Camp. In 2010, Abi was delighted to accept the position with Great Plains Conservation and ol Donyo Lodge to advance the company’s mission of sustainably conserving natural areas.
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