I see myself as a coach and trainer of private sector development experts. Some of these experts are other consultants, but many work as experts within a range of public organisations or development institutions.

Areas of expertise:

• Private sector development
• Innovation Systems and technology transfer
• Local and regional economic development
• Cluster and value chain promotion
• Small enterprise promotion
• Knowledge Intensive Business Services
• Process design and process facilitation
• Expert development and coaching

Contact me:

I have a personal weblog page where I share some ideas, new insights and experiences. If you are based in Southern Africa, then you may also be interested in the 1-day training events that I host often. More information can be found on my personal blog page.

You can also reach me via E-Mail

Personal background:

PhD. (Business Administration), 2009, Potchefstroom Business School, North West University, South Africa.

MBA (2001, North West University, South Africa)

• 2007-present - Joined Mesopartner as a partner, working with various customers in Africa and Asia
• 2003-2007 - Senior expert in the GTZ South Africa Local Economic Development and Business Development Services Programme
• 2001-2002 - Worked in South African development agency NAMAC (National Manufacturing Advisory Centre Programme)
• 1996-2001 - Own business in the IT sector. Involved in trade promotion, business chamber management and entrepreneurship promotion.

Certified training in Capacity WORKS (http://www.capacity-works.org), Change management and facilitation.

Networks

In 2010 I was appointed as a Research Associate with the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI) in South Africa. There I collaborate with fellow researchers on topics relating to the technological evolution and growth of Africa. This association gives me access to the international network of institutions and researchers working on innovation systems and economic growth, such as  Globelics (Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems). I sometimes teach subjects at IERI related to local and regional innovation systems and innovation.

I am an external board member of the Advisory Committee to the Agency Development Support unit of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) in South Africa.

I am a founding member of the LED Practitioners Network in South Africa, but in 2010 resigned from the executive committee of the LED Network. This network is now run by the South African Local Government Association, but I played a role in conceptualising and launching the network.

I am a member of the South African Institute of Business Advisors and can therefore provide strategic and technical advice to firms.

I serve on a variety of advisory boards and committees, and take my role as a social entrepreneur as an important investment into the institutions I am working with.

Current activities:

Most of my current assignments are in the field of technology and innovation management. The main research issue I am working on is finding ways to stimulate or improve the innovation in industries or regions of a country. So I am not looking so much at innovation inside a firm, but more at innovation in industries or regions.

But many people know me for my work in Local Economic Development. I have not completely abandoned this topic. Nowadays my focus is more on the systemic issues relating to territorial development, as well as the change and evolution aspects of territories. I know that in development everything is connected, so I know that I will bring the innovation and technology topics into the mainstream LED thinking soon!

Personal

Shawn lives in Pretoria, South Africa.