Corporate Governance

Board of Directors
Back: Rob Stirrat, Mike Elliot, Allan Cramb, Hennie Taljaard
Middle: Meriel Bartlett, Clive Shamley, Ian Wienburg, David Knott, Dave Roberts
Front: Eddie Noyons, Mark Koning, Nontsi Tshazi-Kunene, Peter Bacon
Absent: Girish Gopal, Dave Robins

Executive Directors

CEO and Managing Director: Ian Wienburg was appointed CEO in 1994 after retiring from commerce where he was the Regional Director for the Voltex Group. He served at Station 3 in Granger Bay for 23 years from 1971 as a volunteer crewman and coxswain.

Financial Director: Mark Koning joined the organisation in 2000 and was appointed as a director in 2003. He holds the qualification B.Compt with majors in accounting and economics. Prior to joining the NSRI he was the financial manager of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

Operations Director: Allan Cramb has dedicated his entire adult life to NSRI.  He joined Station 2 Bakoven as a founder member at the tender age of 16.  He then served as coxswain from 1972 until 1986 when he stood down from active service after he broke his back while on a rescue mission. In 1982 he was elected as Station Commander of Station 2 Bakoven before standing down in 1994 in order to join NSRI Head Office.  He was appointed to the Board of Directors in 1990. In October 1993, Rotary honoured him with the Vocational Service Award in recognition of his dedicated service.  Allan boasts a series of long service awards signed by four decades of Presidents, including PW Botha, FW de Klerk, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.

Marketing Director: Meriel Bartlett holds a Bachelor of Social Science from UCT, majoring in Industrial Sociology; and has 20 years experience in marketing and communications.  She began her career working at the Natal Sharks Board, then moved into the IT sector and later worked at Denel and Sanlam.  She spent four years with the Heart Foundation before joining NSRI in 2004 and was appointed a director in 2005.  Determined not to be just a pen pusher, Meriel donned a wetsuit and did time as a volunteer at Station 9 Gordon’s Bay.

Chairman: Peter Bacon was born in Birmingham and spent most of his career in the hospitality industry. Peter joined Southern Sun in 1973 and later headed Sun International from 1993.  A keen yachtsman, he is involved in the ownership and operation of a number of luxury yachts based at the Cape Grace Marina including Princess Emma.  He chairs Cape Town Routes Unlimited and sits on the board of SA Tourism and Woolworths.

Nontsindiso Tshazi-Kunene grew up in the town of Umzimkulu in the former Transkei. Nontsindiso studied at Technikon Natal and worked as a sea cadet at Unicorn Tankers.  She holds a Class III Certificate of Competency. In 2002 she was the first black woman behind the wheel of a giant tug and as a qualified Marine pilot in the Port of Richards Bay. She was appointed as Marine Operations Manager in East London in 2006. In 2007 she was appointed harbour master of East London (a first for women in Africa).  She currently heads up the Centre for Sea Watch and Response as Head of Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre for SAMSA.

Girish Gopal holds a Masters degree in Engineering from UCT as well as an EMBA from the UCT Graduate School of Business.  He worked for the City of Cape Town for 10 years before joining ESKOM and then Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), Cape Town International Airport in 2000, where he is the Assistant General Manager: Operations.  Girish is Chairman of the NSRI Risk Committee.

Hennie Taljaard

Dave Robins

NOTC Chairman: Rob Stirrat grew up in Sea Point and sailed in Table Bay as a youngster.  After completing his national service as a Radar Operator in the Navy he joined Unilever and moved to Durban where he joined the Point Yacht Club rescue crew. On his return to Cape Town he joined Sea Rescue as a volunteer in 1975, progressed to coxswain and later served alternately as Station Commander and deputy over a period of time.  Rob was elected to the board in 1991 and has been Chairman of NOTC (NSRI’s National Operational and Technical Committee) since 1992.

Regional Directors

David Knott has been actively involved within the fiduciary industry for the past forty years, mostly employed by Syfrets Trust Ltd and The Board of Executors.  Presently “Head – Fiduciary Products” BoE Trust Ltd, which company also incorporates Old Mutual Trust Ltd.  As such, has held numerous appointments as Executor of estates over the years and presently sits as Trustee to numerous inter vivos and testamentary trusts as well as being a director of several companies.  Has served on the Exco of The Institute of Trust Companies in South Africa for many years and is presently the Deputy Chairman of The Fiduciary Institute of South Africa and an examiner for their entry examinations.  He was also admitted as a member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, UK.  David joined Station 2, Bakoven as crew in May, 2002 and was appointed as Regional Director of the in 2011.  He has competed in three Lipton Cup Challenges sailing under the banner of NSRI.

Dave Roberts grew up in the False Bay area of Cape Town where he was actively involved in dinghy sailing for many years leading to his joining Sea Rescue Station 10 Simon’s Town 1978. He progressed on to serve as coxswain class 1 and as Station Commander 2000 to 2004. He is currently is a serving member of the Air Sea Rescue Unit based at Ysterplaat Airforce Base as well as a practising/life member of the False Bay volunteer medical service in Fish Hoek. His fulltime day job entails the running of a plastic moulding company in Epping Industria. He joined the Board as Regional Director in 2010 being responsible for the stations from Simon’s Town to Agulhas

Mike Elliot was appointed to the NSRI board in 2010 and serves as Regional Director for the Garden Route area (from Witsand to Plett).  After matriculating he was commissioned as an infantry officer and later went on to study hotel and catering management.  He was Station Commander at Station 12 Knysna for 22 years from 1983 until 2006.

Clive Shamley joined Station 21 St Francis in October 1989 and served as volunteer crew for a few years, after a heart bypass he became a shore controller and committee chairman.  He took over as Station Commander in 1998.  He stood in as an acting Regional Director from 2003 and was appointed to the board in 2005.  Clive is responsible for the region from Port Alfred to Oyster Bay.

Eddie Noyons serves as Regional Director for the KZN and East London area.  His dream had always been to join the Merchant Navy but due to red/green colour blindness he was not accepted.  An underground tour at Gold Fields set his heart in a different direction and he studied Mining Engineering.  He was soon seconded to the Chamber of Mines Research Organisation in Johannesburg before moving into sales and marketing positions in the mining industry.  Towards the end of 1986, he decided on a radical change of scenery and bought a holiday resort on the KZN – South Coast at Uvongo.  He and his wife, Naomi, signed up as NSRI volunteers at Station 20 Shelly Beach, where he was later elected as Station Commander.

Company Secretarial advisor: Chris Wilson is an Associate member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Southern African and a registered member of the Professional Practice Group and a committee member of the Cape Town CIS branch.  Chris is well known in the Cape Town area as a Company secretarial consultant and will often be consulted by other practitioners on complex company secretarial issues.  He is the Director of Kilgetty Statutory Services (Pty) Ltd.

NOMCO (Nominations Committee)

REMCO (Remunerations Committee)

Risk Committee

Audit Committee

Awards Committee

Meeting of Directors held on Monday 21 February 2011
PRESENT: P. Bacon (Chairman), I. Wienburg, A. Cramb, R. Stirrat, M. Koning, C. Shamley, M. Bartlett, E. Noyons, H. Taljaard, G. Gopal, D. Roberts, M. Elliot
IN ATTENDANCE: C. Wilson, C. Hudson, D. Abromowitz
APOLOGIES: D. Robins, D. Knott, H. Godfrey, N. Tshazi, I. Hamilton