Directors and Executives
Village n Life South Africa Directors

Maree Brink – Chairman
Maree was born in Quebec, Canada in 1963. He completed his schooling at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch. He attended Stellenbosch University where he obtained honours degrees in Commerce and Accountancy. Maree qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1992. After five years with Price Waterhouse Coopers, Maree founded the Village n Life Group of Companies in 1994. Maree is a keen tennis player and can often be found either on the court, off-road enduro motorbiking or kitesurfing.
Email : maree@villagenlife.com
Cell : +27 (0)82 554 3220
Instagram: @villagenlife.maree

Frank Kilbourn – Non-executive and Independent Director
Frank Kilbourn was born 7 September 1961 and after matric he furthered his studies at the Rand Afrikaans University where he obtained his B Comm, BA (Hons), LLB, LLM, H Dip Tax degree. Frank qualified as a commercial attorney after he completed his articles at Hofmeyer inc. Frank joined Standard Corporate & Merchant Bank in 1991 as Director: Corporate Finance. In 1996 he was appointed as Non-Executive Director for City Lodge Hotels where he is still a member of the City Lodge Board. Frank was a board member of South African Tourism for 10 years, 3 of which he served as the Chairman. In 2004 Frank and his family moved to Cape Town and incorporated “Bright Equity”, a company specializing in corporate advice and private equity.
Email : frank@brightresources.co.za
Tel : +27 (0)21 418 2525

Jo-Ann Strauss – Non-executive and Independent Director
Jo-Ann was born and raised in Cape Town and attended Stellenbosch University where she graduated with a B.Comm (Law) degree in 2002. She has gone on to become one of South Africa’s top TV personalities and is a media entrepreneur who has produced and hosted various shows and online properties. She serves on the boards of the University of Stellenbosch’s Graduate School of Business as well as Media24 and M&C Saatchi Abel. UNICEF appointed her as Goodwill Ambassador in 2016. She is an international speaker who has hosted over 200 events across the globe and has travelled extensively with her work in media. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling with them to fun destinations. She has a keen interest in social media and has produced one of the world’s largest social media competitions.
Email : contact@jo-annstrauss.com

Arnold Cloete – Non-executive and Independent Director
Arnold obtained his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Pretoria and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1989, completing his articles with Price Waterhouse Coopers, where after he received a management diploma from the University of Cornell in the United states of America. He has extensive experience and knowledge in financial, management and accounting roles. Arnold was the financial director of the Protea Hospitality Corporation (currently Protea Hotels by Marriot) from 1991 – 2009. He enjoys a round of golf to keep him focussed and lives in Oranjezicht with his wife and three children, Elsje, Francois and Ane.
Email : arcloe@gmail.com
Cell : +27 (0)82 905 8000
Village n Life Group – Directors and Executives

Riaan Veldtmann – Chief Operating Officer
Riaan grew up in the northern suburbs of Cape Town and completed his schooling at Stellenberg High School in Durbanville. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting at the University of Stellenbosch, Riaan proceeded with his articles at LDP auditors in Durbanville, and at the same time managed to study part-time and obtain his Honours degree through UNISA. He enjoys all forms of sport, especially rugby, cricket and golf and loves travelling abroad. Riaan has been with Village n Life since 2006.
Email : coo@villagenlife.com
Cell : +27 (0)82 411 3997
Website: www.villagenlife.travel
Instagram: @Vnl_coo

Burger le Roux – Financial Director
Burger was born in 1990 and grew up in Ceres. After completing his Bachelor’s in Accounting at the University of Stellenbosch in 2012, Burger proceeded with his articles at PKF Cape Town in Bellville, all while completing his Honours degree through UNISA. He remained at PKF Cape Town as an audit manager until June 2021, when he started working at Village N Life as Group Reporting and Compliance Officer. Over weekends Burger enjoys wine tastings or braaiing with friends while watching rugby or cricket.
Email : reportingofficer@villagenlife.com
Cell : +27 (0)72 377 4500