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 PricewaterhouseCoopers, he founded the Village n Life Group of Companies in 1994. Maree is a keen padel 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 furthered his studies at Rand Afrikaans University, where he obtained his BCom, BA (Hons), LLB, LLM and HDip Tax degrees. He qualified as a commercial attorney after completing his articles at Hofmeyr Inc. He joined Standard Corporate & Merchant Bank in 1991 as Director: Corporate Finance. In 1996, he was appointed a Non-Executive Director of City Lodge Hotels, where he remains a board member. He also served on the board of South African Tourism for 10 years, including three as Chairman. In 2004, Frank and his family moved to Cape Town and incorporated Bright Equity, a company specialising in corporate advisory 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 PricewaterhouseCoopers. Thereafter, he received a management diploma from Cornell University in the United States of America. He has extensive experience and knowledge in financial management and accounting roles. Arnold was the Financial Director of Protea Hospitality Corporation (currently Protea Hotels by Marriott) from 1991 to 2009. He enjoys a round of golf to keep him focused 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 – Commercial Director
Riaan grew up in the northern suburbs of Cape Town and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Stellenbosch University, and a post graduate degree from UNISA. He joined Village n Life in 2006 as Financial Manager and has progressed through several senior roles within the group, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, before being appointed Commercial Director in 2025. With over two decades of experience within the business, he has a strong understanding of the company’s operations and commercial strategy, particularly in maximising sales revenue and managing rate structures across the portfolio. He continues to play a key role in guiding the group’s commercial performance and strategic growth. In his spare time, Riaan enjoys playing padel and golf, watching rugby and cricket, and travelling abroad.
Email : riaan@villagenlife.com | Cell : +27 (0)82 411 3997 | Instagram: @Vnl_coo
Burger le Roux – Financial Director
Burger was born in 1990 and grew up in Ceres. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting at Stellenbosch University in 2012, he proceeded with his articles at PKF Cape Town in Bellville while completing his Honours degree through UNISA. He remained at PKF Cape Town as an Audit Manager until June 2021, when he joined 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 : fd@villagenlife.com | Cell : +27 (0)72 377 4500 | Instagram: vnl.fd
Chantel Wessels – Group Operations Manager
Chantel Wessels grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, and holds a degree in Hospitality Management. She joined Village n Life over 19 years ago as a Tourism Manager and advanced through various operational and management roles, including managing the full Camps Bay Collection portfolio. Recognised for her attention to detail, she has extensive expertise in service standards, operations, asset management, body corporate liaison, facilities, and project management. Her leadership led to her appointment as Group Operations Manager in 2021. She enjoys hiking, playing padel, travelling, and spending time in nature.
Email : groupops@villagenlife.com | Cell : +27 (0)82 925 4890 | Instagram: vnl_groupops
Henriëtte Smit – Group Marketing Manager
Henriëtte matriculated at Oudtshoorn High School and holds a B-Tech Degree in Tourism Management and a BCom in Organisational and Industrial Psychology. She first joined Village n Life in 1999 and, after gaining extensive experience across the tourism, hospitality and medical device sectors, returned in 2024 as Group Marketing Manager. With over 25 years of leadership experience, she focuses on brand development, marketing strategy and talent management across the group. Henriëtte enjoys collecting vintage pieces, art and travel.
Email : marketing@villagenlife.travel | Cell : +27 (0)82 494 2154 | Instagram: vnl_tbh_cbr
