Advisory

Andie Steele-Smith

Andie Steele-Smith has had a successful career in investment banking, corporate turnarounds and has advised, mentored and invested in companies in Europe, the United States, Australia and Africa.  

Andie has acted as corporate advisor to a number of highly successful public and private companies including Norton Gold Fields, Gloria Jeans Coffee, RAB Capital, MTN, Tricon / Yum, Dimension Data and Netcare.

Since 2020, Andie has led the acquisition of a number of leading wine industry producing and distribution assets in South Africa.

Andie is well known for his extraordinary success in helping transform the youth of some of SA’s most troubled heartlands including Manenberg where he works closely in bringing peace and unity amongst gangs there.

Andie joined Southern Skies in 2021 to advise and guide Group Managing Director Andrew Douglas in the restructure and scaling of the business.

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Andre Shearer

Cape Classics & Indaba Foundation

Andre Shearer is the co-founder and Chairman of Cape Classics, the US-based importer of South African and French wines to the United States.  Cape Classics has been the largest importer of South African wines into the United States for the past 30 years.
Andre has a passion for Early Childhood Development (ECD), particularly within the wine growing regions of South Africa, and is the founder and Chairman of the Indaba Foundation, a NY-based 501c3 non-profit foundation.  The Indaba Foundation reimagines ECD in the Cape Winelands of South Africa by investing in teacher training at the world-leading Indaba institute.
 
In 2015 Andre was awarded the Desmond Tutu Phelophepa Achievement Award for Excellence in New York for his accomplishments globally for the SA wine industry.

Cassidy Dart

China In-country Expert

Cassidy Dart, Master of Wine (MW), has been in the Wine Industry since 2002.  From 2008 to 2019 Cassidy was Director of Wine for Pol Roger UK.

Cassidy moved to China in 2019 where he is currently one of only 5 Masters of Wine (MWC).

He currently consults for several clients in both the B2B and B2C sphere including JD.com, Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines, Rona Glassware, SEO National Institute of Food and Fermentation and two drinks industry beta-startups in China, as well as co-founding a charity in South Africa “Kunye TheWineWise” during five unexpected months locked down in South Africa.

His commercial areas of interest are marketing and brand management, sales and purchasing and all aspects of wine education.

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Shon Kumar

Wine Enthusiast

Shon Kumar, completed a Bachelor of Economics and has a financial, IT and strategic background. 

Shon held senior global roles at British American Tobacco for many years. In SA, Shon was Director of Corporate Strategy and CIO for Southern Africa and part of the Southern Africa Board.

Shon has led and implemented large scale transformational programs.  Shon’s final role at BAT was delivering a 1.1 Billion pound global project across 180 countries.

Shon retired from corporate life to follow his passion for wine. He has completed the Michael Fridjohn Wine Judging Academy course, holds a Cape Wine Diploma and recently attained his WSET Diploma.

Shon joined Southern Skies in 2018.

Hardy McQueen

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

I specialise at the crossroads of CULTURE x TECH x MEDIA x BRANDS, creating businesses that have culture at their core.

My passions extend towards building and growing communities that resonate around purposeful products.

Over the last 20 years, I have dedicated myself to demystifying and updating notions about the African continent.

Through this practice I’ve created and curated projects that cemented my position as a subject-matter expert on culture.

Having a unique understanding of the landscape across the African continent has afforded me the opportunity to execute projects in Accra, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lagos, Luanda, Dar Es Salaam and Nairobi.

COMMUNITY x CULTURE x COMMERCE is at the centre of everything I do!

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