Anton du Plessis is the Executive Director of the ISS. He has worked on human security, international criminal justice and rule of law issues in over 20 African countries, with a focus on delivering training and technical assistance to senior law enforcement and criminal justice officials. Anton has three law degrees and is an admitted advocate of the High Court of South Africa with more than 14 years of legal and management experience. He has worked as a consultant and expert advisor to various UN entities and other intergovernmental organisations, including the UNSC’s Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate and the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. Anton is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (2014 - 2020). He is also vice-chair of the Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Terrorism. Before assuming his current positions, Anton was head of the Transnational Threats and International Crimes Division (TTIC) at the ISS. Prior to joining the ISS to found TTIC in early 2008, Anton was a criminal justice and counter-terrorism legal expert for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna. Before that he was head of the Crime and Justice Programme at the ISS where he worked on a broad range of crime and criminal justice policy, research and technical assistance projects. Anton has also worked as a Senior State Advocate at the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa where he specialised in the prosecution of serious and violent offences, including rape and gang-related crimes. Anton has published numerous articles, book chapters and training guides, and is the co-author of Counter–Terrorism Law and Practice: A Practitioners’ Handbook published by Oxford University Press.

Antoinette Louw joined the ISS in 1997 and is currently the head of communication in the Pretoria office. Since joining the ISS she has worked in research, editing and management positions on international and domestic criminal justice issues ranging from the International Criminal Court to national crime prevention policy and practice, and policing, courts and prisons. Before her position in communication, Antoinette headed the ISS’ Crime and Justice Programme, and after that was senior research fellow in the International Crime in Africa Programme. Before joining the ISS she was a researcher and editor at the Centre for Social and Development Studies at the University of Natal. Antoinette has a Masters degree in political studies (cum laude) from the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa.

Thavan Rajoo was appointed as acting Finance Manager in January 2015. In July 2015 he assumed the position of Finance Manager responsible for the full portfolio of finance activities. He holds a National Diploma in Internal Auditing and a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management. Thavan’s experience includes 20 years of working with leading international companies such as Rio Tinto and Motorola. He held senior shared services management positions in both companies and was a director at Rio Tinto. He also has experience in facilities management, payroll, procurement, company secretarial and tax.

Tonette Grütter rejoined the Institute in August 2012 as the Human Resources and Development Manager. She was previously the Human Resources Manager at the ISS (2002 – 2005), during which time she also completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Relations with the UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership.

Before joining the ISS in 2002 she completed her Honors in Clinical Psychology at the University of Pretoria and worked as Human Resources Manager for Rovos Rail. She has also worked as an HR specialist in the Channel Islands, UK.

Dr Lori-Anne Théroux-Bénoni joined the ISS in 2012 and is currently the head of the Dakar office. Before attaining this position she was a senior researcher with the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis division in the Dakar office. Prior to joining the ISS, Lori-Anne worked as a researcher on peace and security issues with the Network on Peace Operations (ROP) at the University of Montreal in Canada. She has developed various projects relating to peace operations mainly in New York and Addis Ababa. Lori-Anne’s field research and policy work in West Africa has covered peace operations, peace processes, post-conflict electoral processes, the anthropology of conflict, media and democratisation. She has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Toronto in Canada.

Adre Coetsee joined the ISS in 2013 and currently works in the Grants section of the finance department in the Pretoria office. Before joining the finance department, she worked with the Governance, Crime and Justice division as a programme administrator. After that she provided a range of support functions to the International Crime in Africa Programme at the ISS. Adre has a BSc Actuarial Science degree. 

Aida is the Regional Office Manager at the ISS Dakar Office, she joined the ISS in January 2011 as a personal assistant to the office director and at the same time was responsible for all administration and finance tasks. She holds a Bachelor degree in Financial Management from Strayer University in Washington DC and a Professional Certificate in Accounting. Prior joining the ISS, Aida has worked as a Member Service Representative and a loan officer at the National Science Foundation Federal Credit Union in Arlington, VA and prior to that, a Financial Analyst at Bank of America in Washington, DC.

Amelia Broodryk joined the ISS in 2007 and is currently a Communication officer in the Pretoria office. Prior to joining the Communication department she worked as a Senior researcher in ISS` Transnational Threats and International Crime Division. Amelia has extensive knowledge in the field of Africa and weapons of mass destruction disarmament and non-proliferation and has a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Amélie Régine Tendeng joined the ISS in 2012, and is currently the receptionist and administrative assistant in the Dakar office. Before joining the ISS she worked at the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) as an administrative assistant.

Angelina Ragophala is the ISS Pretoria Creditors Clerk. She has 11 years` experience in various aspects of financial administration including creditors, debtors, reconciliation, financial control and general accounting. Angelina has worked across a broad spectrum of industries ranging from automotive to beauty.

Carlo Maucione joined ISS in October 2005 as an IT consultant.Before joining ISS Carlo worked for the Uruguayan`s Army IT department for 5 years.He`s an Apple Certified Support Specialist as well as a Cisco Certified Network Associate

Cathi Egan joined the ISS in April 2008 as the Programme Accountant in the Pretoria Office. A diploma in Credit Management formed the basis of a career in accounting. Having worked in various aspects of finance for most of her working career, a move into the NGO enviroment in 2002 as Financial Officer for a church mission expanded her knowledge of proposal writing and grant accounting and reporting.  

Before Coming to the ISS, Elizabeth Matsaung worked at New Court Chambers as a PA . She joined the ISS in 2008 working as a Receptionist. She is now the Payroll Administrator and Training Officer at the Pretoria Office.

Gizachew Achiso joined the ISS in June 2016 as Financial Controller in the Addis Ababa office. Before that he worked at Innovative Humanitarian Solutions as Head of Finance, Administration and Logistics. Gizachew also worked for KMG–Ethiopia in various positions such as Junior Accountant, Finance Officer, Finance Manager and Head of Finance and Administration. He has also been a part-time Assistant Lecturer at Alpha University College, Addis Ababa. Gizachew has a BA Degree in Accounting and Finance from Alpha University College and a Diploma in Accounting from Addis Ababa University College of Commerce.

Khehla Ntuli joined the ISS in September 1999. Since joining, he has worked as the ISS driver and office assistant. In 2003 he was appointed as the information centre and publications assistant and since 2013 has been Programme Administrator for the Communication department. 

Leila Harrington joined the ISS in 2004 as assistant accountant, in the finance office. She has a diploma in accountancy and bookkeeping, as well as a diploma in financial management.

Mercy Wambui Rukenya joined ISS on 17th September 2012 as a Financial Officer in the Nairobi office. She holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (Strategic Management Option) from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelors Degree (Finance Option) from the University of Nairobi. She is a (CPAK) having successfully completed necessary certifications and registered with the Institute of Certified public Accountants of Kenya. Before joining ISS she worked at Iberafrica Power (EA) Ltd as a Financial Accountant.

Millicent Mlaba joined the ISS in March 2015 as a Grants Officer in the Finance department. Millicent was previously employed at the ISS from May 2009 to December 2012 as Programme Administrator for the Governance Crime and Justice division. She left to the ISS in December 2012 and joined Oxford Policy Management as an Office Manager. She is currently studying towards a Bcom degree in Strategic Supply Management with UNISA.

Murendeni Thovhakale joined the ISS in May 2015 as information technology officer in Pretoria. Before joining the ISS he worked at BaselineIT as an onsite IT technician. Murendeni has a Diploma in Computer Systems Engineering from the Vaal University of Technology. He has completed the Network Engineer certifications and is registered with Brocade University.

Ntazana Sinjela joined the ISS Pretoria Office in June 2006 as a Debtors Clerk and later moved to Creditors from April 2007. He is currently the Grants Officer based in Pretoria.

Ottilia Anna Maunganidze is a senior researcher in the office of the Managing Director. She explores new areas of work for the ISS with a focus on emerging threats, and helps to inform institutional strategy. Ottilia also undertakes research and provides technical assistance support to the Transnational Threats and International Crime (TTIC) division at the ISS where she worked from 2009 until early 2014. Her areas of interest are international criminal justice, international human rights law, and criminal justice responses to complex crimes and transnational threats. Before joining the ISS, Ottilia was a junior legal advisor and human rights education officer. She has a Master of Laws (LLM) in Fundamental Rights Litigation and International Human Rights Law from the University of South Africa (UNISA), and a post-graduate Diploma in International Studies (Peace and Conflict in Africa) with specialisations in the sociology of gender, development, African international relations and peacekeeping from Rhodes University, South Africa.

Rekha Valabh joined the ISS in January 2014 as the Organisational Development and Governance Officer in Pretoria. Rekha is part of the HR team and is involved with ensuring that internal processes, procedures and governance structures are administrated effectively. She completed a BA Degree in Child and Family Psychology in 2006, before pursuing a career in human resources and organisational development. She completed her BCom Degree with a specialisation in HR in 2011 and has six years’ experience as an HR generalist.

Richard Perry joined the ISS in January 2010 as the Webmaster/Knowledge Manager. Richard came from the media industry where he had a specific focus on promoting the use of cutting-edge technology and interactive marketing strategies to enhance the impact of information transfer and user experiences. Richard is currently the Digital Communications Specialist at the ISS, responsible for all digital channels of communication. His primary objective is to promote the work of the ISS through increased ISS exposure across all digital platforms, such as web, video, social media and mobile technology.

Romi Sigsworth joined the ISS as Editor of the African Security Review in March 2011. Prior to joining the ISS, she was a senior researcher in the Gender-based Violence Programme of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation for five years and the Managing Editor of the peer-reviewed journals Bioethics and Developing World Bioethics published through the University of the Witwatersrand and Blackwell Publishing. She holds a BA (Hons) from Rhodes University and a senior status BA and M.St in Women’s Studies from Oxford University.

Sahlu Mentesnot joined the ISS in September 2007. He is an administrative assistant in the Addis Ababa office. Sahlu has BA degree in Marketing Management from Addis Ababa University College of Commerce (AAUCC) and a diploma in computer science from Admas College. 

Selamawit Fikru joined the ISS in April 2014 as the receptionist in the Addis Ababa office. Before joining the ISS, she worked as a secretary at East Africa Holding, National Cement, and at Zemen Bank as Customer Service Representative. Selamawit also worked at the Embassy of Sweden as a receptionist and administrative assistant. 

Simba Nkwaira joined the ISS in November 2013 as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Executive Director. She has more than 10 years experience working as an assistant in the insurance, financial and the non-governmental sector. Simba has an LCCI Diploma in Marketing and a Diploma in Business Management. Prior to joining ISS, she was Executive Assistant to the CEO at the Tshwane Leadership Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Pretoria.

Yemissrach Tadesse joined the ISS in January 2007 as a Programme Administrator; currently she works as Human Resource Practitioner for ISS - Addis Ababa. Before joining the ISS she had worked at Addis Industries plc as Personal Assistant to the Managing Director, Bel-El Enterprise and Sheraton Addis as an Executive Secretary, at United Computer Consultants as Assistant Administrator. She graduated from Addis Ababa College of Commerce and holds a diploma in Secretarial Science and Office Management, as well as BA Degree in Administrative Management. She studies her Post Graduate Degree on Masters of Business Administration.