Duncan Bonnett is a partner and director of Whitehouse & Associates. With 14 years of experience in conducting research, both in the academic and commercial environments, his research spans a wide spectrum of fields, including political economy, strategic studies, integration theory and practice, international trade agreements and research into business opportunities across Africa and the Middle East.

Duncan is frequently asked to perform continent-wide analyses and rankings of African countries for specific industries for a variety of South African and international clients. He frequently contributes to a variety of media publications and think tanks on issues affecting trade and development in South Africa in particular, and Africa in general.

Duncan has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Diploma in Business Organisation, Marketing and Management from the Institute of Marketing Management.

Roelof van Tonder  grew up in Sabie, Mpumalanga where he matriculated. He is a Graduate from the University of Pretoria and has a B Com Human Resources Management degree.  

After completing his studies in 1986 he was elected as Vice President for the South African chapter of the International Association of Economics and Commerce Students (AIESEC). During this time he represented South Africa in various international forums. After a brief stint in the Private Sector with steel manufacturer Iscor, he joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1989. During his time as a Diplomat he represented South Africa in Mozambique, United States of America and Tunisia.

On his return from Tunisia Mr van Tonder joined Consulting Engineers South Africa in 2002 as their Manager of their International Business Development Section. In 2008 he was appointed as CEO of the Built Environment Professions Export Council, an organisation he was responsible for creating and which he still serves today.

Paul Runge is Managing Director of Africa Project Access, a consultancy that specializes in provision of early alert of projects in southern Africa.

He also monitors the major funding agencies operating in Africa, such as the World Bank and African Development Bank.

Paul Runge has direct experience in Africa, having visited 32 African countries from 1982-present.  He lived in Gabon for 2 years, and worked intermittently for 3 years in the Cape Verde islands.

He has frequent interaction with South African government and government-related organisations, notably the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, as well as professional bodies and export councils.