About the founders...
Jacqui Buchanan
Founder, Managing Partner
 | “I tell stories that make an impact” summarizes Jacqui’s career and passion. As an engagement marketing consultant with her own agency Jacqui B Communications, she specializes in innovating strategies and tactics for companies and executives to elevate reputation, inspire action, and achieve success. With 90% of online traffic predicted to be video by 2012, Jacqui is well-known for her unique approach to designing strategic video communications that have her clients engage their customers and tell their story before others make it up for themselves - and in the online world of today, someone is talking about you! Born in Durban, South Africa and studying Fine Arts at Durban University of Technology, Jacqui began her career in corporate and broadcast video production in Johannesburg producing for all of South Africa’s television channels and many major southern African corporations such as Sappi, Impala Platinum, Transnamib, Saatchi & Saatchi and many more. She launched her on-camera broadcast career in London as foreign correspondent for an 80+million BskyB Sky News global audience. She also consulted in designing a new TV channel and programming for the sky network. Sky transferred Jacqui to Silicon Valley during the late 90’s dot com boom where she interviewed technology and financial luminaries on the latest innovations in hi-tech, business, and financial markets. |
Jacqui spent 6+ years with Deloitte in San Francisco as Strategic Marketing Senior Manager for their global Technology, Media, Telecoms group as well as Chief of Staff to their national Diversity programs. She specialized in working with firm leadership in building out innovative approaches to target markets.
Through her career Jacqui has interviewed and worked with world leaders such as Nelson Mandela and F.W. De Klerk, Intel's Gordon Moore and Andy Grove, Sun Microsystem’s Scott McNealy, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Dr. Sally Ride (first American woman in space) and many more.
"I am passionate about telling a story that inspires—whether in business or personally. SAABC is a place we can all share stories that impact our desired outcomes as well as create a sense of possibility for others."
Amanda Ellison
Founder, Managing Partner
 | Empowering business executives with more knowledge and expertise is a true professional calling for Amanda. As a consultant and executive coach to CEO’s she believes that in order for businesses to remain relevant in today’s marketplace, their leaders need to continually put themselves through practical learning experiences that challenge their assumptions, test their ideas, and move their company to the next level. Born and raised in South Africa, Amanda received her undergraduate and law degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She then went on to obtain her LLM degree at New York University School of Law and is an admitted member of the State Bar of New York. |
Amanda began her career in New York 21 years ago where she worked both in law and finance, specializing in wealth management for some of the most affluent families in the US.
As an entrepreneur, Amanda has been involved in a number of start-ups in a range of industries including natural health, real estate, and technology. For the past 6 years, Amanda has worked with Vistage Florida providing executive coaching and faciltating CEO think tank groups in South Florida. Her CEO clients are leaders of companies in multiple industries and range in revenue from $2 million to over $1 billion.
“SAABC is about belonging to a tribe of like minded people who are interested in learning and moving themselves to the next level. It is a place where leaders can come to learn from their peers, share ideas, and work on creative solutions to business issues”.
SAABC Background
With a combined 35 years working in the international business arena, Amanda Ellison and Jacqui Buchanan have travelled a variety of international career paths, built extensive foreign networks, and learnt the global language of business first hand.
Yet both maintain a great passion and strong ties with South Africa and South Africans around the world.
Amanda’s executive coaching, legal and entrepreneurial experiences together with Jacqui’s foreign broadcast correspondent, strategic marketing and communications ventures all align with the core mission of the SAABC—building relationships!
After many years interacting with a variety of South African expat groups Amanda and Jacqui recognized the overwhelming interest amongst the community to interact not only socially but also within a business context—helping each other with job leads, finding services amongst a “trusted” community, inspiring each other with what we have all achieved as international pioneers … building a tribe of colleagues away from home!
The SAABC community today includes executives from the leading companies of the world, entrepreneurs launching new trends, experts pioneering world-changing innovations and a wealth of individuals who maintain a core passion for their homeland and people of common heritage.
With years of observing and researching the growing market need amongst their rapidly expanding international South African expat community they set about building a platform to cater for online and offline interests.
SAABC continues to evolve based on feedback and encouragement from the network and entrepreneurial drive of the founders.
Subscribe now to be notified of a variety of new features to help our community connect, be inspired by stories of successful South Africans achieving great heights around the world, and access ways to empower our fellow South Africans on the global stage.
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ADDRESS: SAABC, 6815 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite #103-270, Miami, FL 33138, USA. EMAIL: SA.Tribe@saabc.net PHONE: #1 (305) 907-9740 Copyright SAABC 2011
