Donavan’s career started in financial services and during this time he obtained a number of qualifications such as Higher Certificate in Short Term Insurance, Class of Business, Certificate in Compliance Management, Compliance Assessors Skill Programme and he passed various Regulatory FAIS exams. Donavan is a member of the Compliance Institute of Southern Africa.
He was drawn to Jirrah Governance Consulting because he could identify with the values of inclusivity, respect, empowerment, and value add. As a senior consultant, Donavan and his business partner has more than 30 years combined experience in governance, risk and compliance. They operate in a number of industries including financial services, telecommunications, education, printing, agriculture, medical and retail. Over and above the myriad of qualifications held by Donavan, his business partner brings legal degrees, qualifications in internal audit, ISO and a Compliance Practitioner Designation to the table. Their combined experience in the legal fraternity, internal audit, compliance and risk management functions and a passion for governance makes them a force to be reckoned with.
Jirrah Governance Consulting has a vision of assisting organisations in navigating the complex environment in which all businesses operate, irrespective of size and industry. Our clients, whether small to medium enterprises, non-profit organisations or JSE listed companies face very similar challenges when it comes to managing risk, ensuring they comply with legislation that is applicable to them while at the same time ensuring profitability and business growth.
Jirrah believes in the philosophy of “teach a man to fish” and believe that empowered people contribute to the overall success of any business.
Many people wonder what governance, risk and compliance is all about? Jirrah ensures that its clients understand what is required to make their businesses operate optimally while at the same time ensuring they do not break any laws. Recently we have seen the correlation between business success and legal requirements with data privacy legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation and Protection of Personal Information Act. Studies have shown significant operational benefits to implementing compliance programs to deal with data privacy which benefits include reducing sales delays, achieving operational efficiencies, making the business more attractive to investors and building loyalty and trust with customers.
Donavan, as a Senior Consultant with Jirrah Governance Consulting, is always looking for innovative cost-effective ways to assist his customers to enhance their businesses and the proof of our success is definitely in the eating of the pudding. Most of our customers come back time and time again as we do not provide documents with loads of legal jargon that nobody understands, and because we see ourselves as part of our customers’ business. We learn about our customer’s culture and journey with them as they adapt and grow in a time where change seems to be the only constant.
You can reach out to Donavan on any of your Governance, Risk and Compliance queries on:
donavanvandermerwe@jirrah.co.za
