Isak van der Walt

Director and Principal Consultant

ivdwalt@oimint.com

 

Isak van der Walt boasts an impressive 39 years’ experience in training and development of which 27 years have included a wide spectrum of organisational development interventions. Since joining OIM in 1995, he has developed and implemented performance improvement projects in especially the construction and manufacturing industries in countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Work experience

After graduating Isak worked in the education environment for three years, first as a teacher and then as a lecturer at North-West University. In 1981 he moved into the field of entrepreneurship. For the next nine years he was involved in the production and distribution of dairy products in the Eastern Cape and managing the finances, marketing, human resources and administration of the venture. He initiated community development and education projects in the Cradock area and was chairperson of the Rural Foundation and Irrigation Boards. In 1990 Isak was appointed training manager at Transnet, responsible for organisational development and the training of 25 000 employees. During this time he designed and implemented an outcomes-based approach to education and training, including process mapping and the development of competency profiles. He also managed various HR-related projects and rolled out systems company wide.

At OIM

After working with OIM’s methodology at Transnet, Isak joined the company as a shareholder in 1995 and was later appointed director. He has played a major role in OIM’s accreditations, the development of consultants and the establishment of several company initiatives.

 

Isak has consulted widely on strategy development and implementation, performance improvement through effective leadership, competency frameworks, education and training, change management, conflict resolution and fostering commitment to a winning-strength-from-diversity corporate culture aimed at operational improvement.  His success stories include the implementation of performance improvement projects at companies such as Afrox, Murray & Roberts, KWV, Woolworths, Sasol and Barloworld. He was also involved with conflict-resolution interventions during the construction of the Cape Town Stadium and several other mega projects aimed at labor peace and stability.

 

Isak visited the USA and UK to study their approach to competency-based training and was a facilitator for MBA students at the Cape Town campus of North-West University for many years.

 

Qualifications

  • MBA – North-West University (1997)
  • MPhil Training Management (cum laude) – University of Johannesburg (1989)
  • BA, HED and BEd Psych Education (cum laude) – North-West University (1978 and 1981)