Kim Palmer
Founder and Chairperson
Kim Palmer is the award-winning founder of On The Ball College
and WeTrainICT and the newly launched Learn2Boom online
training portal. On The Ball College is accredited through MICT-Seta and training partners with Microsoft, Oracle Academy, AWS,
CompTIA, CertiPort and Pearson VUE Prometric, and gives
teenagers and young adults from underprivileged backgrounds the
opportunity to study critically needed IT skills that leads to
employment through her work placement programme.
Kim is also the chairman of On The Ball Foundation and founder of the well-known and fast-growing Women in ICT annual conference. ICT is a sector where women are grossly underrepresented — only 23% of tech jobs are held by women in South Africa. Palmer says that this results in many misperceptions that young women hold about ICT, which she is making an effort to change. She says the solution to promote inclusivity in the local tech sector lies in encouraging and supporting
women to pursue careers in it. She believes that young women in the sector should explore and empower themselves.
Technology is growing, and it’s growing at a fast pace, and you shouldn’t be putting any restrictions on yourselves. My advice to young women is to go and grab any sort of technology they find fascinating and take it further, because there is so much out there. Kim, who has a background in IT, started her first computer business at the age of 19 and seven years later went on to establish On The Ball College. Kim volunteered as a mentor at the Alan Gray Foundation, provided training at the Haven Night Shelters and has been involved in various HIV/Aids awareness projects.
She continues to be involved in youth initiatives and uplifting the community through her foundation. Kim works tirelessly to inspire her students to believe in themselves by giving them the tools to create a life they never thought possible. “You can only dream about what you have been exposed to. We need to educate and inspire our youth so that they understand that IT and technology are career options. “I want our youth to dream big and in turn, those creative ideas will become a reality in our country…it did for me.”
Timothy Carr
Deputy Chairperson and Technology Advocate
Timothy is a prime example of a consummate professional. He delivers excellent quality work, and does so in a manner that inspires those around him to learn and grow. His technical ability is matched by a positive attitude, and an always-can-do response to challenges. Timothy commands respect from others in an unassuming way, and fosters close relationships with peers, customers and those he reports to.
At the University of Cape Town he engages with researchers and engineers to foster new and creative ways for the use of ICT. High Performance Computing and Cloud technologies peaks Timothy’s interest as it forms the foundation upon which consumer facing platforms are built and relied on.
Greg Schuurman
Board Member and Projects Co-Ordinator
Greg has been employed in various industries since August 1994 and has vast experience in Call Centre Operations Management, FMCG, Below-the-line Marketing, Outbound Sales, Customer Service & Client Relationship Management. He’s previous roles include owning a Customer Service Improvement company, Sales Executive for a new company that has the sole rights to advertising on till slips in various retail outlets in South Africa, Sales Consultant for Econo Window & vast experience in Call Centre Management & Restaurant Management.
He has a passion for developing & coaching people & thrives in any stimulating & challenging environment.
He also believes that there are no limits to which one should go to ensure customer delight which is the cornerstone of any business surviving. He’s level-headed, solution-driven & creative business thinking allows him to innovate and deliver beyond expectations, spotting areas of improvement & executing them efficiently. He is an intelligent, diligent, hard working, business all-rounder who is keen to grow & learn more at every opportunity presented. He strives to set an example to all his colleagues, peers and associates through practicing his values and pursuing personal goals ethically.