Vanessa is an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) specialist and an attorney. She has both civil and criminal law experience and served as a public prosecutor before being admitted to practice as an attorney.

She has been a CCMA Commissioner for the past twenty-seven years and currently serves as a Part-Time Senior Commissioner. She is also a mediator, arbitrator, chairperson of disciplinary enquiries and a trainer on private agency panels and private and public sector bargaining council panels. Vanessa conducts investigations/fact findings, with several interventions focussing on unfair discrimination in the workplace.

Vanessa has been a consultant to a wide range of private sector companies as well as non profit organisations.

She has expertise and a broad range of experience in developing capacity and building skills in the field of ADR. She has project-managed several key labour market initiatives:

·    She led an initiative on behalf of the Labour Relations Practice Industry which successfully developed and delivered a qualification in Labour Dispute Resolution Practice (LDRP) in partnership with six public universities.

·    She also project managed an initiative for BUSA in partnership with the CCMA to develop a Small Business Labour Information webtool.

Vanessa lectured at both Stellenbosch University and the University of the Western Cape on the LDRP programmes and currently teaches Labour Law and ADR on a Leadership Programme for middle and senior managers at universities in the Western Cape.