Our Team

“Simply the best” – Tina Turner

Trish Pike is our very own Educational RockStar with decades of experience in the game. Learners are literally busting down the door to learn from her due to her incredible teaching ability, experience, passion and care for her students. She blazed the trail for our best-in-class AP Maths and NBT preparation courses and, over and above this, is hard at work mentoring generation NEXT; Advantage Learn’s next-generation teaching force. She is also the developer and lead teacher of our Maths Online offering – imagine this, over 180 hours of Trish teaching the entire maths syllabus via studio-recorded videos!

“Treat yo self!” Tom Haverford

Meet our very own Neil Armstrong. Actually, he’s more like our Bill Nye.

They say that one of the hardest steps for any startup is finding your first customer. Crispian bravely took these first steps. As part of the founding family made up of Trish, Crispian and James, Crispian was tasked with establishing our first AP Maths centres which gave us our reason to exist. And aren’t we grateful.

‘Analyze, strategize, succeed’ (A.S.S for short) – Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock

If there is a business term or idiom going, James has it covered. He favours idioms that are ship-related – we think he was a pirate in a past life. A creative trapped in an analyst’s body, James is the visionary of the team. On too many occasions to count, James has pitched a harebrained idea to the team, we’ve rolled our eyes, begrudgingly tried it out (because he is SUPER hard to ignore) … and slowly watched it become the best idea ever.

“You think you know who you are, what’s to come. You haven’t even begun.”

– Buffy the vampire slayer

This dynamo in the classroom is one of the leading ladies in Advantage Learn’s generation NEXT; the teaching force spearheaded by our Educational RockStar, Trish Pike. Strongly averse to the limelight, once Roxy finds herself in a classroom of young minds that need to learn, her light shines BRIGHTLY – illuminating tricky concepts with her trademark and disarming concept introduction of ”DON’T PANIC” – her students will know what that means. A lover of fast cars artistically painted nails and shoes, Roxy flies the Advantage Learn flag high in the city of gold, Johannesburg.

“I swear I had something for this” – Archer

Chris Muller is a self-starter who is passionate about tech, travel, learning and going off the beaten track. Chris is our dev whiz who turns our ideas into (web) reality.  Work Hard, Party Hard could be his middle name but that’s only for us to know.

“I’m always amazed that people take what I say seriously. I don’t even take what I am seriously.” David Bowie

Michael “Mike” Wartnaby our Master of e-commerce and your go-to man for technical assistance. An invaluable member of our team, and a pleasure to know. If you ever find yourself needing support, Mike’s got your back.

“Always treat others as you would like to be treated.”

Debra has had experience being a Business owner and a Sales Representative but has joined Advantage Learn as our Delivery and Distribution Administrator. Her kind nature makes it a joy to work with Debra as she is a team player. Her patience and attention to detail ensure that she is able to help our parents and learners with any queries they may have in an efficient and kind manner.

“Being powerful is like being a lady, if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t” – Margaret Thatcher

With a degree majoring in Industrial and General Psychology, Nabeela has a corporate background of working in HR, mainly in recruitment and she then moved into Strategic assistant roles where she discovered her passion for coordination. Mum to one daughter who is all of her other life, when she is not working. Nabeela has performed many roles at Advantage Learn and is currently a Senior Coordinator with her major focus on the NBT preparation workshops.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr Seus, The Lorax

Casey, mom of one beautiful little girl, has a background in hospitality and joined our Finance team in 2019 she’s an admin boffin like nobody else! In the middle of her finance journey, Casey was able to lend a helping hand with Marketing assisting in social media content development and some other important items before stepping back into Finance full time – women of many talents. Casey has helped us to put together some great structures within the operations side of our finance and accounts division since she joined and we are lucky to have her on board!

“Whatever you do, do it with all your heart.”

With her experience in PR and honours in Brand and Corporate Communications, Mekayla has been a God sent gift to Advantage Learn. Her willingness to help and love for Marketing has led to her being our Marketing, Brand and Communications Manager. With her creative flair and attention to detail, she has contributed to building our brand. In her role, she deals with our digital advertising, campaign planning PR and so much more. A true jack of all trades.

“No one is you and that is your superpower.” – Unknown author

Tracey has a background within the NGO sector as well as in education as a Science educator and Science HOD in the UK. She is an absolute queen when it comes to multitasking and managing people and tasks. She has a no-nonsense approach to managing while also balancing her heart and empathy for those around her – truly unique. With this in mind, outside of her role as Operations Manager of Advantage Learn, she also leads the Advantage Learn Foundation where she works hard to ensure that we are making a difference and extending our programmes to under-resourced learners in South Africa. We would not be able to run things so smoothly without her!

“I find that a duck’s opinion of me is very much influenced by whether or not I have bread.” – Mitch Hedberg

Even though Paul only joined us full time in 2020, his journey with Advantage Learn really started long before that! First helping out with some odd items here and there including doing some brilliant graphic design for Advantage Learn. From our logo to our website design, Paul has been involved every step of the way. Looking to grow and explore other fields, Paul left to study web development and joined full time in 2020 as a software developer. The rest is history…

“Good things are coming”- Unknown

Jade has a background in CSI and Non-Profit work and brought her skills to Advantage Learn in 2021. Jade’s ability to connect and network is what we love most about her. Through her people skills and willingness to spot a problem and lend a solution, we have been able to help more schools and learners in their education journey.

“Show me the incentives & I’ll show you the outcome” – Charlie Munger

Forming part of A+’s internationally-based team, Nick embodies the “Jack of all trades” saying, with the slight difference of being “a master of some”. Nick is quick to raise his hand to help out in his team, and eagerly takes on new projects that help ensure we continue to deliver A+ learning solutions.

“If I were a flower…I would be a sunflower.” – Pam Strewart

The ingredients in Ariane’s skillset have been freshly cultivated from her background in Administration, Youth development, a sprinkling of events planning and a dash of hospitality. As a member of the Advantage Learn team she plays a part in maintaining the smooth operation of our programmes, mainly in the Further studies space. She is always keen to lend a helping hand and to spread a little Allegro wherever she can!

“It always seems impossible, until it’s done” – Nelson Mandela

Dene’s passionate journey in the professional education space includes numerous storied roles, from administration to financial oversight to being Phase Head for Foundation Phase. Her passion for shaping young minds and her commitment to providing a solid foundation for learners’ futures consistently shines through in Dene’s work. While she is known for being a creative and proactive go-getter, most recently in the Sales team, Dene is well loved amongst her colleagues for being a cultural heartbeat of the organisation and bringing her caring and maternal instincts to every interaction.

“Everything is not what it seems”

Rowan is the driving force behind our sales success, bringing leadership, precision, and a sharp eye for opportunity to every client interaction. With a background that spans from designing acclaimed restaurants in London to managing high-value residential property developments, Rowan blends creativity, strategy, and execution like few can. At ALT, he champions CRM excellence, sales pipeline mastery, and cross-team collaboration—while leading the sales team. Outside of work, he’s a devoted family man, passionate about training, reading, and cooking up something brilliant—whether in the kitchen or the boardroom.

“Just smile and wave, boys.” – Skipper (the penguins of Madagascar)

Hayley is our Junior Marketing Coordinator, bringing creativity and organisation to Advantage Learn. With her flair for social media management and marketing campaigns, she plays a vital role in promoting our services and supporting the sales team with presentations and pitches. Hayley is passionate about spending time with friends and family, running, and enjoying outdoor activities.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Shalom is our Digital Product Manager Intern, ensuring the successful adoption, retention, and growth of the Neo Series product across individual learners and educational institutions. With experience in WordPress development, technical support, and frontend development, Shalom brings problem-solving and creativity to her role. Outside of work, she enjoys composing songs and coding!

“Innovate. Elevate. Dominate with Passion. No Limits”

Esme is our dynamic Technical Product Owner, driving the vision and strategy behind both our internal business platform and customer-facing entrepreneurship tools. She bridges business goals with user needs, ensuring our digital products are efficient, scalable, and innovative. Outside of work, Esme thrives on adventure, constantly chasing new challenges, whether it’s skydiving or mountain climbing. Her passion for problem-solving and love for adventure fuels her approach to both work and life.

“Make the purchases today that pay you back tomorrow.”  – Matthew McConaughey

Paul is the powerhouse behind the development and delivery of our products, always striving for excellence and ensuring that everything we create has a lasting impact on both students and educators. He’s the one who ensures that we deliver cutting-edge, game-changing learning resources on time and with precision, making a difference for both today and tomorrow’s learners. With a background in Learning and Development consulting, plus experience in scaling EdTech and FinTech companies, Paul is the strategic mind that keeps us moving forward. When he’s not tackling big projects, you’ll find him out exploring nature with his family, living life to the fullest. If anyone embodies the spirit of a second chance, it’s Paul – he’s all about giving people the opportunity to grow and succeed.

“Before I do anything, I ask myself, ‘Would an idiot do that?’ And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing.” – Dwight Schrute, The Office.

Rickert is the creative engine behind the educational content we deliver, expertly bridging the worlds of print and digital to ensure every learning experience is top-tier. As a Learning Technologist and Publishing Specialist, he brings both innovation and precision to the development process—crafting resources that are not only effective, but impactful. Since beginning his e-learning journey in 2019, Rickert has grown from a freelancer to a full-time force at ALT, now proudly helping drive Advantage Learn forward. Whether he’s refining a layout or shaping a digital course, Rickert is always ready to capture the spark of a great idea. After hours, you’ll find him teeing off on the golf course or getting lost in the immersive world of online gaming.