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Legal acumen and humanity: Amanda brings new perspective to Rand Aid exco

Amanda Diener.

With her diverse legal background, including academic and corporate experience, as well as international administrative roles; her empathy for people; and the value she places on fairness and justice, Amanda Diener is a valuable addition to Rand Aid’s executive committee (exco).

Amanda joined Rand Aid in November 2015, when she was appointed to fill the newly created compliance officer position. When exco member Zabeth Zühlsdorff retired at the end of April 2024, Amanda was identified to take on certain exco functions. A few months later, Gert Coetzee was appointed as Rand Aid’s CEO and he made Amanda’s position permanent, effective from September 1.

As the commercial and compliance GM, Amanda is responsible for the villages and the statutory and regulatory aspects applicable to the association and the services it provides to residents and clients.

Her vision for Rand Aid is a ‘unified, non-discriminatory space for the dignity of all’. “If staff members are happy at work – respected and acknowledged to such an extent that they serve the residents and clients to the best of their abilities – the culture of excellence will continue to thrive. Rand Aid will cement its position as a desirable place to live, our waiting lists will be extensive and our residents happy,” she says.

Amanda says during her years at Rand Aid, she learnt much from exco member Ayanda Matthews, who has been with the association for more than 30 years and oversaw compliance.

The most memorable projects she has been involved in over the past years include establishing the Employment Equity Consultative Forum, working for culture change, doing the anti-harassment risk assessment and, currently, rolling out the Eden Alternative throughout Rand Aid together with Ayanda.

Amanda values camaraderie, especially the ‘different senses of humour of my colleagues in Rand Aid’.

The Parkhurst resident was raised in the picturesque Free State town of Bethlehem, where her mother – who recently turned 90 – still lives.

A cat lover, Amanda enjoys travelling, reading and cooking.

Experience

Amanda returned to South Africa in January 2015 after spending six-and-a-half years in Oxford in the United Kingdom with her husband, who took a research position there. While living abroad, she gained administrative and managerial experience, both in the private and academic spheres.

She holds a post-graduate law degree and is a qualified attorney and conveyancer with corporate and company secretarial experience.

After qualifying, she lectured for three years and then practised as an attorney, mainly doing conveyancing and administration of deceased estates. She subsequently gained extensive legal and company secretarial administrative experience in the corporate world – she was the company secretary of a JSE-listed company, a subsidiary of Anglo American.

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