Founder | Turnaround Director | ex-McKinsey/Deloitte | AI advisor & exec trainer
Chris.Barker@FutureForesight.com | +27 83 625 8249 | Johannesburg, South Africa
Summary
Mechanical and Industrial Engineer with the Wits faculty medal, ex-McKinsey and Deloitte Director, and a 34-year record of overlapping builds: Unilever operations, McKinsey modelling, Right to Care, Neotel, MTN, Africa Weather, turnarounds, Deloitte COVID/Vaccinate SA/Gigs, and current AI executive training.
Selected Experience
Aug 2023 - Present | Johannesburg, South Africa
Founder, GenAI Training Lead & Fractional CAiO, Imagineers.ai / Future Foresight
Built Imagineers.ai to train executives and teams in applied GenAI.
Trained 600+ executives across 60 courses, with live counters maintained in the editor.
Jan 2018 - Jul 2023 | Johannesburg, South Africa
Director, Head of Innovation & Growth, Deloitte
Met sales targets every full year; targets were 50% above peer directors.
Achieved R300m sales over five years, double target across projects.
Apr 2007 - Sep 2015 | Johannesburg, South Africa
Co-founder & CEO, Africa Weather
Built the first business to sell weather in Africa.
Served 400 South African clients, including insurance, 80% of SA mining, and Transnet.
Oct 2013 - Jun 2015 | Bhisho, South Africa
Turnaround and Sale Lead, National Empowerment Fund / Stutt Brick
Turned a distressed brick factory for the National Empowerment Fund.
Saved 800 jobs in rural Bhisho.
Oct 2012 - Sep 2013 | Johannesburg, South Africa
Turnaround and Sale Lead, National Empowerment Fund / TopTV
Persuaded institutional funders to invest R1bn more.
Turned and held the business in stasis for a year through sale to StarTimes.
Mar 2003 - Dec 2012 | Johannesburg, South Africa
Co-founder, RightMed Pharmacy
Co-founded what at one stage was SA's third-largest retail pharmacy by cost of sales.
Focused on HIV drugs for NGOs and pharmaceutical clients.
Jan 2001 - Jun 2006 | Johannesburg, South Africa
Co-founder & USAID Board Representative, Right to Care
Co-founded what is now Africa's largest NGO, with R1.7bn FY21 funding and more than R7bn ethically dispersed.
Pioneered workplace HIV treatment and board-level buy-in across South Africa.
Oct 2004 - Jun 2005 | Marikana, South Africa
Turnaround Consultant, Marikana Pit, Aquarius Platinum SA
Took over management of the Marikana pit and replaced the mining contractor.
Moved performance from R20m/month loss to R10m/month profit.