COMPANY BACKGROUND

Grey Hair Consulting (GHC) was founded by Bruce MacLaren and Ken Jarvis in 2012 – two highly experienced, well respected, and versatile Information Communication and Technology (ICT) professionals with a combined and exemplary service track record of over 80 years’ experience in the complex and demanding world of ICT (Information Communications and Technology).

Grey Hair Consulting was created on a commonly shared belief that, in today’s frenetic and ever-changing world, there is significant demand for doing business with vastly experienced people in a trusted manner, while having fun and playing to our respective strengths. Our agile, high powered executive advisory team has one mission: to accelerate the performance of your business to achieve sustained results.”

The company slogan sums up Grey Hair Consulting’s  value proposition – “Our HOURS are your YEARS!”

BUSINESS MODEL & VALUES

At Grey Hair Consulting, we all work among equals. There is no hierarchy, and people are judged purely on their experience, expertise, and respective contribution. To be the most effective to our clients, we have created an ASSOCIATE MODEL that values Grey Hair Consulting Associates on four important aspects–

Our CORE VALUES are best summed up by the following anagram – TASTE:

MARKET POSITION

We want Grey Hair Consulting to be THE consulting company of choice through personal referrals and track record, and through the quality of the Associates and Partners we work with and endorse

We strive for longevity – of the environment, of our customers, and of the people we work with and for

We strive to use the power of teamwork and our considerable and extensive network to deliver more. It is perhaps best summed up by our favourite African saying –

“If you want to walk FAST, walk ALONE;
But if you want to walk FAR, walk TOGETHER!”.

We intend delivering what we promised, on time and within budget.

Which means we are not all things to everyone. If we cannot do the role required, we will tell you honestly, and early.

By honouring the commitments and promises we make, combined with a non-compromising behaviour of the highest ethics.

it should be fun and mutually rewarding or it is not worth getting passionate about. When one plays to one strengths, it very rarely becomes a chore.

This means having the courage to say NO – it is so easy to say, yet so hard to do!

ABOUT BRUCE MACLAREN

 Bruce has a consuming passion for customer service. In his distinguished 22 year career in IBM, he achieved 17 Hundred Percent Annual Sales Clubs in succession for an unbroken sequence of continuous achievement, as well as 6 Golden Circles, which were the epitome of sales achievement in IBM globally.

Bruce’s other major achievements include:

• 22 years at IBM South Africa (1975-1997) in various Sales, Management and Executive positions
• 1.5 years at Dimension Data Group as Group Sales Director in the Nedbank/Old Mutual/Dimension Data Joint venture called OmniLink, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) based company (1997-1999)
• 7 months in a start-up venture as Group Sales Director of Smarthold (a group of companies founded by Dr. Alewyn Burger (ex-ABSA and Std Bank)) in trying to service the “unbanked” population in South Africa via a Mondex smart-card based offering (1999)
• 20 months at Computer Configurations Holdings (CCH/MGX), a JSE listed company,  as Group Sales Director (2000-2001)
• 11 years at Nedbank. Appointed as General Manager, Relationship Management. Converted to Nedbank permanent staff in April 2004, and retired formally at age 60 from the Nedbank Group at the end of August 2011. His last position held was Divisional Executive (Special Projects) in Nedbank Group Technology.
• Co-founded Grey Hair Consulting in 2012 and has been running it ever since. Has completed numerous successful complex consultancy and contract negotiation engagements for the public and private sector. These have resulted in massive savings exceeding R2 Billion in the past 5 years.

ABOUT VITO BONAFEDE

Vito is a highly successful businessman and entrepreneur. He is a very valued Associate of Grey Hair Consulting and enjoys high demand for his outstanding skills and experience. He is well known in the ICT and business sectors and has enjoyed considerable success in the South African business world in these areas. Vito has been in the ICT industry for over 40 years, primarily in customer facing and Executive roles. 

His business experience is primarily ICT related, and gained across varied Industries in Europe and Africa regions. He has held senior and Executive positions (including Managing Director) in multiple well-known organizations in South Africa and abroad. He has also been a successful entrepreneur running his own businesses. 

Vito’s other major achievements include:

• 1980 – 1998: He served at IBM South Africa in various technical, Sales, Management and Executive positions.
• 1998 – 2003. He was then appointed as a Director of IBM South Africa in 1998  in IBM Global Services SA (1998 – 2000). This was a $160m business with 1200 people. Following this success, he was assigned to IBM Europe in 2000 for 2 years in various Executive positions which included the successful renegotiation of a global outsourcing deal with a large multi-national chemical company, and the signing of multiple outsourcing deals including a major international oil company. In 2002, IBM South Africa then requested that he return from his UK assignment to take up the position of Director of Sales and Operations/ Chief Operating Officer with IBM SA (2002 – 2003).
• 2003 – 2008. In June 2003, he was head-hunted to join Sun Microsystems to take on the role of Managing Director (CEO) for the African Region.
• 2008 – 2016. In May 2008, he decided to start his own business of Bonafede Consulting (2008-2016). His company specialised in assisting customers with major outsourcing/large systems integration(SI) projects, including full contract management. In this regard he dealt with many blue-chip listed companies in SA.
• 2016 – 2020. Grey Hair Consulting – Associate and Senior Consultant. He was part of a highly successful contract negotiation team that concluded binding Framework Agreements with the top 10 multi-national vendors to the SA Government, resulting in Billions of Rand savings.