David Venter
Honorary Professor
Negotiation Skills
Biography
David qualified cum laude as Psychologist and Educationist at Stellenbosch University. He practiced psychology for 15 years, spent 10 years in government as Director-General of Communication during the transition from apartheid to democracy, established a number of negotiation, training and consulting companies, and has since 1996 taught negotiation, conflict dispute resolution and leadership at business schools in South Africa, Belgium, Russia, China, Ireland and Hungary, often receiving best teacher awards. He regularly attends negotiation courses at Harvard University and MIT, courses that inter alia focus on training in corporate negotiation, dealing with angry publics and difficult business conversations. Apart from leading and transforming a government department, he was responsible for the design and implementation of the largest opinion polls ever in South Africa; polls crucial to plotting a peaceful transition to a non-racial, non-sexist democracy. He worked with Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, as well as Marti Atasari on the Namibian voter education campaign; 97% registered Namibians casting their vote. In 1993 the Public Relations Institute of South Africa recognised his communication skills when adjudging him runner-up to the CEO.