Overview

Our People

Effective Intelligence recognises that its employees are the essence of its business and that our results are based on the combined skills of our highly talented teams. We have only listed the managers of certain departments but this in no way detracts from the skills and experience of the rest of the team.

Julian Ardagh – Managing Director

"We have developed Analytical-Data- Intelligence which not only bridges the gap between improved data and using analytics more effectively – it enables unique views of your customers and prospects which deliver improved ROI for marketing and risk "

Julian Ardagh is Managing Director of Effective Intelligence with over three decades of experience in the Information Systems, Marketing and Analytics space. He cut his teeth at Readers Digest during its "golden years" in the eighties, learning from the best practitioners in the world. It was here that his love of computing and software found a natural partnership: business analytics and data-centric marketing.

His professional career took off – as well as his taste for entrepreneurial-ism. He joined Charles Velkes Mail Order, soon becoming joint MD, and then founded Advanced Direct Marketing in the early nineties, a specialist full-service direct marketing agency. He then founded and ran Advanced Application Databases, which was acquired to form the basis of financial services direct marketing leader, Direct Axis. Julian stayed on after the acquisition, and was responsible for the strategy and development of Direct Axis' Marketing, Database, and Analytics unit, implementing the highly successful pre-approved loans strategy that was a first in South Africa and which was later emulated by all major credit companies. After helping build Direct Axis from an idea to a profitable reality Julian left to focus on his main passion: developing data and information solutions that combine science and data at his new venture, Effective Intelligence.

He was trained in programming at IBM, has a Diploma in Business Management (EE) & is an Advanced Marketing graduate (UCT Graduate School of Business). He has lectured widely on Direct Marketing and Data Quality systems, and served on many Direct Marketing and Postal Forum committees. He is a past Chairman of the DMA Database sub-committee and also as the DMA Vice-Chairman for the Western Cape.

Julian is a 4x4 and BMW Adventure bike enthusiast, heading into the bush or to their family farm whenever there is time off.

Jonathan Tee – Head: Intelligent Solutions

"It requires innovative clients to embrace the combination of traditional risk factors derived from Credit Bureaus and internal behavioural models with new methods of analytical marketing selection techniques – but they will reap the rewards and develop profitable markets"

Jonathan designs focused solutions for customers, taking EI's vast consumer database and powerful software and applying it to real world problems. He is uniquely suited to this task because of his ability to understand, visualise and communicate solutions to both business and technical people.

Jonathan joined EI in 2003, bringing a wealth of experience and strong technical background in data, information and systems which he gained working for 7C in London and Europe, and for local direct marketing and database leaders Direct Axis and Advanced Application Database (AAD).

He is driven to build EI's position as the country's leader in customer focused business solutions that meets a real need and delivers real value.

Jonathan enjoys the outdoors, mountain biking, photography and spending time with his children. He has a passion for off-road travel and 4x4ing, both in the real and virtual worlds, running a Website for the Southern Africa Land Cruiser club.

Gerhard Botha – Head: Software Solutions Development and Delivery

"Everyone wants one large simple leap to improved profitability – however our experience is that true sustainable and improved profitability comes from the combination of many "minor" 1% or 2% improvements. When people realise that a 5% improvement on a Billion Rand revenue is another 50 million Rand they buy into that concept"

Gerhard has been with Effective Intelligence from the early days, developing the system architecture and databases that drive the company's powerful software tools, and ensuring that they integrate with our customer's information systems.

He started his career in technology in the ISCOR Mining Division, before moving to Fedsure Medway and then Nedcor Investment Banking. This work was invaluable in building Gerhard's expertise in corporate information systems. However, in his search for new knowledge and fresh challenges, he set up his own software contracting business.

He was lured to Effective Intelligence by the opportunity to turn his passion for smartly designed data systems that could be mined for extraordinary insights into a rewarding career. His skill is combining the best across systems and methods and seeing through technical complexities to develop a solid solution that solves business problems.

He is rightfully proud of two things: he's one of the very few people that actually understand how addresses work (or don't work) in South Africa, and he is the system architect of the most comprehensive data quality software system ever developed in Southern Africa..

When out of the office, Gerhard trains with kettlebells (long the secret training regimen of Russian Olympic coaches), enjoys reading and goes on breakfast runs on his motorcycle.

Simone Ardagh - Head:  Business Development and Client Services

"Service excellence is the foundation for developing trusted long term relationships where we develop a common bond with our clients and proactively add ideas and value"

Simone qualified in Hotel Management at the Hotel school in Johannesburg in 1982. She subsequently worked in a number of leading hotels and concluded her Hotel career as the Banqueting Manager for a large 5 Star unit in Cape Town.  Moving away from the hospitality industry and with a passion for statistics, she joined the KIC Group for a period of 3 years as Marketing & Sales Analyst.

Her entrepreneurial spirit then surfaced and she bought a coffee shop in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town in 1991, which she soon developed into an iconic enterprise. Her 110% service ethics and excellence, in which she trained her staff in, guaranteed a thriving establishment with queues “out the door” on a daily basis. Not content with one Coffee Shop, she then established 6 more which she ran successfully and profitably for 14 years, until electing to sell the businesses and explore new opportunities in order to "stimulate the grey matter".

Simone joined Effective Intelligence as an Account Manager in 2007 and quickly rose through the ranks to her current position.  Simone's significant understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing clients allows her to identify and optimally recommend a supported product or solution.

Simone enjoys water sports and loves to head off the beaten track.