Dean Cooper, Managing Director
BSc, Mathematics & Physics (York), MBA (Warwick), MInstEn
Dean's co-founding of Parallax - Sustainable Development Solutions in 2001 was the culmination of more than a decade of cross-sector management experience in the energy/environment sector both in Europe and Africa.
He began his career with the UK Government energy agency in 1991, and was seconded to the European Commission in 1992. There his focus was international co-operation strategy, implementation, promotion and co-ordination. He managed programmes involving a wide range of international organisations, and developed a large network of contacts throughout the developing world and the European Union. This gave Dean invaluable experience not only in public sector funding, but also in the use of energy for development.
Dean's passion for work in Africa began in 1996 when he was seconded to the South African Government Department of Minerals and Energy, then to Botswana in 1998, to manage co-operation projects between the EU and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) on behalf of AEA Technology (UK) plc. This involved public/private sector activity and consultancy work, which required effective personal interaction and communication at all levels, from ministerial to grass roots.
Although these programmes involved international intervention, Dean focused on selecting projects and programmes to meet on the ground needs and desires. This approach provided him with direct experience of the opportunity that energy and the environment provides to business development in emerging markets. He gained more personal experience of this when, after completing an MBA at Warwick Business School in 2001, he worked as business advisor to CHICOP, an eco-tourism business in Zanzibar. The opportunity to form Parallax, and to focus on matching international policies with local needs, came shortly after this.
Dean's role as managing director in Parallax is to maximise his past experience and international networks, in order to successfully match a variety of stakeholder needs and requirements. His strength is his ability to both interface with high-level, international and national representatives, and to manage local, rural people - training them and encouraging them to successfully develop their own businesses through suitable energy sources.
Cindy Sampson, Finance & Marketing Director
BA (Wits), LLB (Wits), MBA (UCT)
The decade preceding the founding of Parallax was somewhat different for Cindy. After practicing for some years as an attorney, she began her experience of the energy sector as a corporate lawyer for Shell South Africa. The years in this role gave her a detailed knowledge of the oil industry both nationally and internationally, and allowed her to develop specialisations in structured financing, property, franchising and environmental law.
Cindy desired to work in a more direct business role, and, after obtaining a further qualification in financial management, moved to Shell's New Business Development department. Here her role was to look for business opportunities amongst new customers and in new markets where alternative energies such as solar, biomass and LPG could be used. Cindy's introduction to rural electrification came through the Shell/ Eskom Solar project in rural Eastern Cape in South Africa. Another main focus during this time was the development of a new initiative for the mini-bus taxi industry. This included exploring smart card technologies for the mass of so-called "unbankable" South Africans, and other appropriate solutions for on the ground needs. A common theme in much of her work was the opportunity that corporate initiative gives to develop small business.
After completing an MBA at the University of Cape Town in 2000, Cindy went on exchange to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA. Here she was able to expand her interest in small business development. She worked with the Thomas C. Page Center for Entrepreneurship providing consulting services to small businesses, including working with a business incubator in the Cincinnati empowerment zone, and reviewing business plans for a Chicago based venture capital company. On returning to South Africa, Cindy put into practice the entrepreneurial imperative, and established her own business in gas and electricity consulting. The opportunity that arose shortly after this to form Parallax was an ideal way of combining her variety of experience with her interest in energy and environment.
Cindy has always been passionate about making things happen. Her work as a trustee of Shell's Provident Fund, her membership of the paraffin safety association, PASASA, and her initiation of the UCT/GSB Annual Women in Business Conference, have all involved putting an idea into practice. This is what she continues to do at Parallax. Cindy's role as Finance & Marketing Director combines her experience in finance and law, and enables her to implement the commercial techniques with which she has worked for many years. Her strengths are initiating ideas, designing the way forward, keeping an eye on the detail, and pursuing everything with passion.
Key Experience of both Directors