Chris.Barker@FutureForesight.com | +27 83 625 8249 | Johannesburg, South Africa
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.
2024-present: Founder and GenAI training lead at Imagineers.ai, training 600+ executives across 60 courses in applied GenAI, advising boards, and serving in fractional Chief AI Officer roles including Curro.
Lead Consultant for Health 4 Development, carrying a USAID-funded project evaluating the possibility of on-shoring pharmaceutical manufacture in Africa. Notable engagements included USAID Africa pharma on-shoring feasibility.
2018-2023: Director and Head of Innovation & Growth at Deloitte Africa, meeting sales targets every full year despite targets 50% above peer directors, achieving R300m in sales over five years, and personally leading delivery of every project sold, including COVID response, Vaccinate SA, Deloitte Gigs, Project Sky, and API monetisation.
2002-2018: Founding Partner of FutureForesight from March 2002 to June 2018, using the firm as the vehicle for overlapping business builds, strategy consulting mandates, telecoms work, healthcare ventures, turnarounds, weather commercialisation, education technology, and startup investments.
Co-founder and USAID Board Representative of Right to Care, helping build what became Africa's largest NGO, with R1.7bn in FY21 funding, more than R7bn ethically dispersed, 1.5m HIV patients treated through a 400-clinic network, and pioneering work in workplace HIV treatment. Notable engagements included Direct Aids Intervention, Chief Operations Officer.
McKinsey & Company consultant chapter from 1998 to 2000, comprising two years as Associate and one year contracted back as Engagement Manager for SAA work. Notable engagements included Associate, Contracted Engagement Manager.
General Manager of Lipton Teas at Unilever, running the most profitable unit in Unilever SA with 1,200 employees across two factories, improving the factory from #16 to #2 in international benchmarks, and gaining McKinsey's attention through workforce management and industrial relations work. Notable engagements included WITS: BSc Mechanical Engineering, WITS: GDE Mechanical Engineering, WITS: MSc Industrial Engineering.