Team
The Shapeshifters
Each Shapeshifter has a unique story. Learn more about the team of experts behind Shapeshift Interactive - we'd love to meet you.
Ricky van der Walt
Account Handler
Ricky started his entrepreneurial career selling sweets to other 9-year olds and is now Shapeshift's main account handler. Ricky is a shrewd businessman and is Shapeshift's main point of contact with clients. In his efforts to help clients understand their needs better and help them build their company's online reputation, Ricky finds inspiration from Shakespeare: "Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit and lost without deserving." You can chat with Ricky on Twitter under his handle @supam.
Dawie vd Westhuizen
Project Manager
After completing a tertiary qualification in Electrical Engineering specialising in Computer Systems, Dawie joined Shapeshift as project manager and is one of our directors. Forever interested in both the technical and aesthetic aspects of life, he finds in his work the perfect balance between logical thought and creative problem-solving. He hates the idea of being a celebrity, preferring the quiet of the latest Chuck Palahniuk book to the noise and glitter of Twitter.
Jean-Pierre Mouton
Lead Interaction Designer
Our lead Interaction Designer and Human Resources Director finished a diploma in System Analysis before becoming a founding member of Shapeshift. He believes the key to enjoying your work is a positive attitude, and spends most of his days proving the point. JP is most inspired when challenged and enjoys putting his mind to work on finding different perspectives on the same problem. He sees little difference in work and fun and this positive attitude infects the rest of the office - even on Monday mornings! He shares his passion and insight on Twitter under @MasonMaverick.
Marc Viljoen
Lead Back-End Programmer
Our technical director and lead developer is a man who likes to understand things. Marc is a hunter of knowledge and a lover of literature, music, food, nature and language. He believes that we are defined by what we do in life, but also that we must enjoy our work in order to find fulfillment. Marc was born in Cape Town and occasionally tweets under the handle @MarcViljoen.
Sean Tarr
Lead Front-End Programmer
Our lead front-end programmer and financial director, Sean wishes for a perfect world where he has "more bandwidth". He completed diplomas in Electronics and Computer Programming before becoming a founding member of Shapeshift, where he happily never wears a suit and tie to work. You can find Sean on Twitter at @shapeshiftstarr, where he'll be happy to talk about the latest advances in HTML coding or the relative merits of Asian cuisine.
Elizma Steyn
Accounts
Liz is our accounts and payroll lady and is fluent in English, Afrikaans and Numbers. Born in Cape Town, she first worked in the hospitality industry before the lure of the numbers became too strong to ignore. She finds inspiration in the everyday bravery of ordinary people making the leap into the unknown and believes that the integrity of our choices determines our quality of life.
Jon-Russell Davids
Front-End Programmer
Jon-Russell is a junior coder at Shapeshift and joined us after completing a Diploma in Multimedia at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Born in the rural Western Cape, Jon was inspired to enter the world of technology by a quote from Arthur C Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." A passionate user and lover of technology, Jon is famous in the office for saying "if the Internet was a woman, I'd marry her!"
Stephan Willemse
Copywriter
Stephan was caught and hand-reared in the humid jungles of southern Africa. His wanderlust has led to stints in Taiwan, the UK and Spain. After spending several years encouraging studious Asians and volatile Latinos to come to grips with the finer idiosyncrasies of the Queen's English, he responded to the Mother City's call and came back home. He hates boring movies that feature overpaid Hollywood actors running desperately from expensive explosions, but loves words on pages and the soothing sounds of various stringed instruments. He also makes a mean tortilla and mixes some devilish sangria. Twitter @stephanwillemse
Wilmarie Groenewald
Account Handler, UK
With both a Public Relations qualification as well as a certificate in Journalism, Wilmarie is our energetic UK account handler. She works with great energy in an effort to avoid all forms of boredom and loves her job for the sense of achievement it gives her. She's a bit of a linguist, so chat to her on Twitter under the handle @WilmarieG in English, German, Dutch or Afrikaans!
Employee Of The Week
He's got heart!
Dawie | 27/01/12
Stephan the Anarchist - Free Ponies for Everyone!
Stephan | 20/01/12
Waterboy!
Sean | 13/01/12
He's out of his depth...
Sean | 09/12/11
Pioneer of PDFML
Jon-Russell | 02/12/11
