Debby Edelstein
Debby Edelstein is an entrepreneur and thought leader credited with driving the soul of business movement in South Africa. Leadership magazine described her as “representative of a new group of business people in this country”. Eight years ago she initiated conversations with change agents and business leaders in the SA community around the role of business in transforming society. Today the conversation has grown to become an annual Soul of Business conference where business leaders, social entrepreneurs, musicians and thought leaders congregate to explore and chart the role business can play in transforming South African society. An international speaker and thinker on the new leadership, Debby is invited to address and participate in leading edge conferences and think-tanks around the world.
She designs and presents workshops in women’s leadership and the soul of business and finds great satisfaction in creating programmes and interventions for organisations that are bold enough to embrace new paradigm thinking. Born and raised in East London, she studied at Wits University and Wits Business School. She sits on the advisory board for the Centre for Spirituality and the Workplace in the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University in Canada and on the editorial board for the Spirit at Work Journal in the UK. She and Dunne co-founded QualityLife Company which they run together. They have two children, Adam (14) and Rachel (10).
Dunne Edelstein
An ex-surfer who hails from Port Elizabeth, Dunne Edelstein still retains the laid-back attitude associated with his coastal upbringing. But those who have worked with him know that beneath the maverick spirit lies a steely resolve and tenacious commitment to getting things done however demanding the conditions.He’s like a bull to a red flag when people tell me that something can’t be done because of the rules, he says. This instinct to challenge systems which don’t make sense inspired him to co-create a new way of finding work-life balance with his life and business partner Debby. In a society still characterized by traditional roles, the couple’s commitment to creating business unusual begins with the way they share parenting and earning responsibilities.
QualityLife Company is characterized by its commitment to exploring new ways of bringing life to work and work to life. Self-mastery and work-life balance are two of the important principles at the heart of the programs they offer. “The fact that we constantly practice and interrogate what we preach gives a rigor to the ideas we explore in our courses and programs,” he says.
“We live and work together and this has forced us to deal with issues of power. We ask questions around how we live our lives, how we conduct business and how we can integrate the two. I believe that it’s only through the integration of our work and personal lives that we will see meaningful and lasting change in the world. Our role is to ask the challenging questions.”
Dunne has a BSc honours degree in Computer Science and an MBA from UCT. He has a black belt in karate, sails when he can and enjoys spending quality and quantity time with his family.
Lizzy Mafalo
Lizzy Kgadi Mafalo was born 23 May 1966 in Kwa-Ndebele. She attended primary school at Matabane primary school in the Malebitsa area and then attended two Kwandebele high schools, first Kgagatlou mid School and then Lehlabile High where she matriculated. She moved to Joburg for greener pastures in 1992 where her first job was at FeatherSpray Company as a silk screening printer for five years.Determined to develop her skills further, she attended Rosebank College where she enrolled for a Receptionist and Accounting course. Then she worked as a domestic worker for a year to fund her studies at night. Her tenacity and regular phonecalls which persisted for 18 months! – eventually convinced Dunne to find a place for her in QualityLife Company’s early years. She’s been with QualityLife Company since 1999 and her warm, unflappable manner has become familiar to anyone who books for a QualityLife Company event. Her main responsibilities include reception, accounts and event management. But she is also well versed in crisis management for clients, colleagues and children.
She has two children, Danny, 24 at Pretoria Tech and Bonolo who is 5.
