Dr Brian Chimsamy

Head of Learning and Development, Absa Retail Bank

Dr Brian Chinsamy is currently the Head of Learning, Leadership and Talent for Barclays Africa. He introduced a new learning strategy to improve performance for the Retail Bank. He also introduced the human performance improvement (HPI) approach  to employee improvement and enhancement in Absa Retail bank, and introduced and helped institutionalise Performance Consultancy in the Absa Group.
 
He has both public sector, para-statal as well as private sector experience in people development. Previous positions held include:

• Head of Education Management Development and School Governance (Gauteng Department of Education) – (1996 – 1999). In this position he was instrumental in establishing the first democratically elected School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in Gauteng, in developing and implementing capacity building programmes for these new bodies, as well as leading the implementation of the South African Schools Act as part of the Ministers Advisory panel on Educational Management Development.
• Education Director: Research Triangle Institute (RTI) (1999 – 2003). He led project teams in 4 provinces in South Africa looking at improvement of primary school education.
• Head of Learning and Development: Denel (2003 – 2007). He introduced a new learning strategy and established the Denel Centre for Learning and Development (DCLD) and played a leading role in co-ordinating learning amongst the para-statals in the Department of Public Enterprizes.

Brian has a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management (Rhodes University, South Africa). His focus was on the role of secondary school students in decision making in school governance.
He also has a PHD in School improvement and Effectiveness (Kwa-Zulu and Nottingham Universities jointly). His thesis focussed on the role of the district office in improving learner achievement in historically disadvantaged schools in South Africa. The research was supervised by David Hopkins and Andy Hargreaves.