Why Key?
Experienced, insightful and trusted – these are the values at the heart of everything we do. Established in 1976, The Key Recruitment Group is a trusted South African recruitment agency with more than five decades of recruitment expertise. With a national presence spanning South Africa’s major regions, together with a United Kingdom Alliance partnership, we support organisations with both local and global talent requirements.
Our approach
We firmly believe that your people are a reflection of your company. That is why we place great emphasis on understanding both our clients and candidates, taking the time and care needed to ensure the right people are matched with the right opportunities.
Our services
Our services encompass specialist talent acquisition and Employer of Record (EOR) solutions, including permanent, contract and executive recruitment, supported by compliant payroll, HR and workforce management services. We are ISO certified and recruit nationwide across executive, engineering, IT, commercial and other specialist disciplines.
Our expertise
Our market insight is amplified by cutting-edge digital recruitment technology, from advanced sourcing platforms and data-driven talent mapping to recruitment solutions that go beyond the CV. This combination of deep expertise, industry knowledge and intelligent technology enables us to identify, attract and place exceptional talent, smarter and with greater confidence.
Guiding Principles
Our Vision
To pursue excellence, accomplish profitably, grow nationally, and positively impact society.
Our Mission
To provide a superior-quality personnel placement service that meets the needs of both career seekers and clients – helping people make carefully considered career decisions and facilitating well-matched placements and working environments.
Our Values
Accountability
We hold ourselves accountable for delivering our work efficiently and accurately.
Customer-focused
We are committed to exceptional client and candidate service.
Perseverance
We bring motivation and a positive outlook to every challenge.
Commitment to learning & growth
We invest in the development of our people and those we place.
Teamwork
We work collaboratively and openly, in support of one another.
Respect
We show genuine consideration and regard for clients, candidates and colleagues alike.
Integrity
Being honest and acting honourably, even when no one is watching.
Executive Team
Allan Pike
CEO
Allan has a passion for business leadership that has shaped Key Recruitment’s approach to senior and executive placement. He has a hands-on approach across management appointments and career guidance, he supports the group’s leadership while helping people grow into responsible contributors to business and society.
Chris Jooste
CFO & Operations Officer
Chris is a Chartered Accountant with over 15 years’ experience spanning finance, hotel management and forensic accounting. Commercially astute and results-driven, he turns complex challenges into practical, performance-enhancing insight and upholds the standards that underpin Key Recruitment.
Justin Durandt
Managing Director
Justin holds a Master’s in Talent Identification and Development from UCT, built on a background in medicine and education. As Managing Director he leads new business and operations, staying hands-on with recruiting and the group’s largest client accounts.
Eleanor Fortuin
Group HR Manager
Eleanor is a senior HR professional with over 20 years’ experience and a BTech in HR Management. She oversees all people matters at Key Recruitment, pairing deep knowledge of South African HR legislation with a genuine passion for helping people flourish.
Damien Vrijburg
Financial Control Manager
Damien holds a BCom in Management Accounting from Stellenbosch University and manages Key Recruitment’s payroll, invoicing and financial controls. A gifted modeller, he builds the budgets, cost analyses and forecasts that keep the group running with precision.
Claire Ventress
Marketing Manager
Claire blends creative design with strategic marketing, working across visual design, digital campaigns, communications and content. She shapes how Key Recruitment presents itself, delivering practical, effective marketing that supports the brand and the wider business.
Specialist Recruitment Consultants
Jan van Dyk
Senior Recruitment Consultant
Jan is an Electrical Engineer (BEng) with a BCom Honours in business management and an early career in telecommunications. He has a long, successful record placing engineering and management professionals across South Africa’s diverse industrial sectors.
Heather Johnson
Senior Recruitment Consultant
Heather leads Key Recruitment’s Commercial and Office placement desk. Her warm, enthusiastic manner and determined work ethic drive an excellent record of successful appointments, and a genuine passion for helping candidates make the right career decisions.
Hanli van Dewenter
Recruitment Consultant
Hanli holds a BCom in Business Management specialising in Human Resource Management. An experienced generalist recruiter, she supports clients and candidates across a wide range of roles with energy, professionalism and a consistently positive outlook.
Deryl Jan
Recruitment Consultant
Before joining Key Recruitment, Deryl ran his own supply and service business for over 20 years. That service background makes him attentive to client needs and firmly committed to the group’s values of honesty, integrity and respect.
Stephan Calitz
Recruitment Consultant
Stephan spent over 20 years in telecommunications as a project manager and business owner, rolling out networks across 11 African countries. He has since become a highly capable IT recruiter, combining technical insight with a genuine, people-first approach.
Pam Wilkinson
Recruitment Consultant
Pam holds a BA and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education, with years spent teaching and administrating in South Africa and abroad. Meticulous and personable, she takes care to understand each client’s needs fully before making a placement.
Jo-Leen Jan
Recruitment Consultant
Jo-Leen brings over 30 years across media, tourism, fashion and the NGO sector, having project-managed for blue-chip names. Passionate about people, she works hard to meet each brief with a quality fit that sets client and candidate up for success.
David Munjeri
Recruitment Consultant
David is a professional Mining Engineer with a BSc (Eng) ARSM and over 30 years’ mining experience across England, Zimbabwe and South Africa. He now channels that deep technical background into placing technical and management talent.
Nathan Gernetzky
Recruitment Consultant
With over two decades in leadership and team dynamics, Nathan is an innovative thinker, published author and certified life-purpose coach. He brings that people-development expertise to Key Recruitment, delivering a genuinely thoughtful service to clients and candidates.
Operations & Support Team
Sérgio Jardim
Operations Co-ordinator
Sérgio is an operations professional with a legal background who drives efficiency and compliance across Key Recruitment. He led the group’s ISO 27001:2022 implementation, strengthening data security, and continually streamlines processes with technology-driven solutions.
Courtney Nathan
HR Officer
Courtney holds a BCom in Industrial Psychology and Management from UWC and has HR experience with leading South African companies, including payroll and people delivery. She’s committed to building supportive, inclusive workplaces where employees feel valued.
Matthew Sukhram
Business Development Consultant
Matthew holds a BSocSci in Politics and History and has moved into business development and marketing. With strengths in relationship-building and problem-solving, he helps connect clients with the right recruitment and business growing solutions, balancing professionalism, productivity and positivity.
FAQs
The leadership team is headed by CEO Allan Pike and Managing Director Justin Durandt.
Accountability, customer focus, perseverance, commitment to learning and growth, teamwork, respect and integrity.
With over 50 years’ experience, ISO 27001 certification and specialist recruitment units, Key Recruitment combines deep expertise with a values-driven, personal approach to hiring.