Hayley has 25 years of experience within the Hospitality sector and has experienced life in bush camps, restaurants, golf clubs, movie/concert and commercial catering. She is still currently in 5 star Lodge Management & keeps up to date with hospitality & tourism trends.

She founded Wild Dreams in January 2017 from her office in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park. Being lodge based she has an in-depth understanding of the logistics of reserve & hospitality operations.

Hayley is passionate about veganism & sustainable tourism and was the first certified vegan hospitality consultant in Africa, her vegan services include a Vegan Hospitality Consulting/Training & she is the author of ''Your Vegan Bestie ebook'' which you can purchase on the vegan page.
Hayley is also the COO for global company veganhospitality.com & has worked with clients internationally in Europe & the US.

Hayley provides general F&B assistance, HR admin services, & consulting to new lodges or lodges that are looking to restructure or become commercial.

Having a values aligned career is everything to Hayley & with this the vegan Jobs side of Wild Dreams was created. Her passionate & enthusiasm for helping people, animals & the environment shows in everything she achieves. She is a certified career coach & offers 1:1 career & business coaching specializing in career clarity. She is the creator of a signature workshop called ''Team Alignment Coaching'' for businesses.

Hayley is WILD ABOUT rehabilitating animals, one of the main reasons she started Wild Dreams was to have an income to help as many animals as possible. Her motto is ''saving an animal won't change the world but it will change the world for that animal.''

For more information about any of her services reach her on hayley@wilddreams.co.za

Marie Louise's (AKA - ''ML'') First job was as a teaching assistant, this role found her working at a 5 star lodge in Madikwe running children's activities & this is where she fell in love with the environment & the industry.

Over the last 8 years of working in top luxury lodges she was promoted several times, spending time working both front of house in guest relations roles as well as back of house as a housekeeping manager but ultimately with her wealth of knowledge she became a lodge manager of 4-5 star properties.

She left the industry in 2021 & most recently had an admin & HR role in retail managing a team of 120.

Marie Louise is WILD ABOUT sunsets, spontaneous adventures & going off the beaten track with her 4X4.

Luckily for us, her love of hospitality however kept her wanting to stay connected & this is how she came to join our herd in June, 2023 initially as a hospitality recruiter however her role soon evolved into training, & in 2024 she had a double promotion to head up not only then training team but shortly later our recruitment branch too!

If you are a client & in need of recruitment services, you can reach ML on jobs@wilddreams.co.za
If you are interested in training for your teams, contact her on marielouise@wilddreams.co.za for a proposal.

Dominique kicked off 2023 by leaving lodge life in the Sabi Sands to join our herd as a recruiter.

She has worked within the hospitality industry for her entire working career & after qualifying as a field guide & a coastal marine guide she had the opportunity to intern in a front of house role at a tented camp which quickly turned into a permanent position & her career has centred around guest relations positions within the lodge industry at various different lodges.

After 6 years of bush-life she decided it was time to venture in an exciting new direction that would enable her to have a bit more freedom and flexibility that remote work brings while still being connected to the industry that she loves as a hospitality recruiter helping people find their dream jobs.

Being vegan herself, she is also our vegan recruitment specialist which is a branch of Wild Dreams that has grown over the last couple of years & we work with the top vegan restaurants, sanctuaries & vegan organizations in the country.

Her sustainability management role involves engaging & working with various non-profits through our sustainability initiatives including community development, workshops on Cvs & interviews & 1:1 or small group mentorship in line with our social responsibility goals & values. She puts out a quarterly newsletter sharing our ''sustainability spotlights'' so be sure to check that out!

The fact Elephants are her favourite was just a bonus in her joining our herd.

Dominique is WILD ABOUT her dog, Daisy, spending time with loved ones & binge watching all the documentaries on Netflix.

If you are in a situation where you are looking to leave the lodge industry to try something different, she is a great person to talk to as this is exactly what she did when she joined us and what a great decision that was!

If you are a non-profit organization which share our values & vision & are interesting in working with us, reach out to Dom on dominique@wilddreams.co.za

Amore joined Wild Dreams as our first hire recruiter in the middle of the pandemic in 2020 & was quickly promoted in 2021 to Recruitment Manager, & then again in 2022 to Recruitment Operations Manager. Amore helped grow the Wild Dreams recruitment branch to what it is today. In 2024 she took a step back from management as hospitality and ''boss'' life was calling and she opened a brand-new restaurant! She is now with us as a senior recruiter.

Her entire working career has been within hospitality & tourism, and she is extremely passionate about all aspects of the industry. She knew that after leaving her last position working in a Lodge during the pandemic that she still wanted to stay connected to this industry and all of the people within it.

She has over 7 years of experience working in a range of environments in both the city and the bush and she is now based in Hoedspruit in the hub of where many of our clients are based.

She has worked in restaurants, cafes, hotels as well as the safari lodge sector.
Having both 4- and 5-star working experience and her restaurant is Mexican inspired!

In addition to her work experience she has a diploma in Hospitality Management, HR, F&B and Digital Marketing, all aspects which enable to understand all ins and outs of the industry.

Her experience has also enabled her to work in many different departments, making her an ideal recruiter to help both our candidates find their dream jobs but also our valued clients be matched with staff that suit their establishment and requirements.

Amore is WILD ABOUT older vehicles & their capabilities, especially off-roading. She loves spending time in remote areas on her time off.

Stacey's brings some unique experience to our herd originally coming from the spa industry where she worked as a qualified therapist for many years both locally at salons & lodges & internationally in the Uk at a well-known holiday resort.

Her role in spas transitioned into lodge management & reservations in Madikwe until she decided she needed a change & swapped bush life for ocean life & settled in the beautiful Eastern Cape.

She has a passion for learning & having new experiences & is currently studying (very hard!) for a diploma in hotel management with the international hotel school.

She also loves sharing her knowledge & enthusiasm for the hospitality & tourism industry with others making her ideal to join our herd as one of our recruiters & trainers & she started her journey with Wild Dreams in August 2023 after actually having a career coaching session with Hayley!

She covers in depth training in the following departments - front of house, spa, service & housekeeping. She has experience training at large resorts as well as intimate beachside eco-lodges.

Stacey is WILD ABOUT the night sky, family nights around a fire, travelling & her beautiful retriever best friend - Zeus!

Nikki has over 7 years of diverse experience within the tourism industry. Her vast background being a mixture of front office and operations management within lodges but also at various leading training schools in the country.

In her most recent role, she was the sales and operations manager for multiple guide training campuses and her responsibilities included onboarding new team members as well as the students, who she provided ongoing support for throughout their time on course, she still does this but instead for our valued candidates who she supports on the job search and employment journey.

Nikki is also currently in the process of opening a unique guide training school!

Nikki brings some unique experience to our herd while aligning perfectly.

She is WILD ABOUT Interacting with others, spending time in nature and personal growth.

Laura's career actually started in conservation, after obtaining her Btech Degree in Nature conservation she worked with various species in different nature reserves and sanctuaries.

She had an exciting role as a volunteer coordinator for a conservation organization that included whale watching & hiking.

She swapped ocean life for dry land & her love for nature took her in a different direction and she was employed as a Camp Manager in a unique reserve in the Eastern Cape.

After a short period in a guest relations role in Greater Kruger she decided that it was time to step out of lodge life & working as a recruiter allows her to work remotely while still being connected to the hospitality industry, with a like-minded herd that is passionate about wildlife, just like she is.

Laura is WILD ABOUT spending time with her loved ones, hiking in nature & reading a good book.

Ashleigh, a fellow elephant enthusiast, joined our herd after making the bold choice to transition from lodge life and return to her roots in Cape Town. With an international diploma in hotel management and over 20 years of diverse experience in the hospitality industry, she brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to our team.

Ashleigh’s career spans across events and venue management, including at a prestigious winery, and most recently, lodge operations at a luxury safari lodge.
Her extensive industry expertise, combined with her exceptional interpersonal skills, make her an invaluable asset to our recruitment team, perfectly complementing our herd.

Ashleigh is WILD ABOUT exploring our beautiful country, traveling off the beaten track, all things nature and learning about different cultures.

Andrea joins our herd bringing a wealth of industry experience and expertise.

She holds a diploma in hotel management and has primarily worked in reservations, booking luxury properties across Zambia, Tanzania, South Africa, and beyond.

Her behind-the-scenes experience in customer service roles, combined with her work in front office positions and the cruise line industry, adds a unique perspective to our team.

Andrea is currently based in the heart of the beautiful Cape winelands, close to many of our valued clients.

Andrea is WILD ABOUT her son, her dog & impromptu road trips to explore small towns around Sound Africa.

Stacey P joined our herd early 2024 as part of our training team. She is based in the heart of the Umbabat, part of Greater Kruger, so positioned perfectly to offer training to our lodge client base.

She has a wealth of knowledge & experience within the hospitality industry, she obtained multiple diplomas from the international hotel school & has hands on work experience both locally in city hotels & lodges as well as internationally working in the UAE.

She has experience in many departments with her strengths lying in F&B, housekeeping, finance & administration as well as HR & staff management. Being married to a reserve manager she also understands the industry from a conservation approach making her a great addition to our herd.

Stacey is WILD ABOUT the outdoors, hiking & conservation.

Lisette joined us in August 2023 as one of our trainers as we saw the demand increase for staff training within the lodges.

Lisette, originally from the Uk started working in a pub when she finished studying, thinking it would be something to do while she decided what to do with her life, but like many of us that became her life & she soon found herself in 5-star country hotels.

In 2015 her life changed forever when she took a sabbatical to South Africa & never left! Now a husband & two children later she is very much settled in the Eastern Cape where she had been managing a luxury lodge, however when Covid hit she found herself heading in a slightly new direction starting her own cake business. Missing the industry & with her passion for training & development of employees she joined us to facilitate our staff training services in front of house, service & housekeeping.

Lisette is WILD ABOUT being outdoors & she loves the ocean & the bush, holidaying in Kruger any chance she can get.

Christene is just starting out on her hospitality & tourism career journey!
She recently completed a tourism degree & has done a digital marketing course.

Her role with our herd is as our recruitment marketing intern & she assists us with social media marketing & reporting, client onboarding & supports us with various administrative tasks.

In return for her hard work, she is getting mentorship & coaching from us over the next few months to help her achieve her future goals of owning her own travel agency!

Christene is WILD ABOUT going on adventures, travelling & beach destinations. She also loves helping people achieve their goals.

Grant may have slightly more years of experience within hospitality than Hayley!

His experience is vast & varied from managing high-end celebrity focused bars to lodge management, he is a Professional (L3) Lead trails guide & has over 15 years of guiding experience, over this time he has managed & mentored teams in his role as head guide.

He is a great addition to our training herd, assisting with our guide & FOH training which we offer all over South Africa & beyond.

Grant can also be booked through us for freelance guiding services & he will soon be a qualified yoga instructor (qualified Feb 2025)
Do we feel a Wild Dreams retreat coming soon?

Grant is WILD ABOUT Conservation, running & yoga.