Damien J du Preez
Hi, I’m Damien – I write about business, politics, and life for the globally curious. In 2024, my wife and I moved from an off-grid farm to Frankfurt, Germany. Before that, I led a project to launch South Africa’s first citizens’ assembly. Now, I’m on a mission to explore global opportunities in business and politics, like joining the i4i Project and founding a new kind of South African travel company.
As the founder of Beagle & Baobab, my goal is to totally reimagine what a travel company can be and celebrate Africa’s most beloved destination like never before. To grow as an entrepreneur and hands-on professional, I’m also completing courses in several complementary areas, including project management, business development, and German.
In my previous role at CREDO, I led the development of South Africa’s first citizens’ assembly and transformed a novel idea into a viable project supported by government and civil society partnerships. Alongside this, I grew CREDO’s audience and reputation with a bootstrapped growth strategy (social media, events, newsletters, and cold outreach).
Building on my BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Stellenbosch University, I’m currently pursuing an MA in Comparative Democracy at the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt. Linked to this is my participation in the European i4i Project, for which I collect, code, and calibrate qualitative data for a QCA on the integration-impact relationship of citizens’ assemblies.
Have an idea and want to chat? Let’s meet.