John Tonkin

Over the past 41 years John Tonkin has been closely associated with the South African and International pump market. During this time he has been exposed to all facets of the industry.

His career started with the Johannesburg City Council as a fitter and turner apprentice/artisan before a stint with Safmarine as a junior engineer.

John's career moved on to mainstream marketing and sales when he joined the sales team of Stewarts and Lloyds with responsibility for the sale of pumps, pipes and valves to industry and the mines. During this time he was exposed to installations, handling anything from fresh water to chemicals and effluents of all descriptions.

John then became a member of the highly successful team at the S&L Training Centre in Vereeniging. He developed and presented courses on pumps, pipeline design, piping, valves, diesel engines and electricity in addition to programs in marketing and selling skills.

In 1989, John joined Matheson and Bremner as Branch Manager for the Johannesburg region before moving on to become Product Manager submersible pumps and later, Marketing Director. During this time, his travels into Africa, America, Europe, Dubai and the Far East earned him a wealth of experience in the everyday problems experienced by people at all levels of the pump industry.

John was the Water Divisional Manager for Franklin Electric in South Africa for 11 years. This period in his career was particularly fruitful as, in addition to the mechanical aspects he was also deeply involved in the electrical side of pumping systems.

John started JTA in 2008 to fulfill the desperate need for practical skills training in the fluid movement industry. Since then, JTA has grown to become one of the leading providers of technical skills training. John is renowned for his no-nonsense, practical approach to skills development and, judging by their feedback, his delegates appreciate the way that John brings the theoretical aspects to life by constantly reflecting on the implications in practice.