Sarah Susan Powell
Internationally Accredited Mediator (UK & SA) | Advocate of the High Court of South Africa, Umhlanga Chambers
Sarah Powell is an internationally certified mediator, an advocate of the High Court of South Africa practising from Umhlanga Chambers, and an experienced governance, ethics and compliance professional. Admitted as an attorney in 2010 and called to the Bar in 2013, she has practised across constitutional, administrative, labour, family and commercial law, and has appeared in the High Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Sarah has worked extensively with boards, senior leadership teams and corporate stakeholders on accountability, regulatory compliance and risk management, and has herself served in leadership capacities as Chair, Director and Advisor across four boards. She has designed and implemented governance and compliance programmes spanning over 100 countries, is recognised among the world’s Top 100 Governance Professionals (New York, 2021) and has been nominated for several global ethics and compliance awards. With experience across the education, entertainment, financial services, energy, government and banking sectors she brings to mediation the rigour of an advocate and the practical judgement of someone who has experienced the mechanics of commercial dispute management.
A significant strand of her experience lies in labour and employment law, where she has chaired a significant number of workplace discipline enquiries, led strike negotiations with trade unions, overseen retrenchments, advised on discipline and grievances, and implemented codes of conduct and workplace policies.
Combined with her work as an advocate, Sarah has a valuable dual perspective: she understands both how parties build and press their positions, and the impact of an impartial third-party to guide their resolution.
Sarah guides the process while keeping the decision, and its terms, firmly with the parties. Her experience in litigating, negotiating, chairing and settling disputes has given her a deep understanding of how conflict takes hold and how it can be worked through. Her approach is practical, grounded and solutions focused. She meets parties with warmth and facilitates dialogue toward constructive and durable outcomes. The breadth that has carried her across sectors and jurisdictions means Sarah moves seamlessly between very different people and settings, putting parties at ease and meeting each dispute on its own terms. Her training as an advocate helps her find the real issues and gently test the strength of each side's position without taking sides, so that the process keeps moving toward resolution rather than entrenchment.
Sarah is an experienced facilitator of difficult conversations in organisational settings and has facilitated the resolution of many workplace disputes. In her governance and leadership roles she has guided discussions among boards, senior leadership teams, auditors and risk owners, and has led engagement with government stakeholders and trade unions on sensitive and contested issues.
Her facilitation style brings clear structure and objectives to a discussion, manages time and contribution carefully, and stays calm and impartial when emotions run high. Her aim is to create the conditions for honest exchange and to help people move from conflict or uncertainty toward common ground.