The Revd Margaret Fourie is a retired priest in the Anglican church, living on the Isle of Man. She is also a qualified Coactive Life Coach, affiliated to the International Coaching Federation and specialising in assisting diabetics and people with a poor self image.
Before her ordination by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1994, she ran a consultancy offering training in communications, assertiveness, creative thinking, motivation and management for companies and private people throughout South Africa after some years as a teacher and 25 years in management positions in business and industry She is also in demand as a speaker at various seminars and meetings on business, professional and social occasions.
She has a degree in theology from the University of South Africa, a teaching diploma from the University of Cape Town and is a Certificated Associate of the Institute of Bankers in South Africa. She trained with Coaching Development (London) in 2010. She has served as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of H.O.P.E Africa and as a trustee of various charitable Trusts. She was also Chaplain of St John Ambulance in Cape Town.
She has been an external examiner for the University of Cape Town’s Professional Communications Unit, has been editor of the Women’s Bureau magazine “Focus”, President of the Sandton branch of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, President of Cape Town’s Woman2000 organisation, founder member of the Democratic Party’s Women’s Forum, and was the Progressive Federal Party’s parliamentary candidate in Westdene against Pik Botha in the 1987 election. She is a published writer with a great many articles on various subjects to her credit, and has published six books, Break the Silence Barrier (translated into Afrikaans and Portuguese), So I Told Myself (translated into Afrikaans) , Talk (also in English and Afrikaans), Positive Parenting (translated into Afrikaans) and Spiritual Discipline in 10 Minutes a Day and Cat Confidence.
She has two daughters, both successful businesswomen, two wonderful sons-in-law and four grandchildren.