Graham Damant

Graham Damant is a Senior Consultant in the Employment & Benefits Practice, specialising in employment law and employee benefits. He advises boards of companies on executive employment and termination matters, sensitive whistleblowing investigations, and reputational risks arising from employee conduct. He has considerable expertise in handling strikes, retrenchments, section 197 transfers, and changes to terms and conditions of employment. He has acted as a judge in the Labour Court and assisted with drafting South Africa's labour legislation.

He has advised Pick 'n Pay Retailers (Pty) Ltd for the past 30 years on strikes, retrenchments, and collective agreements. He has represented employers in the Labour Court, Labour Appeal Court, and Constitutional Court proceedings, and has been involved in significant pension fund disputes, including conversions from defined benefit to defined contribution schemes and disputes over surplus and unclaimed benefits. He also advises on short-term and long-term incentive schemes, share plans, and medical aid schemes.

He holds a BCom and LLB and a Higher Diploma in Company Law from the University of the Witwatersrand, and an LLM from the London School of Economics. He has been consistently recognised by Chambers Global as a Senior Statesman (2022-2026) and previously in Band 1 for Employment law for seven consecutive years. He has also been inducted into The Legal 500 Hall of Fame for Employment (2024-2026).