Happiest as a technical shoemaker

As GM of Angels Shoes.

Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA – Stephan Berrill was a cordwainer, and the son of a cordwainer, and he was happiest being a cordwainer, and he would have been one of the few in this industry who would have known what a cordwainer is*.
And for a period of his life, he was where he wanted to be, among like-minded technical people, creating technically perfect footwear.

Born in Leicester to Norman and Daphne, he came to South Africa as a child when his father was one of the many foreign staff brought out by Shoe Corporation to its Arcadian plant in Durban.

His brother, Glenn, recalls that Stephan completed his schooling at Milton High School in Bulawayo, in then Rhodesia, when his father worked for Footwear & Rubber.

Following in his father’s footsteps, he was trained at Rushden Boot & Shoe College in Rushden, UK, which appears to have closed in 1973, and he must have been among its near final intake.

Returning to SA, he worked at Jack & Jill in Port Elizabeth, then joined Paul Moeller & Co. in Cape Town.

The Adidas days: Gavin Cowley, Daley Thompson, Tony O’Hagan, Stephan Berrill.

Probably in 1988, he joined adidas SA at much the same time as Gavin Cowley, who had also moved from PE, and their careers were intertwined for around 17 years, both becoming directors of the company.

“Stephan took over from Otmar Kaiser as footwear product manager, and he was very strong, technically,” Cowley said. "He was very well respected, locally and internationally. I’d listen to him talking, and so much of what he said often went over my head.

“His appointment as a director was unusual, as it wasn’t usual for technical staff to become directors, but this was also at a time when much of our footwear – most of our footwear, probably – was made locally by Sportshoe and then by Jordan when Sportshoe was taken over.

“We travelled abroad a lot together, and he would get involved in all the activities. He was a very good team man. He was often our goalkeeper in the adidas football team that regularly played against teams from the sporting industry.”

Stephan and Erika with son Richard, daughter in law Melissa and grandson Christian.

Then came a decision by new adidas SA MD Brian Kerby to combine all marketing activities – footwear, clothing and general – into one portfolio, under Cowley. “It wasn’t initially really a success,” he said, but one outcome was that Stephan was out.

After a period, he joined Angels Shoes as GM. When that business was disposed of, he joined his brother in the family-owned shipping business, Berlco Maritime, based in Port Elizabeth.
He died, aged 68, in his sleep. He leaves Erika, his son, Richard, and daughter-in-law Melissa, and 2 grandchildren.

*A cordwainer is a shoemaker. A cobbler is actually a shoe repairer.