YOU DREAM – WE DESIGN

Anna is Stars of Africa’s CEO, and Founding Partner together with husband Tony Leidenkrantz. Anna’s passion is dedicated to creating extraordinary journey’s in Africa for Stars of Africa’s international clientele. Guests can rely on her innate understanding of responsible tourism as a means to impact positively on wildlife conservation and local communities.

Based in Sweden, with partners in Kenya and South Africa, Anna and her team at Stars of Africa curate, design and deliver highly refined travel experiences. Anna’s great network capabilities have built a high-profile network of trusted partners that forms an effective eco-system enabling her to fulfill Stars of Africa’s clients every expectation. Creating rarity, uniqueness and, therefor value to each client. By using her resourcefulness, experience, network and contacts in Africa she and the team creates arrangements that touch the heart and soul of Stars of Africa’s clients.

Anna specialize in adding value to each traveler, exceeding their expectations by introducing custom made solutions and experiences. Each touch point is carefully curated in detail, creating seamless and bespoken experiences combining luxury with adventure. The in-depth knowledge is a result of Anna’s and Tony’s extensive travels in Southern and Eastern Africa for the past 20 years. They have personal and close relationships with all the Stars of Africa providers in Africa.

She is a passionate photographer and an appreciated, skilled speaker. Her favorite adventure is a horseback safari.

Tony is Stars of Africa’s Marketing Director, he is also a Management Consultant focusing on corporate branding and communication. He speaks regularly about branding on conferences, at universities, for management teams and corporate boards. He acts as a trusted advisor to several CEOs and executives on strategic branding and communication issues. Tony teaches Strategic Brand Management in Industrial Design Engineering on a master level at Chalmers University of Technology. He is also the founder of Brand Leadership Forum® – Scandinavia’s largest event focusing on corporate branding. Tony has previously been the co-founder, partner and CEO of BBDO’s Brand Consultancy in Scandinavia. He has also held a number of executive positions in Swedish based multinational companies. 

Tony’s deep commitment to authentic, experiential and sustainable African travel, derives from memories cultivated during 20 years of experiencing Southern and Eastern Africa during his and Anna’s extensive travels. Conservation-led exclusive travel is what Tony strives to pass on to Stars of Africa’s clients. Tony’s passion for and insights into branding and communication are invaluable to Stars of Africa.

He is a passionate photographer, a former skateboard professional, a lover of South African wine and a keen diver. His favorite adventure is canoeing the Zambezi river.

Noah is Stars of Africa’s Representative on the ground in Botswana.

Noah is based in Botswana where he combines his passion for photography and conservation with his love for travel in Africa.

Having grown up in Sweden, he traveled extensively with his camera after a High School degree in in Film and Media Communication. His love of adventure has seen him, and his cameras, deep within Pantanal and the Amazon in Brazil, in the wilderness of South Africa and on the savanna in Maasai Mara in Kenya, but it is The Okavango Delta that captured his heart.

His films can be seen on Netflix, utilizing the latest technologies in nature filmmaking with remarkable photography;

Animal, a four-part celebrity-narrated Nature Series debuting November 2021 pounced into the streaming giant’s Top 10, just days after being released. Noah has filmed parts in the first two episodes; Big Cats and Dogs in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

Surviving Paradise – A Family Tale, debuting March 2022, was filmed during the Pandemic by a small crew including Noah in the Okavango Delta. A captivating documentary with stunning cinematography with astonishing close-ups, revealing the beauty of this natural landscape and the animals that inhabit it. Excellent camerawork enables us to connect and view how family relationships and close bonds of primarily African wild dogs, lions and elephants, helped these species survive and adapt to changes during a year of challenges.
“In this land, family is everything. It’s the bonds within the pack, the pride, and the herd that allow each member to succeed.” 

Our Planet II, Noah is one of the cinematographers behind Our Planet II, launched on Netflix June 2023, narrated by David Attenborough. All life on Earth depends on the freedom to move. This may be our planet – but images such as these compel us to remember that it is not only ours. This documentary is an inspiring four-episode docuseries that unveils answers to mysteries about why and how billions of animals relentlessly migrate — phenomenal travel adventures that have crossed our globe for millennia. Silverback Films and its Emmy Award-winning team behind Planet Earth and Our Planet dazzle once again with gorgeous cinematography.

Noah brings a wealth of experience from the Delta and other parts of Botswana. He has worked for Helicopter Horizons and is also an avid aerial photographer. His passion for, and insights into wildlife photography are invaluable to Stars of Africa and our clients.

Katarina is Stars of Africa’s Finance Manager. As Senior Finance Manager for Stars of Africa for more than a decade, Katarina is well versed in all aspects of the travel business and of course finance. After graduating with a degree in economics. She worked for many years as a Charted Accountant for various major accounting firms, before starting her own company in Accounting, Financial Statements, Salaries and Annual Report. Katarina has an affinity for the disparate worlds of numbers and nature. Her passion for Africa and the positive impact that travel creates provides critical balance to the financial creativity of Katarina’s work

Katarina is based in Sweden, where she lives with her husband and their Flatcoated Retriever and Cocker Spaniel. Her love for running and skiing takes her and her beloved canines out in nature as often as she can. Her best memory from Africa is when she and her family celebrated her 50th birthday in Zanzibar. 

Katarina’s passion for Africa and the conservation of the continent’s wild places and animals makes her a dynamic and indispensable member of the Stars of Africa team.

Cornelius is Stars of Africa’s web developer. As Senior web developer for Stars of Africa for the past 10 years, Cornelius is an invaluable asset as he specializes in the development of all applications, he is deeply engaged in optimization of our digital services and customer experiences.
He is a strong believer that the only way to do great work is to love what you do. Aside from detail-driven design, his strengths lie in collaboration and dedication, always ready for new challenges and always with a smile.

With a deep passion for archeology and anthropology since he was a child, Africa as the cradle of humankind has always been a center of attention for Cornelius.

Shawn is the President and owner of Selected Escapes, a New York and San Francisco based company that represents the Stars of Africa portfolio in the US, along with some of the finest destinations and niche Luxury Travel Companies in the world. Born in Arkansas and raised in California and Texas, he attended New York University after a 10 year career as a competitive figure skater. 

Shawn resides in New York City, he has a long career within in the travel and hospitality industry and has held the position of General Manager at the renowned The Inn at Irving Place in NYC, a position he held for 17 years. He has a passion for travel, with favorite destinations in Africa being Kenya, Botswana and South Africa. He also maintains an active role in figure skating, serving as an Olympic and World level judge and is an elected member to the ISU – International Skating Union. 

Shawn has a passion for luxury travel and exquisite food.