Tag: TalentManagement

Building a business from an innovative concept into a resilient, market-leading enterprise is rarely a linear journey. Over the course of my career, from pioneering South Africa’s first online salary survey in 2000 to my subsequent corporate chapters through PwC and Old Mutual, I have learned that sustainable growth requires a fundamental shift in perspective.

When COVID-19 emptied offices in 2020, remote work wasn't a carefully designed workplace strategy. It was an emergency response. Kitchen tables became desks, meetings moved online, and businesses adapted faster than many thought possible. In the years that followed, flexibility became a defining feature of many workplaces. But for some, the pendulum is swinging back globally once again. Amazon introduced a five-day office expectation in January 2025.

Imagine this: It’s 7:30 a.m. in Nairobi, and your phone buzzes with an alert from the treasury dashboard. Overnight, a sudden Foreign Exchange (FX) shock in East Africa has threatened to erode your continent-wide supply chain margins by 5 percent. Yet, your factory in Lagos has already executed an automated hedge that caps the risk at 1 percent.

South Africa's hospitality sector faces a paradox. Guests have returned, occupancy rates are recovering, and travel demand has regained strong momentum. According to Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, South Africa welcomed 10.485 million international visitors in 2025. This marked a historic record and surpassed pre-pandemic figures.

In today’s South African corporate landscape, shaped by governance scrutiny, activist shareholders, geopolitical volatility, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) pressure and rapid technological disruption, the role of the CEO has changed fundamentally. Boards are no longer looking for steady operators. They are looking for strategic architects of resilience, growth and trust. Achieving CEO excellence is now essential.

Tomorrow’s leaders will still need wisdom. Wisdom still needs experience. And experience still needs time.

Senior appointments demand something different. They require depth, judgment, insight and the ability to read both a candidate and an organisation at a strategic level. Every organisation faces moments that shape the next decade. These moments may include a major acquisition, a bold new strategy or a cultural shift.