What transforms
around the
corner to around
the world?
Introducing our 2015 Finalists
1
Contents
Welcome to an unrivalled business network ....................................... 3
Introducing the 2015 judges ............................................................ 5
E]]lgmj*()-ÕfYdaklk
Emerging Category ....................................................................... 8
Exceptional Category .................................................................. 16
Master Category ......................................................................... 28
Lifetime Achievement Award .......................................................... 37
Working with entrepreneurs through their entire life cycle ................ 41
EY Junior Academy Program 2016 ................................................. 44
2
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
Welcome to an unrivalled
Roland Sassoon
Gavin Lucas
John Nicolakakis
Magnus
Johannes (Jannie) Mouton Gl
Asher Bohbot Paul Galatis Nicos Criticos Brett Levy Elmien S
James Fisher Pratt Family Patrice Motsepe
R
Ackerman
Kananelo Maketha KK Combi Raymond
David R
Asher Bohbot
Charl Fouche Lex van Wyk M
Willem Roos Deborah Fry
Steven Horton Mahomed Cassim Rajendran Reddy Willy Govender John Copelyn B
Pria Hassan Arnaud Marie Cyil Lagesse Selwyn Kahanovitz Marko Sa
Thompson Family
Johann Vorster Bill Venter Louis Norval
Jenna Clifford Rob SussmanM
Justin Clarke
Kim Thompson Robert Gumede Andrew Golding Gavin Lucas, Stephen Lucas and Steve
Adrian Gore Julia Raphaely Sipho Nkosi W
Gil Oved
Arnold Prinsloo Asgar Mahomed Justin
Craig Venter
Joe Swart
Sol Kerzner
3
Letschert Stephen Saad Moss Ngoasheng Marti
Sharon Eades Kumaran Padayachee Gloria
Koos Bekker Brian Howarth Alison D
Jad Pereira Anthony Leal
Colin Lazarus D
global business network
RademeyerAhmed Mohamed
Angela Dick Shane Dryden
enn Pratt
Shaazim Khamisa
Iqbal Survé
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
Ran Neu-Ner
Dr Lelau Mohuba
choltz Betram (Bertie) Lubner Khethi Mkonza Craig Venter
Rachel Tladi Anna Mokgokong Marshall Dlamini Vejandran Pillay Nadir Khamissa
Ryan Richard Maponya Pieter Nouwens Greg Starke
Luci NouwensTimothy Tebeila
Otto Stehlik Prakash Devchand James Fisher
Braam van Huyssteen Bassie
Maisela
Andrew Smith
aravanja Khudu Pitje Brandon Leigh
Mark Levy Grant
Dutton
Frans Indongo
Marcel Golding Lance Fanaroff EddieMaila Patrick Dickens
en Horton
Fred Robertson
Rob Stokes
Johanna
Mukoki
Ivan
Epstein
Walter Fry Justin Clarke
n Kahanovitz Carlo Gonzaga David Letschert Ndaba Ntsele
Dale Hefer
a Serobe Louisa Mojela Reg Lascaris Brian Joffe Priakumari Hassan
Khanyile Divine Ndhlukula
Deeb Stephen Koseff Mark Lamberti Vusi
Joe Swart & Jonathan Kelsey
Dr Chris van der Merwe
Douglas Munatsi
4
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
Introducing the 2015 judges
Master Category
Judging Chair:
Ivan Epstein
CEO Sage AAMEA and
Chairman Sage Foundation
5
Exceptional
Stephen Koseff
Willem Roos
Bridgette Radebe
Giovanni Ravazzotti
CEO Investec Plc
CEO OUTsurance
CEO Mmakau Mining
Founder of Italtile Group
and Chairman of Ceramic
Industries Limited
Judging Chair:
Braam van Huyssteen
Executive Chairman Tekkie
Town
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
Emerging Category
Category
Dr Herman
Mashaba
CEO Lephatsi Investments
Louisa Mojela
Group CEO WIPHOLD
Dr Marko
Saravanja
Judging Chair:
Johanna Mukoki
Rob Stokes
Clive Butkow
CEO Travel with Flair
CEO Quirk
Director: Grovest
CEO Regenesys
Business School
6
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
Meet our
*()-ÔfYdaklk
7
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
Emerging Category
8
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
Khudusela Pitje | New GX Capital
That, in a nutshell, is Khudusela Pitje, the driving
force behind New GX Capital, a company that delivers
on projects worth billions. To see where this mogul
with a soft heart comes from, one need go no farther
than the dusty streets of a Pretoria township. His
father was a highly respected community leader,
Yf\ÕjklEYqgjg^EYe]dg\a3Zml`]oYkYdkgY
businessman and a trader, and the young Khudusela
learned the rudiments of entrepreneurship as a very
little fellow. Recalling those days, Khudusela says, “I
was raised as a trader’s son. I used to go and work
for him, even in primary school. I started getting that
trader mentality, and after my articles I was going
for interviews at banks, and they asked me where I
oYfl]\lgZ]afÕn]q]YjkÌlae]$Yf\AkYa\$ËJmffaf_
my own business”, which wasn’t the correct answer
when you’re looking for a job!”
As the young Khudusela climbed the banking ladder,
his entrepreneurial genes kicked in, and he bought
an apartment as an investment, later selling it at a
`Yf\kge]hjgÕl&L`]j]oYkYegj]^mf\Ye]flYd
lesson in that venture, he says. “It just shows that
you don’t necessarily have to be running your own
business to be entrepreneurial. That is why we call
our environment [at New GX] an entrepreneurial
environment that empowers intrapreneurs. There are
about four people in my group who are intrapreneurs,
running their own business units under our umbrella.”
Khudusela tells of his taking the plunge into going
it alone as a risk-taking entrepreneur. “I knew it was
time to leave JP Morgan. I had actually just arrived
^jgel`]ajMCg^Õ[]Yf\Ad]^ll`YlkYe]\Yq&Ao]fl
Yf\lqh]\Yd]ll]j$afo`a[`AkYa\$ËA\gfÌloYfllgZmad\
a business with your account. I will build it at my own
risk.”
9
It was a brave (though not foolhardy) leap of faith, as
subsequent events have proved. But Khudusela felt
then, and still does, that his two ‘halves’ – trader’s
kgfYf\Y;9imYdaÕ[Ylagf$o]j]o`Yl`][Yddk_gg\
offsets. “Our business is expanding fast, so we have
a very stringent risk management process. If it is
something small, that I can contain, I’ll take the view
on it myself. If it is something that has a material
impact on the business, I’ll call in our Financial
Director and our other Director, just to go through it.
And if it’s really big, we’ll even get an external adviser
to work with us, just to make sure, because I always
say to people that you can start believing in your own
propaganda, when in fact it’s really not good for your
business.”
That same humility informs his own skills, even
though he has a substantial track record and a string
of successful ventures to his name. “I see a mentor
on a regular basis, who will share his experience with
me - and when I apply his advice, it helps me in my
decision-making.”
One of the other striking facets of both Khudusela’s
business persona and his personal value system
is the fact that he believes in making social and
economic transformation really happen. When he
left JP Morgan, he says, he mistakenly thought that
his status as a young black CA with international
experience would be an attractive proposition to
banks partnering business growth. But it wasn’t the
case, and a steep road lay ahead.
Says Khudusela , “It’s fair to say that in 2004 few
people within banks believed in the young black
entrepreneur. You’d pitch up at a bank and the banker
ogmd\kYq$ËO`YlYj]qgmjk][mjala]k7ÌYf\AÌ\kYq$
ËDggc$Aogmd\fÌlZ]`]j]a^A`Y\Yddl`gk]k][mjala]k$Ì
Yf\l`]ZYfc]jogmd\kYq$ËFg$o]jmfYhjg[]kk
`]j]$ËYf\l`]fqgmÌ\j]Ydak]l`]j]bmkloYkfÌlYfq
special funding created for black empowerment.
There was a team at Absa that recognised the value
of what we proposed, which is a value-adding BE
[gehYfq$af*((,&O]kYa\$ËO]oYfllglYc][gfljgd
of the business that we operate in, and where we
\gfÌl`Yn][gfljgd$o]oadd`Yn]ka_faÕ[YflafÖm]f[]
afl`]\aj][lagf&Ì9f\ZqË\aj][lagfÌo]e]Yfl
transformation.”
Mr Pitje speaks with obvious pride of the projects
that he has been involved in. These projects bring
about employment and value to poorer communities,
notably the townships in which he grew up. He
says that the company’s organic growth is unique
because they develop projects, as opposed to
bidding for work, meaning that he and New GX are
pro-active when it comes to community upliftment
and economic progress in those under-resourced
communities.
All this is built on the strong backbone of a wellimYdaÕ]\k]fagjklY^^[gehd]e]fl&@]afkaklkl`Yll`]q
all get MBAs. It’s all to build a team able to handle the
growth that they anticipate. “I don’t want to call it
abnormal growth. I want to call it blessed,” he says.
It’s a word he uses throughout his conversation. “The
team and I have been very blessed, because we’ve
managed to create a reputation for being able to
come up with projects, incubate them, and grow them
into substantial and medium sized businesses.”
Khudusela Pitje has never been one to sit and wait for
Zd]kkaf_klg[ge]`akoYq3`]Ìk_gf]gmll`]j]Yf\
made them happen.
“I’m quite a tough
individual when it
comes to the corporate
side. I’ve got a very
soft personality when
I look at social and
economic issues, and
helping others. But
when it comes to the
professionals I work
with, I require the best
out of them.”
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
10
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
“ I’ve never thought
of myself as an
entrepreneur. I simply
think of myself as
someone who builds
something from
nothing and makes it
work.”
11
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
Lex van Wyk | Teraco Data Environments
Lex van Wyk might possibly agree that he is
something of a serial entrepreneur. Starting small
businesses is what makes him tick. “As soon as it
grows, that is my signal for moving on - for giving it
to someone else to take it farther. I’ve never thought
of myself as an entrepreneur. I simply think of myself
as someone who builds something from nothing and
makes it work.” His evolution as an entrepreneur
\g]k`Yn]Yn]jqkh][aÕ[<F9&Lo]flqq]YjkY_g$
`]bgaf]\YkeYdd[gehYfq[Ydd]\NYdm][ge$l`]Õjkl
fax over IP business in Africa. After that, he joined
KlgjeL]d][ge$o`a[`oYkafYklYjl%mhh`Yk]3`]
changed the business model that it was using,
grew it for seven years, and then sold it and started
Teraco. Perhaps it is the fact that Teraco is still
constantly evolving that keeps him there, despite its
considerable growth since those small beginnings.
That, and the fact that IT is clearly a passion of his.
Teraco is a property business for IT companies.
L]jY[g\g]kfgALalk]d^3l`]qhjgna\]YZmad\af_$Yf\
physical security, renting space that provides the
facilities peculiar to an IT company’s needs.
Having started off, somewhat experimentally, in
Cape Town, Lex van Wyk tested the business model
with 500 m2 – but even as they were in the initial
stages, people were insisting that Johannesburg was
the place to be, because of the volume of business
in Gauteng. However, this was in 2007, when the
economy was less than buoyant, and raising money
oYk\a^Õ[mdl&ÉKg$o]o]fll`jgm_`l`];Yh]Lgof
build, and, very close to the end, we went back to the
shareholders and said, ‘How do we get Johannesburg
going?’ - and they said, ‘Bring us the pre-sales and
we’ll put up the money.’ So we did.” Fortunately, one
of the key shareholders at Storm had done well out
of that company’s sale, and he was willing to take the
plunge as the lead investor.
:q*()(l`]Bg`Yf]kZmj_g^Õ[]kgh]f]\$[gn]jaf_
.((e*3<mjZYf^gddgo]\k`gjldqY^l]jl`Yl&
According to Lex, Teraco will soon be the biggest
operation of its kind in Africa.
The learning curve has been steep, but immensely
valuable. “By the time you build the second centre,
qgmÌn]d]Yjf]\kgem[`^jgel`]Õjklgf]l`Ylqgm
can improve. It’s been like that through every phase,
and we’ve done seven or eight phases now. It changes
overnight, though, because there are all these
different elements to it. Tomorrow something new
comes out. It can change overnight.”
Given the rapidly-developing world of IT, and the
\]n]dghe]flg^AL\YlYljY^Õ[Yf\klgjY_]e]l`g\k$
Teraco launched and built the peering point called
NAPAfrica, to bring content into Africa . “In three
years we built NAPAfrica up to become the largest
peering point in Africa, and it’s a huge drawcard for
Teraco. Now, with the cloud, we came up with a little
concept a year ago, called The Africa Cloud Exchange,
which we are busy building. If you look back over
the last eight years, we’ve in fact started three new
businesses. They are all very challenging and exciting,
and very rewarding, because we are changing the way
the internet works in Africa.”
When asked about the fact that the company’s
ÕfYf[aYdk[d]Yjdqk`go`gokm[[]kk^mdl`][gehYfq
`YkZ]]f$Yf\ak$D]p[gfÕjekl`Yll`]qo]j]YZd]
to exploit an opportunity with immense potential
that others weren’t seeing. As Lex tells it, ÉO`]fo]
klYjl]\l`]Zmkaf]kk$fggf]]dk]Ë_glÌal&Kgo]Zmadl
Cape Town, and Johannesburg, and then we realised
we might leave a gap for our competitors in Durban,
so we built a centre there, even though it was a big
risk at the time.”
With Teraco’s success in South Africa, the obvious
next step is to expand up the continent. Having
recently visited Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, he’s been
_jYlaÕ]\lgÕf\l`YlL]jY[gakkqfgfqegmkoal`\YlY
centres there. ÉAlÌkn]jq\a^Õ[mdllgZmad\kge]l`af_
like this in the rest of Africa at the moment. But we
are helping quite a few different players in Africa,
and if they can build something and provide the
management team, we should be willing to invest.
There is huge scope for where we are going.”
In the same way that Teraco has been leading the
oYqafl`]ajÕ]d\$kg\g]kD]pZ]da]n]afd]Y\af_Zq
example. People learn by imitating others, says Lex. “I
feel that if I do it right, they will do it right. There are
different cultures and different religions and beliefs
but as long as the business is going in one direction
I’ve got no problem with that.”
His own brand of courageous entrepreneurship
certainly sets an example for others to follow.
Employment issues actually push people into
entrepreneurship here, according to Lex, so he’s
particulary concerned with educating entrepreneurs
to make the best of the South African business
environment.
Characteristically, Lex’s humility emerges when asked
what he’d most like to be remembered for. “I don’t
know. I don’t need to be a hero or a legend. If they say
l`YlAf]n]j`mjlYfqZg\q$l`Ylogmd\Z]Õf]&Ê
He is likely to be remembered for his epic contribution
to the IT industry in Africa, too, of course.
12
World Entrepreneur Award | Kgml`]jf9^ja[Y*()Southern Africa 2015
Charl Fouché & Magnus Rademeyer | AfriGIS
A warm and palpable camaraderie underlines a
friendship formed nearly 30 years ago, when Charl
Fouche and Magnus Rademeyer met in high school.
After completing their tertiary studies, Magnus
expected to spend his life as a civil engineer, while
;`YjdimYdaÕ]\YkYfY[lmYjaYdk[a]flakl&<]klafq`Y\
gl`]jhdYfk^gjl`]e$`go]n]j&9^l]jÕfak`af_`ak
studies, Magnus went to Chile, and was introduced to
GIS while he was there.
Magnus says, “It got my imagination going, because
AÌeY[anad]f_af]]jZqljYafaf_$Yf\Al`gm_`l$Ël`ak
looks interesting.’ I ended up going to Boston and
getting the rights for the software, and then coming
back. But I had to repay a bursary with a civil
engineering consulting company,before I could focus
on the system”.
Charl quips, ÉO]o]j]*+Yf\gmjmfg^Õ[aYdkdg_Yfg^
the day was that we were too stupid to be afraid.”
One of their original colleagues spotted a tiny notice
in a newspaper, calling for tenders for a commission
by the Independent Electoral Commission. Says
Magnus, “I think it was the night before the
kmZeakkagf\Yl]&Kgo]ima[cdqhmlYhjghgkYd
lg_]l`]j&O]`Y\Yfa[]dg_g$o`a[`oYkYZgmlal&
Fortuitously, we managed to get the tender - and that
fundamentally changed a lot of things permanently.”
Indeed, AfriGIS had taken off, in what was soon to
be a big way. Magnus says that the funds generated
by the IEC job were then applied to building product.
Charl and Magnus realised that owning data sets
wasn’t enough. “Our customers couldn’t get their
problems solved, because in the old days you needed
to have data, and then you also needed to have
13
software, so by the time you could sell something to
the client – or you tried to solve their problem - there
o]j]lggeYfqegnaf_hYjlk&Kgo]klYjl]\egnaf_
up the chain. Today we own the complete value
chain.”
Characteristic of their approach to life and work,
they recently gave their staff an exercise, in which
people were asked to think of a cartoon character
that best described AfriGIS. The result of the poll, not
altogether expectedly, was Tinkerbell, ‘a tinker-fairy
l`YlÕ\\d]kYjgmf\Yf\Zmad\kf]ol`af_kÌ&;d]Yjdq$
it’s an analogy that pleases Charl and Magnus. “I
think there is a culture of learning, one of improving.
O]Yj]YdoYqkhmk`af_gmjk]dn]klg\gZ]ll]jl`Yf
yesterday,” Charl says. “And we like to solve a
problem.”
Indeed, the two entrepreneurs see AfriGIS as a
technology and innovation company. They like to
build their products themselves.. ÉO]Zmad\Yf\[j]Yl]
new concepts,” says Magnus. ÉO]j]Y\oa\]dq$Yf\
l`]f[gff][ll`]\glk&O][YfkYq$ZYk]\gfo`Yl
the market out there is indicating, what is likely going
lg`Yhh]fafl`]f]plÕn]lgl]fq]Yjk&A^o]afn]kl
in what we foresee, we will be at the concept of
businesses.”
This attitude, of looking to be in the right place at the
right time, has stood them in good stead over the
q]YjkYf\akj]Ö][l]\afY[`Yjeaf_YfYdg_q;`Yjd
uses, when talking about the synergy of hard work,
passion, commitment and luck . “You have to prepare
for it,” Charl says. “To prepare for it means you have
to do something without knowing what is going to
happen. I compare that to a spider. I have spent a lot
of time watching them, and I’m reasonably certain
that they spin a yarn of a metre or two, so that the
lift on that from wind will be equal to their weight;
and if they’ve spun it, and the wind picks up, it will
take them somewhere. They don’t know to where
yet. They just know that when they land there they
are going to build a beautiful structure. And that is
how an entrepreneur should work : spin into the wind
and then hope it takes you in the right direction. But,
unless the spider spins, the wind won’t take it - and
even if a beautiful wind comes along, and it’s sitting
there, nothing will happen.”
There is nothing random about the way these two
men work, however. The aim of being a billion Rand
business is not what fuels the strategic direction
of AfriGIS. Rather, they talk of creating a working
environment where staff feel that it is a good place to
ogjc3gf]o`a[`eYc]kY[`Yf_]^gjl`]_gg\af[anad
society, as well. ÉO]Z]da]n]afZ]ll]j$kg9^ja?AKemkl
make a positive contribution to society,” says Charl.
Both Charl and Magnus speak often and
appreciatively about the advice and mentoring they
have received at various stages of their journey. Many
years ago, one adviser did, however, say that they
were too young to start what they had undertaken.
With the wisdom of hindsight, Magnus disagrees.
“If you can start early, you are giving yourself a lot
of runway,” he says. Starting something new today,
oal`l`]j]khgfkaZadala]kg^Y^Yeadq$Yf\ÕfYf[aYd
obligations, would be so much harder.
Magnus and Charl used that runway to good effect,
Yf\Yj]fgoÖqaf_`a_`&KYqkEY_fmk$“I think we’ve
been blessed.”
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
“We were 23 and
gmjmfg^Õ[aYd
slogan of the day
was that we were
too stupid to be
afraid.”
14
15
Exceptional Category
16
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
Angela Dick | Transman
Angela Dick is a woman whose deep compassion
has translated itself into a quest to make the lives of
disadvantaged people truly better. The reasons for
l`ak[ge]Yddl`]oYq^jge`]j]Yjdq[`ad\`gg\3`]j
mother passed away when she was three years old.
Angela and her father were all alone in the world. “I
thought I was a boy until I was about twelve - and
then I realised I was supposed to be a girl, which
was a bit of a problem!” But what she did realise,
even at the age of three, was that there was no
back-up. ÉO`Yl]n]jA\a\$AoYkY[[gmflYZd]^gj&AÌn]
always been a bit of an adventurer. I’ve always been
responsible, and I’ve always liked a challenge. I didn’t
ever want to rely on anybody else for my income.”
Transman was born. In hindsight, it’s perhaps easy to
see that Angela’s whole life had been leading up to
this point. “Completely blindly, because I really didn’t
know anything about wages or legislation at that time
I thought, ‘OK, what I can do? I can test these people,
and see what work they have or haven’t done. I can
understand whatever level they are operating at. I
can take that person and say to employers, “This man
has so many years’ experience and he has this much
potential” - and I can phone the CEO of that company,
or the HR manager. I can get an appointment with
that person. I can talk to that person and I can
convince them to take this individual and give them
an opportunity.’”
Former tomboy Angela’s resistance to the orthodox
da^]hYl`g^o]dd%Zjgm_`lmhdY\a]kÇYfafka_faÕ[Yfl
job and then marriage and ‘settling down’ - meant
that she went into teaching, because “I found it
incredibly rewarding to see that I actually had the
ability to give information and help the children
understand the information that I’d given them,
and then do something useful with it.” After leaving
teaching, she went into sales. “I applied for a
bgZoal`+E%Yf\lgeq`gjjgjAY[lmYddq_glal&Ê
Subsequently, she was offered a job selling industrial
training programmes and became acutely aware of
the problems related to skills and skills training that
bedevilled the country, in the early 1980s.
Angelas altruistic impulse – however naïve she might
consider it now – sparked the growth of Transman,
and today she can talk of the effect that her company
has had on literally millions of lives. Suddenly,
]ehdgq]jko]j]fgdgf_]jYZd]lgÖgmlZYka[
conditions of employment without a visit from Angela
Dick. She says that when she registered as a labour
broker, she effectively took on the responsibility
of being the employer of her labour pool. That
had never been the case before. Recollecting her
encounters with less scrupulous labour brokers,
Yf\`]jYhh]YjYf[]kaf[gmjllgÕ_`l`]j[Yk]$
Angela says, “I’m the one who changed the law in
this country in terms of brokers and temporary staff
and so on. And it meant that everybody had to pay
]imYddq$[gn]jYddl`]Z]f]ÕlkYf\\gl`af_k[gjj][ldq&
Kg$l`YloYkl`]klYjlg^al&Ê
Her work took her to industrial areas, to meet
with customers and clients. It was there that she
came face-to-face with the harsh reality of so many
unskilled job-seekers standing outside factory gates,
waiting for the slim possibility of a day’s work. “I
cannot bear to see the look of hopelessness and
despair in people’s eyes,” says Angela. “I don’t want
them to think there is no hope and no opportunity
o`]fl`]qhjgZYZdq`Yn]Yfgl`]j^gmj$Õn]gjkap
people dependent on them. I could just see that whole
poverty cycle going on and on and on. And I thought,
ËFgKge]l`af_Ìk_gllgZ]\gf]YZgmlalÌ&Ê
17
Her contribution to the improvement in employment
conditions of workers is perhaps immeasurable, yet
Angela speaks with pride of the fact that Transman
has placed around 3,000,000 people in employment.
Given that each breadwinner is probably supporting
YZgmlÕn]gjkapgl`]jk$al[gmd\Z]Yj_m]\l`Yl
Transman has positively impacted the lives of more
than 15,000,000 people. “And if there is one word
l`YlAYZkgdml]dq`Yl]alakËj]lj]f[`e]flÌ&Eqo`gd]
da^]ak\]ngl]\lgljqaf_lgÕf\YbgZ^gjkge]Zg\q$fgl
take it away.”
Transman is making a considerable contribution
to community upliftment, and Angela insists that
her staff members all spend a few days a year
volunteering in community upliftment programmes.
However big and successful Transman has become,
Angela has never lost sight of the needs of the
vulnerable members of our society. As part of
her own volunteering, Angela recently spent time
with the Children of Fire, a charity that looks after
children who have been very badly burned, and, in
many cases, abandoned. “I wrapped some toys in a
package and took them through to the kids and I said,
ËO`Yl]n]jqgmlYc]gmlakqgmjk&ÌL`akgf]dalld]Zgq$
about 8 years old, and horribly scarred, picked one of
l`gk]n]jqZa_Öm^^qjYZZalk&L`Yldalld]kgmdo]flYf\
sat at the kerbside, rocking backwards and forwards
with a little smile on his face.”
The orphaned toddler, whose destiny as an
entrepreneur and businesswoman was to create hope
where previously there had only been despair, is still a
very compassionate human being.
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
“If there is one
word that I
absolutely hate it
is ‘retrenchment’.
My whole life is
devoted to trying
lgÕf\YbgZ^gj
somebody, not
take it away.”
18
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
19
“It’s important to
focus on the many,
many small wins that
happen every single
day.”
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
Ran Neu-ner and Gil Oved | The Creative Counsel
After meeting at high school, Gil Oved and Ran NeuNer both quickly recognised that they were (and still
are) kindred spirits. ÉO]YdoYqkoYfl]\lgZ]eYkl]jk
g^gmjgof\]klafa]k&O]oYfl]\lgeYc]Y\a^^]j]f[]$
and we wanted to do it our way.” Ran claims that he
oYkÕjklhYkll`]hgklaf]flj]hj]f]mjaYdn]flmj]k&
“At the age of 4, I learned to use scissors, and I cut up
pictures from an old calendar that my parents threw
away, and I went door-to-door, selling the pictures.
O`]fA_gl`ge]l`]j]o]j]hgda[]Yf\Yeakkaf_
persons report - but I managed to make money, and
that was important.”
Their road to the success of The Creative Counsel has
had its share of potholes and dangerous bends. One
in particular, a failed internet venture, taught them
some very valuable lessons. It was, they say, a time of
\]]h\]hj]kkagf&Oal`l`]Z]f]Õlg^`af\ka_`l$Zgl`
of them now realise that what seemed and felt like a
breakdown was, in fact, something of a breakthrough.
Ran adds, ÉO]gfdq]n]jd]Yjfd]kkgfkZqeYcaf_
mistakes. I don’t think I’ve learned any lessons from a
success - I always learn my lessons from failures.” Gil
agrees, and gives an extra perspective. ÉKge]g^l`]
biggest opportunities I’ve had in life have come from
people who believed in me - and knowing who I am,
I’m not so sure I would have given that young man
those opportunities,”`]kYqkojqdq3“But somehow
it’s worked.”
The Creative Counsel came into being because Ran
had a girlfriend who was doing in-store promotions.
“There were sixty other people like her doing
promotions in the store, and they weren’t doing it very
o]dd$Yf\o]kYol`]ghhgjlmfalqYf\kYa\ËD]lÌkeYc]
this into an industry.’ And two years later we were the
biggest in the market, and four years later we had a
Õ^lqh]j[]fleYjc]lk`Yj]$Yf\kgo]lggcgn]jl`]
industry. I saw an opportunity, and we harnessed that
opportunity - and basically we are where we are today
as a result of that one opportunity that we seized.”
change one of the things in our company culture, I’d
make sure that people really celebrate successes, no
matter how small the success is.”
According to Gil, “… we never had a big idea. There
wasn’t a big vision to become what we are now. The
economy changes so quickly that you can’t really
predict where your business is going to go. But you
have to start somewhere. In-store promotions are a
tiny part of our business today. But back then we just
wanted to survive, and we found ourselves in the right
place at the right time, and we seized opportunities as
they presented themselves.”
Company culture is extremely important to these two
men who have built a hugely successful company
from very humble beginnings. Clearly, The Creative
Counsel has been the success it is because of the
ethical and philosophical pillars on which Gil and
Ran built the company. “Organisations are driven by
culture,” says Ran, “Culture must be driven by the
Z]`Ynagmjg^l`]d]Y\]jk&O]Z]da]n]af\]dan]jaf_
brilliance or not delivering anything at all; in looking
after our colleagues before anybody else - making
our colleagues family; in integrity and honesty and
trust and respect. Gil and I are extremely competitive;
we are perfectionists, and we have a very high
expectation of ourselves and that is where the pillar of
gmj[mdlmj]%Ë:jaddaYf[]gjfgl`af_Ì%[ge]k^jge&Ê
Gil reiterates that the non-traditional advertising
industry is constantly changing. It’s very dynamic
Yf\Öma\$lgl`]hgafl$`]kYqk$l`Yl“…the day we can
\]Õf]gmjk]dn]kakl`]\Yqo]Yj]gmlg^Zmkaf]kk&Ê
They were very nearly out of business before they’d
Z]_mf&L`]q`Y\Ylafqg^Õ[]af@addZjgo$Yh`gf]$
and a Yellow Pages, recounts Ran. ÉO]mk]\lg[ge]
lgl`]g^Õ[]Yf\o]mk]\lgha[cmhl`]h`gf]$Yf\
start phoning. And I’ll never forget phoning one of
l`]ZYfck$Yf\AkYa\$Ë@a$o]\ghjgeglagfk&;YfA_]l
Ye]]laf_oal`qgm7ÌL`]_mqkYa\$Ë;ggd$o`Yllqh]
g^hjgeglagfk\gqgm\g7Ì9f\AkYa\$ËMe$AÌddh`gf]
qgmZY[cÁÌYf\Ahmll`]h`gf]\gofYf\kYa\$Ë?mqk$
o`Yllqh]g^hjgeglagfk\go]Y[lmYddq\g7Ì9f\
qgmcfgol`YloYkj]Yddql`]Õjklkapegfl`kg^L`]
Creative Counsel!”
Gil continues : ÉO]^gmf\kap\aklaf[l[mdlmjYdhaddYjk
that we live and breathe by. Once we extracted them,
o]\]daf]Yl]\l`]e&O]hmll`]emhYddgn]jl`]oYddk
g^l`]g^Õ[]$Yf\Yddl`]af\m[lagfhY[ck$Yf\l`]f
we set up to scream them out in everything that we
do. And we decided our last step was to act on them
every single day, all day.”
They’ve come a long way since their Hillbrow
days – but Gil and Ran are clearly still thinking
entrepreneurial thoughts each and every day.
Slowly, constantly urging each other not to give up
hope, they built the business. Gil says, “It’s important
to focus on the many, many small wins that happen
every single day.” Ran adds, “I know entrepreneurs
have this bad habit of looking too far ahead and never
celebrating the now. I think if I could go back and
20
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
John Nicolakakis | Roman’s Pizza
John Nicolakakis comes from a warm-blooded
Yf[]kljq3ÉO]Yj]Y^YeadqZmkaf]kk3o]`Yn]
E]\al]jjYf]Yfjgglk&O]k`gml$o]k[j]Ye$o]`Yn]
Y^Yajdqmfgjl`g\gp]fnajgfe]fllgogjcaf&O]Yj]
not very corporate. Instead, we have an amazing
]f]j_qafgmj`]Y\g^Õ[]%Zmlalakfgl^gj]n]jqgf]&
If somebody wants to work in - for want of a better
word - a civilised environment, I don’t know whether
JgeYfÌkHarrYakYhdY[]^gjl`]elgZ]&Ê It’s a
company he’s incredibly proud of. His father started
the company in 1999, and John joined in 2000.
John speaks with refreshing candour about himself
his career, and Romans Pizza (“I sold ice-cream and
lollipops at school. I had a brilliant business idea of
lending money to kids for tuck shop and taking their
calculators as collateral, but unfortunately one of the
mothers found out about it and they blocked it quite
quickly. I’m a trader at heart.”).
He tells the story of how the two generations of
Nicolakakis men occasionally bumped heads as they
learned to work together. ÉO`]fAbgaf]\JgeYfÌk
HarrYo]`Y\lo]flqÕn]gmld]lkYf\l`]qo]j]Ydd
trading exceptionally well. My father believed in doing
everything himself, and he was happy with the size of
the business. If he couldn’t manage it, see it or touch
al`]oYkfÌlafl]j]kl]\afal&O`]fAbgaf]\$Aj]Ydak]\
that if we didn’t grow fairly rapidly we would have
new competitors coming into the landscape - and
they would literally eat our pizza for breakfast. That
is the last thing I wanted, so being green played to my
favour in many ways. I couldn’t see the risks. I secured
a site in Joubert Park, and took my father to see
al&@]kYa\$ËQgmYj][jYrq$l`akak@addZjgo&L`]qoadd
f]n]j]YlharrY`]j]ÌA\a\fÌlcfgoaloYk@addZjgo$A
didn’t know where I was. It turned out to be one of our
best sites. If I’d had the experience he had, I might not
have been able to take the decisions that I took that
allowed us to grow as quickly as we did.”
21
Roman’s Pizza certainly has grown in the relatively
short period of around sixteen years. Because
it is primarily a franchise model, the need for
standardisation, uniformity and uniform quality is
paramount. The growth also means that John, unlike
his father, has to be comfortable with not managing
everything himself. “Unfortunately I’m my fathers
son,” John says. “I’m a bit of a micro manager too.
9f\YkJgeYfk`Yk_jgofl`jgm_`l`]q]Yjk$AÌn]
had to allow the team to take on more risk. I’ve had
to allow them to make decisions for themselves. I’m
not able to be involved in as many decisions as I was
previously. Obviously on a strategic level I’m still very
involved, but you have to learn to trust.”
Roman’s Pizza has grown its footprint in South Africa,
and John will still focus the bulk of his attention on
the local market. The entry of international players
means there is a need to safegaurd and maintain his
market positioning and “slowly and cautiously” grow
into the African market place.
That said, John has learned, through empirical
experience, that the most successful people have
to be absolutely passionate, be committed, be hardworking, and be blessed with plain common sense.
As John says, “The hours are long, it is a challenging
environment to work in, you are the procurement
manager, the accountant, the staff psychologist,
the sales director, the executive manager - and the
[mklge]jdaYakgfg^Õ[]j&QgmÌn]_gllgZ]YZd]lgo]Yj
those hats on any given day. You’ve also got to be able
to manage whatever gets thrown at you.”
With his characteristically mischievous sense of
humour, John says, ÉO]dac]lgj]lYafYddg^gmjk]fagj
management if we can, and a large part of the team
has stayed with us. They’re all as crazy as we are - all
a bit mental. And if they weren’t when they came
in, they probably are today. One of our important
achievements is keeping our staff as long as we have;
making them crazy is obviously an achievement as
well!”
Roman’s Pizza was founded on ‘Best Pizza Best Value’
as its slogan. John still feels that those four words
encapsulate everything about Romans. He says, “I
ljmdqZ]da]n]l`YlZ][Ymk]g^JgeYfkhja[af_kljYl]_q$
YdYj_]hYjlg^l`]IKJk]_e]fl$]kh][aYddql`]harrY$
has become more price-competitive. It’s the only way
gl`]jk[Yf[geh]l]oal`mk&O]`Yn]YdoYqkZ]]f
the price leader, and we don’t limit our customers’
k]d][lagfo`]fo]jmfY[YehYa_f&O]oYfllgYddgo
the customer to be able to eat the pizza that he
chooses to eat. That is how we started, and that is
how we have remained.”
Nevertheless, it is John’s pride in the South African
operation that he communicates with infectious
enthusiasm. And he is particularly delighted by
the fact that there are examples of employees who
started off as security guards and kitchen assistants
have progressed up through the ranks to become
highly successful franchise partners.
“Knowing, every day,
the effect that decisions
I take can have a
positive or negative
outcome for in excess
of 5,000 families that
we look out for at
the moment, via our
employees and our
partners, reinforces the
fact that I have a direct
impact on each and
every one of them.”
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
22
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
“Our philosophy is
that we only have one
life and we want to
explore our possibilities
and maximise our
hgl]flaYd3o]oYfllg
experience as much as
we can. At heart we are
experimenters. We love
trying new things.”
23
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
Nadir Khamissa & Shaazim Khamissa | The Hello Group
Nadir Khamissa and Shaazim Khamissa have created
an enterprise that seems to run on rocket fuel, so
rapidly is it growing and expanding. But what makes
it so special is that it is an enterprise founded on the
bedrock of philanthropy: a genuine desire to make the
lives of poor people easier and better.
Entrepreneurial spirits both, the two young men
seemed destined for careers in accounting and
banking, but it was a particular “Aha!” moment that
changed their destinies completely. Nadir recounts
how ÉO]`Y\YdYl]fa_`lh`gf][YddYf\o]o]j]
ogf\]jaf_o`qal[gkle]-h]f[]lgh`gf]Kgml`
9^ja[Y^jgeDgf\gfYf\o`qal[gkll`]e-(h]f[]Y
eafml]lgh`gf]Dgf\gf^jge`]j]&O]bmkll`gm_`l
l`Ylal\a\fÌleYc]Yfqk]fk]&A^qgmÖq^jgegf]hdY[]
to another it’s the same price, so why is this price ten
lae]kegj]79f\AkYa\lgK`YYrae$ËD]lkÕ_mj]l`ak
out’.”
9f\Õ_mj]algmll`]q\a\&K`YYraeakl`]l][`fgdg_q
ZjYafafl`]hYjlf]jk`ah$Yf\`]\ak[gn]j]\YÖ]\_daf_
technology called Voice Over IP, a technology that
converts traditional analog voice signals into a digital
signal and transmits that over the Internet. “That
allowed us to facilitate international phone calls at
dal]jYddqd]kkl`Yfgf]l]fl`g^l`][gklg^YÕp]\daf]
gh]jYlgj&K`YYraeÌkd]n]jY_af_l`akl][`fgdg_qakgf]
of the elements that led to the birth of our business,”
says Nadir.
Behind this discovery lay something deeper, however.
Nadir, who had been living in the United Kingdom,
and who had been so troubled by the discrepancy
between phone call tariffs, recalls how “…whenever I
[Ye]ZY[clgKgml`9^ja[YAogmd\hYkkYhmZda[hYq
phone on my way home. And I would see a queue
of people there, in the sun and in the rain and these
guys were making international phone calls, paying
J-Yeafml]&L`]mk]j]ph]ja]f[]bmklkm[c]\Ê This
was while Nadir was working for Deutsche Bank in
London, and completing deals worth millions. The
contrast gave him pause. He started pondering
whether he would look back on his life one day, and
Yll`]egf]q`]Ì\eY\]^gjYZYfc3gjo`]l`]j`]Ì\
be able to say that he’d actually made an impact.
ÉL`]kqf]j_qg^Yddg^l`]k]l`af_k[j]Yl]\l`]@]ddg
Group; it’s what created our philosophy of being able
to leverage technology for people at the base of the
pyramid. I don’t just want to sound like a charity here,
Z][Ymk]l`akakY[lmYddqYf]p[]hlagfYddqhjgÕlYZd]
space to be, and we plan to spend many years
capitalising on it.”
K`YYraeY_j]]kl`Ylalak$afl`]ÕfYdYfYdqkak$Y
commercial venture, but then “If the business doesn’t
make money we can’t add value to our employees
and the thousands of lives they touch. I think it is
kge]l`af_n]jq^mdÕddaf_o`]fqgm[YfdggcZY[caf
years to come and realise that our legacy is that we
actually created tangible value for people who are
looked down upon, who are excluded and completely
ignored.”
D]n]jY_af_l][`fgdg_q^gjl`]Z]f]Õlg^h]ghd]Yl
the lower end of the socio-economic food chain is
at the heart and soul of everything they do, says
Shaazim and Nadir. This manifests itself differently
in the different industries that the Hello Group is
involved in. They have a presence in the telecoms
af\mkljq$af\akljaZmlagf$ÕfYf[aYdl][`fgdg_qYf\
travel and media.
In the ten years of the company’s existence, the Hello
Group has grown rapidly, and seems to be growing
exponentially. While Shaazim says, “Uncertainty and
risk is really basically what keep us going.” Nadir says,
“Our philosophy is that we only have one life and we
want to explore our possibilities and maximise our
potential; we want to experience as much as we can.
9l`]Yjlo]Yj]]ph]jae]fl]jk&O]dgn]ljqaf_f]o
things.”
The rough and tumble of success and failure
has taught them well. It forced them to simplify
everything that they do, so as to get to the essence of
value creation for customers. The numbers suggest
that value creation is exactly what the Hello Group
is about. They have over 40,000 spaza shops and
street vendors who are totally loyal to the Hello
Group. Nadir says, ÉO]Yj]l`]ajÕjkl[Yddo`]fl`]q
want to explore a new opportunity. This co-creation
with our customers and merchants is an amazing
innovation hotbed.”L`]aj^g[mk^gjl`]f]plÕn]
years is certainly going to be on their rapidly growing
international money transfer business.
With expansion into Europe and the Middle East
also planned for the next few years, both Nadir and
Shaazim are aware that they are now only one part
of a company that has taken something of a life of its
own. “Ten years ago we were everything, but today
it’s shared,” says Nadir. ÉLge]Yf\K`YYrae$gmj
people are everything because we can only create so
much. If you go all the way down to our people in the
Õ]d\$l`]qj]Yddqdan]l`akZjYf\&L`]q`Yn]kgd\l`ak
product to their brothers and sisters and they feel a
sense of pride from being part of this organisation.
O]j]YddqYj]Zd]kk]\$Yf\gf]g^l`]j]Ykgfko]oYfl
to continue growing is that we want to give them
opportunities to take their lives to the next level.”
Altruistic words from a dynamic duo who have made
an enormous difference to the quality of life of many
deserving people.
24
World Entrepreneur Award | Kgml`]jf9^ja[Y*()Southern Africa 2015
Dr Tim Tebeila | Sekoko Group
Dr Tim Tebeila could have settled for a life-long career
as a teacher. In hindsight, however, that was never
going to happen. Even as a young teacher, Tim was
looking for things to do to supplement his income,
and that included something as unglamorous as
getting up at 03:00 every morning to sell tickets to
early morning bus commuters, before heading to the
classroom and a full day’s teaching. And then, while
Tim was still earning his modest teaching salary, a
friend persuaded him to get into selling insurance
part-time, because, Tim explains, “… insurance is all
about relationships, and he saw that I was the kind
of person who has good relationships with people. I
`Y\YklYZd]kYdYjqg^J)$.((h]jegfl`&:mleqhYjl
lae]af[ge]oYk_anaf_e]J*($(((&A`Y\fg[`ga[]3
at the end of the year I had to go for an interview with
the insurance companies.”
Very soon, Tim was making more money than he had
ever thought possible – a fact that was not without its
gofhjgZd]ek&:][Ymk]g^`akÕfYf[aYdkm[[]kk$`]
was soon pressured by his peers to start living beyond
`ake]Yfk&Al_Yn]`aeYkoa^ld]kkgfafÕfYf[aYd
management. Still, driven by his basic goal of wanting
to become somebody , Tim bit the bullet. “I started
^gddgoaf_eqgofhYkkagf&9f\qgmÕjkl`Yn]lg
develop your vision… to ask yourself where you want
to go. Once you confront the challenges that stop you
^jge_gaf_l`]j]$qgmkYq$ËA^Aj]lj]Yl$akl`Yl`]dhaf_
e]j]Y[`eq_gYdk7ÌL`]Yfko]j$egkllae]k$akËFgÌ&
If you retreat, you won’t achieve what you want to
achieve.”
As Tim followed his dreams, and strove for his goals,
his entrepreneurial journey inevitably changed his life
and his view of the world. ÉO`]fAoYkafafkmjYf[]$A
was not paying anybody’s salary. But now, when you
enter this world of being an employer, everything is
your resonsibility; salaries, rentals – it’s all you. And
25
when you are in the mainstream economy the river
akÖgoaf_Yf\alakÖgoaf_n]jq$n]jq^Ykl&9f\]al`]j
you drown, or you learn to swim. I had to learn how to
become a champion of entrepreneurship, to be able to
survive this fast-moving stream.”
of entrepreneurship. Those that are coming behind
you must know that you have set a good example for
them. I have never wanted to use my connections
lgZ]f]Õleqk]d^&Gmj[mdlmj]akn]jqkaehd]afl`ak
g^Õ[]$” he says. ÉO]`Yn]lgogjcgmjoYqmh&Ê
It was a steep learning curve. “I never had anybody
Z]`af\e]kYqaf_$ËL`akak`goqgm\galÌ&Fg$AÌek]d^%
taught. I’d just look at what others were doing and
they became role models.”
Tim and Sekoko Holdings have plans to expand up the
continent of Africa. He says, ÉO`]fo]n]flmj]\aflg
afkmjYf[]$gmjYaeoYkf]n]jlgZ]afKgml`9^ja[Y
only. Our aim was to be in Africa. You can only go to
the rest of Africa when you have a licence from your
own country.”
Dr Tim Tebeila’s self-taught style of entrepreneurship
has brought him many successes. Sekoko Holdings
operates in construction, insurance, and mining
and minerals. Some areas of endeavour are more
complex and complicated than others, says Tim. The
mining sector is a particularly complicated one, with a
myriad rules and regulations.. To go from identifying
viable geological deposit to being able to extract
and sell product can take years. It can be extremely
frustrating, says Tim. ÉO]YdoYqkeYaflYafgmj[ggd
when we approach the regulation boards. if you don’t
do that, you lose out big time,” says Tim.
Tim’s ethical principles shine through in his
[gfn]jkYlagf3o`a[`[ge]kYkfgkmjhjak]o`]fgf]
learns that his father was a clergyman, and Tim was,
at the age of eight, doing gardening jobs to earn a
little extra to help look after his family. He’s been
betrayed by trusted employees on occasion – people
who have stolen his ideas and products.
Experiences like these must have been bitter pills for
LaelgkoYddgo3Yf\o`]fgf]dakl]fklg`akl`gm_`lk
on integrity, one understands why. “The only way to
[geh]l]aklg\gl`][gjj][ll`af_k&O]\gfÌllYc]
short cuts; we don’t do anything that is irregular;
we don’t do anything which could be deemed
questionable, because we have to protect the spirit
As regards Jet Patcher, a technology which is used
for road and pothole repairs, in Sekoko’s Construction
division, Tim says, ÉO]Yj]\gaf_l`]]flaj]9^ja[Y&
Mozambique, Ghana - we are all over Africa when it
comes to Jet Patcher.”
Turning to his mining interests, Tim says that security
and political stability issues play a large role in his
visions for the future. Countries such as Mozambique,
Zambia and Tanzania feel to him like secure options,
while others feel decidedly risky for these reasons.
ÉOal`afkmjYf[]$A[Yf_glgYfqo`]j]afl`]ogjd\&
I can go to Zimbabwe; it is no problem. I can go to
Malawi. I can go anywhere I feel is good – even the
<J;&Alakfgll`]kYe]Ykeaf]jYdj]kgmj[]k3alÌkfgl
dangerous.”
Tim is one of a special breed. His hard-earned wisdom
akl]klaegfqlg`ak[gmjY_]Yf\`aknakagf3o`ad]
his business ethics speak to his great strength of
character.
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
“I never had anybody
behind me saying, ‘This
is how you do it’. No,
I’m self-taught. I’d just
look at what others
were doing and they
became role models.”
26
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
27
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
Master category
28
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
JgdYf\KYkkggf$KYkÕf
Roland Sassoon’s family history is woven from many
[gdgmj^mdl`j]Y\kÇo`a[`ak$g^[gmjk]$Õllaf_^gjY^Yeadq
business that dealt in textiles. The Sassoon family’s
business started in Baghdad, then move to Pakistan, and
then via Burma to the UK, and to Zimbabwe and South
Africa. When Roland joined the business straight from
school, the industry was going through challenging times
due to the government’s imposing tariff and import
protection policies. For textile importers such as Sassoon
Textiles, this was all but a death knell.
The company had import permits but almost no
turnover, and this fact was the catalyst for Roland’s
\][akagflg_gaflgÕfYf[]&@]kh]fll]fq]Yjkogjcaf_
at four different companies, learning about legal
akkm]k$Yf\l`]\a^^]j]fl^Y[]lkg^ÕfYf[]$km[`Yk
\]ZlgjÕfYf[]$ljY\]ÕfYf[]$Yf\]imahe]flÕfYf[]&
Thereafter, he returned to the family business, and his
father’s talents and his own created a viable symbiosis.
ÉEq^Yl`]joYkYn]jq_gg\kYd]keYf&@]oYkfÌln]jq
good on credit risk; he had a tendency to over-trust
people, and credit risk was probably the biggest risk
that we had to deal with. I compensated by putting more
]^^gjlaflgmf\]jklYf\af_l`]ÕfYf[aYdklYl]e]flk$Yf\
understanding the securities, and understanding the
af`]j]fljakckl`YlYÕfYf[a]j`YklglYc]&Al`afcAZmadl
up a lot of skill in that area, and that is probably my
strongest point : my ability to assess credit and to take
credit risk.”
All good training for the man who was about to create
KYkÕf&O`]fl`][gehYfqklYjl]\$alkZmkaf]kkoYk
d]Ykaf_$ljY\]ÕfYf[]$Yf\\]ZlgjÕfYf[]$hmllaf_
lg_]l`]jÕfYf[]^gjYddl`]lqh]kg^Ykk]lkl`YlYlqha[Yd
small business has. ÉGmjYaeoYkYdoYqklgÕfYf[]
entrepreneurial businesses.
29
Gf]kl`Ylf]]\ÕfYf[]^gjklg[c$ÕfYf[]^gj\]Zlgjk
Yf\ÕfYf[]^gj]imahe]fl&O]\][a\]\l`Ylo]ogmd\
cover that whole spectrum - which was an unusual thing
to do. Every time we went to see a client who needed
ÕfYf[]$Aogmd\`Yn]kge]l`af_lgg^^]j`ae$Z][Ymk]
those are the three things that he would want. It made
da^][gehda[Yl]\^jgeYfY\eafakljYlagfYf\ÕfYf[af_
point of view… but from a marketing point of view it was
the right move.”
It was Roland’s understanding of the needs of the
keYdd]jZmkaf]kkl`Yl_Yn]KYkÕfalkkh][aYdÇh]j`Yhk
unique – character. ÉO]Yj]gf]g^l`]keYddZYfckg^
Kgml`9^ja[Y$Zmlo]Ìj]n]jq\an]jkaÕ]\afo`Ylo]\g&Al
enables us to give each client a comprehensive service;
and secondly, it de-risks our business, because we don’t
have all our eggs in one basket.”
JgdYf\afkaklkl`YlKYkÕfakYkh][aYdaklZYfc$ZmlfglY
fa[`]ÕfYf[a]j&L`][mdlmj]afKYkÕfÌk^j]a_`lZmkaf]kk
is necessarily different from the culture in its wealth
business and its business banking. “I’ve tried to create a
culture of transparency and integrity - a family kind of a
[mdlmj]%Zmloal`gmlaehgkaf_Ykh][aÕ[[mdlmj]gf]Y[`
division, because each division needs its own culture, its
own personality.”
Roland mentions an example of the kind of situation
o`a[`[YfYjak]YlKYkÕfÌkg^Õ[]k&>afYf[af_lYpakak
hYjlg^l`][gehYfqÌk]imahe]flÕfYf[]Zmkaf]kk3Yf\
Roland picks up the story with a taxi operator arriving
Yll`]<mjZYfg^Õ[]2É@]ÌkYZaljgm_`$Yf\`]Ìk_glfg
shoes on, and he sits in the reception area and he’s even
got a gun, which he puts on the table. And then you’ve
got all the posh clients coming through the door dealing
oal`l`]ajo]Ydl`kalmYlagfk&Kg$kge]lae]kl`]j]ÌkYdgl
of diversity in the business - which I actually enjoy. I like
diversity. But of course one has to try to deal with these
things in a tactful way!”
Conscious of the responsibility that goes with being a
leading South African entrepreneur, Roland Sassoon
bemoans the fact that so much more needs to be done
to develop entrepreneurial skills in the country, at all
levels. He worries that not enough is being done to
create the right culture, and that not enough is being
done to educate the people who could contribute to
the economy as entrepreneurs. Pertinently, he raises
a question that has no simple answer: “You’ve got to
have basic language skills, basic numbers skills, a basic
knowledge of commerce and bookkeeping and things
like that before you can really build up a decent sized
business. Otherwise how do you get from being a micro
business into a medium sized business - and into a large
Zmkaf]kk%oal`gmll`gk]kcaddk7Ê
Turning to himself, he concedes that he might be too
k]jagmk%eaf\]\3l`Yl`][gmd\\goal`egj]^mfaf`ak
life. But in the same breath he admits that his biggest
fun is in fact his business. “I enjoy it,” he says. “I like
coming to work.” It’s therefore no surprise that his
Y\na[]lgÖ]\_daf_]flj]hj]f]mjkak2ÉDac]jmffaf_
a marathon, you can’t really stop; you’ve got to keep
running. I think a lot of very brilliant people don’t
succeed because they don’t put enough effort into it. If
qgm`Yn]fÌl_glqgmjÕf_]jgfl`]hmdk]qgmÌj]_gaf_lg
make a mistake - and one little thing can throw you out
completely. People fail because they get distracted, and
they don’t really put enough effort into it. ”
At nearly 70, Roland Sassoon has no plans of letting go
g^l`]jgh]kZ]^gj]l`]Õfak`daf]&
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
“I’ve tried to create a
culture of transparency
and integrity - a family
kind of culture - but
without imposing a
kh][aÕ[[mdlmj]gf
each division, because
each division needs its
own culture, its own
personality.”
30
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
31
“Don’t be put off by
fear, because people
will give you ten
reasons as to why not
to do a thing. You are
going to experience
^Yadmj]3l`YlÌkda^]%
that’s business. Many,
many successful
entrepreneurs have
failed three or four
times, because that’s
reality.”
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
Ahmed Mahomed | Datacentrix
Ahmed Mahomed literally grew up in business, and having
grown up in that environment, with his parents as his teachers
and role models, it was almost inevitable that he would
\]n]dghl`]aj]flj]hj]f]mjaYdÖYaj&O`ad]Ylk]fagjk[`ggd$`]
moved away from the family business and began working in
a clothing business in the Johannesburg CBD. ÉO`]fAoYk
j]Y\q^gjl`]g^Õ[aYdbgZeYjc]ll`]qg^^]j]\e]Yhgkalagf
and I started opening stores for them and driving their growth
strategy. I spent about a year or two doing that.”
Ahmed went on to work at Cashville, which was listed on
l`]BK=3\mjaf_`aklae]l`]j]$`]oYkafkljme]flYdafl`]
company’s growth to around 130 stores. When he was headhunted by an IT company, he was able to apply the skills he
`Y\d]Yjf]\afYZjYf\%f]o]fnajgfe]fl3Yf\aloYkfÌldgf_
before Datacentrix snapped him up. He says, “I’ve been very
fortunate. I’ve never really applied for a job in my life. I don’t
really have a CV either.”
Ahmed has views on fear – something he regards as
a potentially lethal enemy of entrepreneurship – that
are probably informed by his own career path, and the
responsibilities he’s worn lightly since his earliest days. “In
opening stores in different areas, you have to have a view of
what the potential is - and then hope that your view is correct.
Nine out of ten times we’ve got it right, and so that has been a
positive momentum for me. If you try and analyse everything
to death, you won’t take an opportunity that is available.”
It is that courage, and vision, that has stood Mahomed in
good stead in his years at Datacentrix, changing it, over
time, from a hardware and commodity shop to a supplier
of services within the IT industry. The industry evolves and
changes at a very quick pace, and Ahmed spends a lot of
time and thought on developing visions and implementing
strategic goals in this industry. One has to be able to think in
terms of months, not years.
Ahmed believes passionately in investing time and care in
the power that education has, both to improve the quality
of the company’s work and competitiveness, and to further
empower his staff members. By improving the educational
klYf\Yj\kYf\imYdaÕ[Ylagfkg^`akh]ghd]$`]Z]da]n]k
that he will help them to uplift their families and their
communities.
Likewise, impeccable business ethics are a non-negotiable
facet of Datacentrix, and of Ahmed’s life. He speaks of how
heartwarming it was to realise just how highly regarded
Datacentrix is by the people who matter most - the
customers. But, says Mahomed, ÉO]lj]Ylgmjn]f\gjkl`]
same as we treat our customers. They are important to us;
that ecosystem is important. Ethics is a main cornerstone of
gmjZmkaf]kk3o]Yj]Yn]jq]l`a[Ydgj_YfakYlagf&Kge]lae]k
you win, sometimes you lose, but in the longer term, that
ethical value system prevails, and you are successful.”
Given that looking into the IT crystal ball to guess at the
future is possibly hazardous, because of its dynamic and
rapid development, Ahmed Mahomed does dare to venture
some insights. He repeatedly uses the word ‘disruptive’
when discussing what the future holds, because the
landscape is changing, and being changed, with such speed.
Business models get disrupted equally quickly. “I think
one thing we are very sensitive about is understanding the
market dynamics, and those disruptive technologies, and
what we need to do. From a business model point of view,
we want to adapt our vision. Not necesarily to be the largest
IT company around, to be honest; but we do want to be the
most successful organisation around.” And longer term
sustainability is therefore a key foundation stone in building
the future. As he observes, “If we can’t achieve that, we are
going to run into serious challenges as a country. Job creation,
the number of guys who are living below the poverty line … all
these issuesare the types of things that should be keeping us
awake.”
While Ahmed has grasped the nettle of operating in a highkh]]\]fnajgfe]floal`Zgl``Yf\k$`]kladdÕf\klae]lg
pass on his own knowledge and experience to younger
entrepreneurs. “It’s easier to be successful at something
that you are passionate about,” he says, “Because if you are
passionate about it you are going to drive it to its conclusion. If
you enjoy something that you are doing it is a lot easier to be
successful at that. But you also have to understand what the
skills are that you have and don’t have, and how you are going
lgÕddl`gk]_Yhk&DYkldq$Ê says Ahmed Mahomed, “Don’t
be put off by fear, because people will give you ten reasons
as to why not to do a thing. You are going to experience
failure; that’s life - that’s business. Many, many successful
entrepreneurs have failed three or four times, because that’s
reality. But dust yourself off and start another venture and at
some point you are going to hit success.”
Sage words from a man who literally cut his teeth in the
world of entrepreneurship.
32
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
Johann Vorster | Clover
Johann Vorster is, by his own admission, a
workaholic. He has a seemingly boundless energy,
Yf\alÌkl`ak]f]j_q`]`YklYhh]\afl`]hYklÕ^l]]f
years to turn what used to be National Co-Operative
Dairies into the dynamic market-leading Clover.
Respect, trustworthiness, consistency and a positive
approach to life are all values that matter deeply
to Vorster. The story of how he transformed NCD
into the successful enterprise that is today’s Clover
is arguably the best illustration of how he puts his
beliefs into practice.
Johann came from an entrepreneurial background of
successfully turning dozens of small, under resourced
[gehYfa]kaflgÖgmjak`af_[gf[]jfk$Yf\kYol`]
opportunity to change NCD from a co-op that had
many limitations into a major company equipped
oal`Ö]paZadalq&;gfnaf[af_l`]k`Yj]`gd\]jkl`Yl
the business needed a new structure wasn’t easy.
In 2002, the company changed from a co-op to a
company, but, says Johan, “… it changed its jacket.
Al\a\fÌl[`Yf_]alk`]Yjl&O`]fA_gllgZ];`a]^
=p][mlan]$af*((.$l`Ylako`]fl`]bgmjf]qj]Yddq
started.”
At that time, Johann remembers, “I knew that we
had to change the capital structure to get rid of the
debt. I couldn’t convince the milk producers of that.
Kg$AklYjl]\oal`l`]ZgYj\&L`Yllggce]YZgml
a year or two - roadshows, informal meetings, tea
parties at home, and so on. Once that was done, I had
to change the structure, as it quite simply wasn’t a
hjgÕl%gja]flYl]\[gehYfq&AloYkbmkll`]j]^gjl`]
members’ interest.”
;`Yf_af_;dgn]j^jgeYfgf%hjgÕlgj_YfakYlagflgY
money-making concern is an achievement Johann
recalls with pride. ÉA`Y\lg[`Yf_]l`]h]ghd]&Kg$
with the help of a very loyal new management team
that I appointed, I eventually got permission to list the
[gehYfqaf*()(&Ê
33
:ql`]lae]l`]hjgÕl%gja]fl]\;dgn]j_gllgl`]
market, the whole company was properly set for the
journey. Recalls Johann, “My next big challenge was
an investor who told me I had no chance of listing
a dairy company in this country. That really got me
eglanYl]\&O]klYjl]\afBmdqYf\gfl`])(l`g^
December we listed the company very successfully.”
The share price has almost doubled since then. “It
was a very daunting journey, trying to change people
who thought you weren’t going to make it,” he adds.
One of his enduring victories was the metamorphosis
he brought about in the staff’s view of what they were
doing, and their own worth. The self-belief wasn’t
there, he says. ÉAf*((0A`]d\Y[gfn]flagfYlKmf
;alq&AloYkl`]Õjkl[gfn]flagf^gjl`]eÇ]n]j&Kge]
of them did not even know what a black tie event
was.. But I got them there, and we had a big funfair
l`]j]^gjl`j]]\Yqk$Yf\^gjl`]Õjkllae]o]`Y\Yf
open bar. They had never experienced something like
l`Yl&Kg$l`akbgmjf]q^gjl`]elg^]]dl`Yll`]qYj]
ogjl`kge]l`af_oYkn]jqaehgjlYfl&Oal`Y[g%gh$
you are spending the members’ money - so you feel
guilty, and it’s not allowed. It was a case of getting
them to understand that we were now looking at
hjgÕlk$Yf\d]llaf_l`]ecfgol`Yla^l`]qh]j^gje]\$
ÕfYf[aYdh]j^gjeYf[]ogmd\_an]mkaf\]h]f\]f[]&
O`]fo]dakl]\km[[]kk^mddq$l`]o`gd][gehYfq
[`Yf_]\&O]bmklklYjl]\lg\]n]dghaflgl`]Za_
enthusiastic crowd that we’ve got here today. That
was certainly worthwhile from my point of view.”
Johann often talks about how much he enjoys a
challenge and to be put to the test by his staff. ÉO`]f
they say true things that seem a little far-fetched, I
also start to think a little bit. The next morning I’m
even more determined to do exactly that. I believe
that you should take calculated risks. If you take
uncalculated risks, you become a gambler, not an
entrepreneur. To be an entrepreneur, you must see
the opportunities, and weigh up whether it is possible.
It doesn’t have to be easy, but it must be able to be
implemented.” Characteristically, he adds, “A good
team around you is necessary, and then everything is
possible.”
Johanns emphasis on building trust through
nurturing personal relationships extends into the
often-problematic environment of labour relations
and unions. Before he joined the company, Clover
[NCD] had endured a strike in 1998, and had a very
\a^Õ[mdlj]dYlagfk`ahoal`l`]mfagfk&L`]j]`Y\Z]]f$
he says, no change management to change the
Z]`Ynagmjg^l`]ogjc^gj[]&@akÕjkl^]oq]Yjko]j]
spent in trying to rekindle the unions’ trust. Gradually,
though, by paying attention to things like upgraded
canteens and family days, and regular meetings with
the labour representatives, the relationship began to
heal.
Now, Johann can point to the fact that Clover came
third in Deloitte’s Best Company To Work For survey,
as proof that there is a very healthy culture within
Clover. People are proud to work for the company,
and they also take great pride in Clover’s social
responsibility programmes, which impact on the
communities within which Clover’s workers live.
Furthermore, Johann points to the fact that most of
the Clover workforce have been with the company for
over twenty years.
Clover is clearly a company with a very healthy track
record, both on the supermarket shelves and within
the company itself. Johann’s leadership (and his
workaholic energy) have played a vital role in that
achievement.
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
“To be an
entrepreneur,
you must see the
opportunities, and
weigh up whether it
is possible. It doesn’t
have to be easy, but
it must be able to be
implemented.”
34
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
“Apart from acting
quickly, and our
ability to execute, we
differentiate ourselves
by being very
innovative.”
35
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
Arnold Prinsloo | ESKORT
When asked what his advice to young entrepreneurs
would be, Arnold Prinsloo’s response – “Be honest,
be energetic, positive and hard working - that’s it,”
`]kYqkÇk]]ekmf[gfk[agmkdqlgj]Ö][l]pY[ldql`]
image of who he is.
Arnold Prinsloo’s track record as the CEO of
ESKORT is clear proof of his commitment to turning
YfYadaf_[gehYfqYjgmf\3o`]f`]Yjjan]\Yl
ESKORT in 2004, it was a company making a loss
of R17,000,000. Arnold launched a programme
to streamline the business and to convert it into a
professional food company. ÉO][`Yf_]\l`]^Y[lgjq
in terms of quality, and we improved productivity
lj]e]f\gmkdq$Yddoal`l`]kYe]]imahe]fl&O]
had been told previously that there were capacity
constraints, and that we would not be able to supply
l`]eYjc]l&O]kaehdqhjgn]\lgl`]eo][gmd\
supply the market, using the same equipment – but by
Z]af_]^Õ[a]fl&Ê
Throughout the turnaround process, Arnold gave
especial consideration to motivating his staff
to become more productive. He implemented a
programme used by motor manufacturers Toyota,
called Quantum Lean, designed to improve
productivity. “The whole company started to improve,
Yf\o`]fqgm\gl`Yl$qgm[j]Yl]ghlagfk&O]klYjl]\
to make a bit of money, which we used to buy new
equipment, and we spent money on marketing. And
from there on the company just grew,” explains
Arnold.
9jfgd\ogmd\Z]l`]ÕjkllgkYql`Yll`akoYk
achieved because of sharing his vision with the staff.
“Once a year I have a roadshow and I go to the lowest
level of employee in the company, to explain the
vision, and what we are doing. Communication with
your people is very important. Treating them well,
with dignity, being fair, open and honest, is critical.
I use the Japanese method of managing. They call it
Ë_]eZYÌ2l`]ogjchdY[]akl`]_]eZY&QgmoYdcl`]
gemba.”
And walking the gemba is exactly whatArnold does.
É=n]jqk][gf\o]]cA_glgl`]@]a\]dZ]j_^Y[lgjq$
Yf\]n]jql`aj\o]]cA_glgl`]=KCGJL^Y[lgjq&A^
qgmYj]nakaZd]$qgmYj]gfl`]ÖggjYf\h]ghd][Yf
see that you are passionate about the business. It is
contagious and you create a culture of being positive
and innovative.” It’s a family culture, he says. “I
YdoYqkkYqlgl`]eYfY_]jk$Ë:]`Yj\gfl`]lYkc$Zml
soft on the people’.”
Keeping the staff happy and motivated requires
pro-active input, but that isn’t the only secret to
l`][gehYfqÌkÖgmjak`af_^gjlmf]k&9jfgd\akn]jq
realistic about making sure that the other balls he’s
juggling stay in the air as well. “I measure myself
Y_Yafkleqghhgkalagf&O]cfgol`Ylo]Yj]\gaf_
better than they are. But I still think we can improve.
Entrepreneurs must always strive to do better and
better, and never become complacent.”
Af]nalYZdq$9jfgd\Õf\k`aek]d^`Ynaf_lg^Y[]l`]
challenges endemic in all industry in South Africa.
The general economic situation, labour issues, and
legislation are perennial headaches. But, as Arnold
points out, all his competitors are facing the same
problems, which makes the problems seem easier
lg\]Ydoal`&AlÕfYddqZgadk\goflgklYqaf_Y`]Y\$
particularly when it comes to innovation and the
speed with which new ideas are put into practice.
^gjmklg_glg^Y[lgja]kYddgn]jl`]ogjd\&O]oYfllg
be world class - so we visit those plants, we observe
what is being done there, and we bring it all back here.
O]g^l]fnakalj]lYadk`ghkZgl``]j]Yf\gn]jk]Yk$lg
look at products and packaging, with a view to what
o][Yfaehd]e]fl`]j]&O]Y[lima[cdq&O]Yj]^Ykl]j
than our opposition,” he says.
Arnold is delighted that the Banting diet’s
fashionability has had a major impact on bacon sales.
On the other hand, bacon’s popularity is a worldwide
phenomenon. He recounts, “I’ve just been for a trip
to America and you won’t believe it - the people are
bacon crazy. They have bacon in everything. I even
had bacon in a Bloody Mary, and on top of a butter
cake. I have the photographs to prove it!” Pork is
indeed the most-consumed meat in the world, and
Arnold is making sure that ESKORT’s expansion will
capitalise on the huge growth margins.
Not surprisingly, for a man who sets such store by
sharing his visions with even the lowliest workers at
ESKORT, Arnold is a man who believes in giving back,
both in his private capacity and as CEO of ESKORT.
Not only are ESKORTs staff members committed to
the company’s success, but they are committed to
improving the lives of their communities by way of
various projects.
It’s yet another aspect of his greater vision that
Arnold is very proud of, in his own self-effacing
manner.
Arnold sums it up this way: “Apart from acting
quickly, and our ability to execute, we differentiate
gmjk]dn]kZqZ]af_n]jqaffgnYlan]&O]Y[lan]dq
go overseas, attend exhibitions, and visit factories
lgd]Yjf^jgeafl]jfYlagfYdZ]klhjY[la[]&O]`Yn]
]p[]dd]flkmhhda]jkafKgml`9^ja[YYf\l`]qYjjYf_]
36
Lifetime
Achievement
Award 2015
37
38
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
Lifetime Achievement Award | Jannie Mouton
BYffa]EgmlgfakYkljYa_`llYdc]j3alÌkYimYdalql`YleYl[`]k
his approach to business. And the advice he gives to young
entrepreneurs pulls no punches. “Understand yourself. I often
tell younger people to draw up a list of their strong points and
their weak points. It’s vital that you fully understand yourself.
9f\a^qgm_gaflgkge]l`af_$qgmemkl_gaf)((&Ê
Mouton’s advice is born of a long track record of personal
]ph]ja]f[]&@]klYjl]\KEC$oal`log^ja]f\k3Yf\
subsequently he had “this vision and dream to start something
again”ÇYf\HK?[Ye]aflgZ]af_&Lg\Yq$HK?`Yk)1(g^Õ[]k$
Yf\BYffa]kYqkl`Yl]n]jqg^Õ[]akeYfY_]\Yf\[gfljgdd]\
Zq]n]jqh]jkgfl`]j]$fgl^jge`]Y\g^Õ[]&
Egmlgfakl`]ÕjkllgY[cfgod]\_]l`Ylem[`g^`akkm[[]kk
has come about because of his choosing the right people to
work with. He says, ÉKmjjgmf\qgmjk]d^oal`_gg\h]ghd]$Yf\
Z]l`]aj^ja]f\$fgll`]ajZgkk&AlÌkYeYll]jg^ËO]Yj]\gaf_
l`af_k$ÌfglËAYe\gaf_l`af_k&ÌO]Yj]^gjlmfYl]lg`Yn]
fantastic people at the different companies.”
Jannie Mouton is deeply committed to developing and
empowering people. In order to gain their commitment to his
own visions and strategies, he has used a technique he refers
to as Ultimate Empowerment. “You must trust the people;
each and every one is different. You must convince them to
join you. You must be there to help them raise capital, because
l`YlakYklmeZdaf_Zdg[c^gjkge]g^l`]e&@]j]YlHK?af
Kl]dd]fZgk[`$o]`Yn]YkeYddg^Õ[]Yf\o]`Yn]o`Ylo][Ydd
Project Internal Focus, to ensure that each and every company
has the right CEO; we must trust him, and he must trust us.
@]emkl`Yn]l`]^j]]\gelgZmad\l`][gehYfq&O]oaddYkkakl
him, and give him advice if he needs it, but at the end of the
day you must have fantastic people in charge at the various
operations.”
Together with this trust goes another vital ingredient in
Mouton’s recipe for success : people must be challenged – to
look for new ideas and valuable opportunities. The world is
constantly changing, says Mouton, and entrepreneurial spirit
39
is a quality that needs to be nurtured and honed. Fostering
]flj]hj]f]mjaYdkhajalak$`]kYqk$Yim]klagfg^Õf\af_l`]
right people or ‘energy partners’, as he puts it. PSG has
a\]flaÕ]\Yf\ZmadlYfmeZ]jg^Zmkaf]kk]kÇBYffa]kh]Yck
with paternal pride and affection of names such as Capitec
and Curro - and when asked what it is in his nature that has
helped him build and grow successful businesses, he selfdeprecatingly suggests that “…if I try to convince you that I
have softer skills or that I’m a softer person, that won’t be a
true story.”
Lateral thinking and an eye for opportunities are far more
important qualities than soft skills, he suggests. “I think it’s
aehgjlYflafKgml`9^ja[Ylg\Yqlgfglgfdq[gehdYafYZgml
akkm]kkm[`Yk]f]j_qYf\]\m[Ylagf&O]k]]kge]lae]k
l`]j]ÌkYfghhgjlmfalqafKgml`9^ja[Yl`Ylqgmogmd\fÌlÕf\
]dk]o`]j]&O]ogmd\`Yn]`Y\fg[`Yf[]lgZmad\;Yhal][
gn]jk]Yk$af=mjgh]gjl`]MK9&O]Ì\`Yn]`Y\fg[`Yf[]g^
building a Curro overseas, because education is generally so
em[`Z]ll]jl`]j]&Kg$a^qgm^g[mkgfl`]ghhgjlmfala]kaf
Kgml`9^ja[Y$l`]qYj]l`]j]&Ê
Ventures like these are the end results of Mouton’s vision.
ÉO]]f[gmjY_]E<kYf\><klg\j]Ye$lg[`Ydd]f_]mkoal`
]phYfkagf&O]oaddim]klagfl`]e$Zmlo]oadd]f[gmjY_]l`]e$
and we want to grow, that is for sure. And as regards capital
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%J)(($((($(((%alÌkYZa_afn]kle]fl&O]emklZ]l`]j]lg
provide capital.”
Jannie Mouton is fully aware of the realities of operating
in a South African economy that has its own problems. An
entrepreneur is, in his view, a ‘wonderful person’ because
he wants to start something new. The entrepreneur focuses
on the opportunity instead of complaining about the
problem. Nevertheless, Jannie feels that the many rules and
regulations stemming from government legislation do make
Ykh][lkg^\gaf_Zmkaf]kkafKgml`9^ja[Y\a^Õ[mdl&Af]nalYZdq$
corruption is a complicating factor, and Mouton feels strongly
that ‘tenderpreneurism’ is a huge problem.
The conversation turns to how his colleagues see him, and
how the man who won’t admit to any soft skills sees himself.
He turns to the fact that a book is currently being written
about PSG and Jannie Mouton, to celebrate 20 years of the
company’s existence. “The author’s feedback, after talking
to members of staff, is that I’m very hard-driven, and don’t
lYc]fg^gjYfYfko]j&Kgh]j`YhkA`Yn]lg[`Yf_]$Z][Ymk]
apparently I am very hard. Even though I’m sitting here with a
smile, I’m hard.” He readily admits that his family knows – and
understands ÉÁl`YlHK?akl`]^Yngmjal][`ad\afl`]`gmk]&A
[YfÌlkoal[`g^^^jgeHK?&AÌeYdoYqkl`afcaf_g^f]ooYqklg
help people, and how we are going to grow. I’m proud of what
we have achieved.”
O`a[`akYkalk`gmd\Z]3`]`YkY[`a]n]\j]eYjcYZd]
things. However, the ‘hard man’ with ‘no soft skills’ does
occasionally let other facets of his personality appear. “I have
grandchildren,” Jannie says. “They are also taking some of my
lae]&A[YfÌl_an]]n]jql`af_lgHK?&Akdahh]\YoYqq]kl]j\Yq
- nobody knows this - to watch my two grandchildren playing
rugby.” When it is suggested to him that he hardly needs to
sign timesheets, he concurs. “Yes, I’m a lucky man. I like to
come to work. There is always somebody who wants to see me
to discuss something and use me as a sounding board. For me,
that’s a fantastic day.”
Without question, Jannie Mouton has earned each and every
fantastic day that he spends.
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
40
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
Working with entrepreneurs
The Africa
Business
CenterTM
Initial Public Offering
(IPO) Centre
Strategic
Growth
Forum
Venture Capital
Advisory Group
Global Centre for
Entrepreneurship
and Innovation
EY Growth
Navigator:
Your journey
to market
leadership
Family Owned
Business
Services
Entrepreneurial
Winning Women
Program
Junior
Academy
41
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
through their entire life cycle
The Africa Business Center™
Global Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Venture Capital Advisory Group
There is an increased focus on the African continent as a source
of business growth. If you, like so many other business leaders,
are looking to expand across Africa, we can help you identify
and capitalize on opportunities.
Our Global Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation provides
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Through the Africa Business Center™, we can coordinate our
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Strategic Growth Forum
The Strategic Growth conferences are two-day forums where
CEOs, leading entrepreneurs, investors, industry experts and
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and established markets achieve their potential. Attending this
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EY Growth Navigator : Your journey to market
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If you are looking for insights into how to achieve the next
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that are critical to business success. It allows CEOs and their
leadership team to self-assess their company against leading
hjY[la[]k$_YafnYdmYZd]afka_`lkYf\a\]fla^qkh][aÕ[f]plkl]hk
on their journey to market leadership. The guide is presented in
a dynamic, interactive app.
Global Family Business Center of Excellence:
succeeding for generations
We know what makes a family business successful. We can help
you manage the delicate balance between sustaining growth
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Our advice is independent and practical. We have sector and
kmZb][leYll]j]ph]jlko`gmf\]jklYf\af\mkljq%kh][aÕ[akkm]k
and can help you leverage leading practices. Our globally
integrated team will support you wherever you do business.
Initial Public Offering (IPO) Center: a transformation,
not a transaction
Many fast-growing, private businesses see an IPO as an
excellent route to accelerating growth and a step toward
achieving market leadership.
An IPO marks a turning point in the life of a company. We
\gfÌlna]oYfAHGYkkaehdqYÕfYf[aYdljYfkY[lagf$ZmljYl`]j$
recognize it as a complex transformation of your business from
private to public. We can help you to start your IPO journey by
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Entrepreneurial Winning Women Program
With our Entrepreneurial Winning Women program, we channel
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our program supports females with existing enterprises to scale
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Junior Academy
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strengths lie, explore their interests and give a voice to their
own needs for the future. The program will guide participants
along their own personal development journey and help them
perfect their own style.
For more information, visit: www.ey.com
42
belief build dynamic and successful com
ptimism into markets create jobs impro
people achieve their potential demonstr
Do you know an outstanding
and
courage pursue ideas achi
oresight
business leader
- someone
who turned their vision into
meet
our award winners, some of the
reality?
in the world is the pinnacle for these v
ave a passion to excel at improving achi
ves but their drive and enthusiasm are i
e with total determination, self-belief an
ment to succeed. Entrepreneurs have a
world’s most prestigious business awar
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
If so, nominate them for the EY World
Entrepreneur Award, the world’s most
prestigious business award. Or encourage them
to nominate themselves.
For more information please contact Nthabi
Magengenene on 011 772 4954 or at
[email protected]
[email protected]
Southern Africa 2016
43
m
o Get in gear for
r
entrepreneurial success
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2015
NextGen Academy Excellence Program 2016
Developing the next generation of entrepreneurs
v
i
n
r
Join the EY Junior Academy Program, our unique and exclusive one-week
training event designed for young successors in family businesses.
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own ambitions and the expectations of your family. Regardless of whether
you have concrete plans for your future or simply want to widen your personal
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Visit ey-junioracademy.com or email [email protected] for more
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Take advantage of amazing
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NextGen Academy First Program push your limits!
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• Orientation: aimed at young people
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• Personality: this program will see the
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• 3-9 July 2016, SDA Bocconi School of
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• 7-13 August 2016, Rotman School of
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• 17-23 July 2016, INSEAD Business
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44
and self-belief build dynamic and
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and elp people achieve their pot
energy foresight and courage pu
ives ask meet our award winner
brains in the world is the pinnac
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themselves but their drive and e
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commitment to succeed. Entrep
World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
45
d successful companies inject a
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ential demonstrate exceptional
ursue ideas achieve dreams, cha
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World Entrepreneur Award | Southern Africa 2014
46
belief build dynamic and successful com
optimism into markets create jobs impro
people achieve their potential demonst
oresight and courage pursue ideas ach
meet our award winners, some of the
in the world is the pinnacle for these v
ave a passion to excel at improving ach
ves but their drive and enthusiasm are
e with total determination, self-belief a
ment to succeed. Entrepreneurs have a
world’s most prestigious business awa
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