Wait & Speak Podcast

This episode explores the strategic discipline required to execute a disruptive vision for the future of finance. I am joined by Connie Bloem, Co-founder and Managing Director of Mesh - a digital capital markets ecosystem pioneering the transition to 'Finance 3.0.' Since 2019, Mesh has worked to democratise wealth by tokenising real-world assets, from corporate bonds to institutional real estate. A major milestone in this journey came in July 2024, when Mesh became Africa’s first fully licensed issuance platform for tokenised assets. We discuss the transition from a three-year technical 'hardening' phase to this landmark regulatory achievement, and we explore the leadership choices required to make strategy 'stick' when building the future of capital markets. About the guest: Connie Bloem, Mesh Co-founder and Managing Director: A former management consultant, Connie is committed to transforming financial markets through technology. With a background in industrial and financial engineering, she excels in design thinking and agile development. Connie’s vision is to provide widespread access to future financial markets. She brings expertise from roles at Accenture and Andile, where she contributed to treasury systems and digital banking apps. About Mesh: Mesh.trade is a digital ecosystem for raising capital and trading capital markets assets. Founded on the belief that capital markets should be easy to access, simple to use and transparent, Mesh has built the underlying infrastructure for the future of finance. Through its streamlined, end-to-end global capital markets infrastructure, Mesh provides standardised tools and simplified workflows for complex market mechanisms and multi-geography regulatory requirements. Using the best of leading edge blockchain technology, Mesh has removed the need for many existing market intermediaries, removed the traditional barriers to entry, eliminated excessive participation costs, and made capital raising and investing much more efficient for all market participants. Mesh provides a multi-sided financial markets infrastructure within its ecosystem to connect issuers and investors directly to each other in a trusted way, facilitating easy interaction and secure, compliant and efficient trade. If you’d like to explore the documents mentioned in the discussion, you can find it here: IMF: Tokenized Finance note by Tobias Adrian National Treasury: South Africa’s Draft Capital Flow Management Regulations, 2026 Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts, it really helps grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

This episode explores the strategic evolution of Lesaka as it transitions from its legacy roots into a unified, human-centric fintech ecosystem. I am joined by Lincoln Mali, CEO: Southern Africa of Lesaka, to discuss the 'One Lesaka' Strategy — a mission to integrate major brands like Kazang, Connect, and Adumo into a single, cohesive platform serving merchants and consumers. We go behind the scenes of the landmark Bank Zero acquisition and the recent launch of the ZARU stablecoin, examining how Lesaka is leveraging modern 'rails' and blockchain technology to close the execution gap and digitize the informal economy across Southern Africa. About the guest: Lincoln was appointed as Lesaka’s Chief Executive Officer: Southern Africa on May 1, 2021. He is a financial services executive with over 25 years in the industry. Until April 2021, he was the Head of Group Card and Payments at Standard Bank Group, having served in many different roles within that organisation since 2001. Lincoln chaired the board of directors of Diners Club South Africa until April 2021 and was a member of the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa Business Council for Visa. Besides his other qualifications, he has attended an Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and holds various diplomas in banking and management. Qualifications: MBA (Henley Management College); LLB (Rhodes University); BA (Law and Politics) (Rhodes University). Expertise: Strong relationships and network with key industry players in South Africa; motivational leadership style. He is also the author of the best-selling book, Blazing a Trail: Lessons for African Leadership, which outlines his journey from student activist to corporate leader and provides a framework for ethical, human-centric leadership . All proceeds from the book support the Lincoln Mali Leadership Foundation, which focuses on youth development, school sports, and feeding schemes in informal settlements. About Lesaka: Lesaka is a South African financial technology company delivering services to consumers (B2C) and merchants (B2B) across Southern Africa through proprietary banking and payment technologies. Their offerings include banking, lending, and insurance products for consumers, as well as cash management, bill payment, value‑added services, business funding, and card acquiring solutions for retail merchants. Founded in 1997 and strengthened by the acquisition of the Connect Group in 2022, Lesaka has entered a new era under a refreshed leadership team with international experience. The name Lesaka—meaning “kraal” in seSotho and seTswana—reflects their mission to build and protect the financial wellbeing of communities. By championing financial inclusion, they open new possibilities for underserved markets and drive meaningful fintech‑enabled solutions across Southern Africa. Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts, it really helps grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

This episode explores how strategy is executed inside a fast-growing challenger bank and what it takes to translate strategic intent into measurable impact at scale. I speak with Cheslyn Jacobs, CEO of GoTyme Bank, one of South Africa’s fastest-growing digital banks. As a founding team member, Cheslyn has been central to shaping the bank’s model and scaling it to millions of customers. We discuss the strategic choices, organisational capabilities, and leadership decisions that help strategy stick in a fast-moving financial services market. About the guest: Cheslyn Jacobs is Chief Executive Officer of GoTyme Bank, one of South Africa’s leading digital challenger banks. A founding team member, he has played a central role in building the business and shaping its customer-centric, technology-driven banking model. Cheslyn was appointed CEO effective January 2026, following leadership roles including Chief Commercial Officer, where he was responsible for revenue growth, sales and customer engagement as the bank scaled its operations. Since launching in 2019, GoTyme Bank has grown to serve millions of customers through its accessible and transparent digital banking model. Prior to joining GoTyme, Jacobs held roles at Standard Bank and Deloitte. He holds a BCom in Industrial Psychology from the University of the Western Cape and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management from the Gordon Institute of Business Science. About GoTyme Bank: GoTyme Bank, formerly TymeBank, is a leading digital bank in South Africa and part of the global Tyme Group – a digital banking group operating across multiple markets (Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore) and serving 20 million customers. Since launching in February 2019, the South African bank has grown rapidly to serve over 12 million customers, with a clear focus on simplicity, transparency, and empowerment. Designed to make everyday banking more accessible, GoTyme Bank offers zero monthly banking fees, digital onboarding that takes less than 5 minutes, free instant payments, and market-leading savings rates. GoTyme Bank has been recognised globally, including being named on the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list in 2025, reflecting its impact on digital banking innovation. Customers can access services through a combination of the GoTyme app, service kiosks, and a network of retail partners that support cash-in and cash-out transactions. In addition to retail banking, GoTyme Bank plays an important role in supporting small businesses through its merchant cash advance offering, helping to expand access to funding for millions of SMEs across the country. If you’d like to explore the leadership books Cheslyn mentioned, you can find it here: Leadership: The Care and Growth Model Intent: Exploring the Core of Being Human Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts, it really helps grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

In this episode, I speak with Alex M H Smith about what real strategy looks like beyond frameworks and slide decks. We discuss how leaders can recognise weak strategy, why many organisations end up competing in the same ways as everyone else, and what it takes to develop positioning that actually works in practice. Who this episode is for: founders, executives, and strategists looking to build strategies that stand out and actually work in practice. Key topics in this episode Why many strategies fail when they move from boardroom discussions to real-world execution The problem of competitive sameness and how organisations fall into it A South African brand that demonstrates strong strategy in action Alex’s idea of “street strategy” - strategy learned from observing real companies rather than academic frameworks Practical principles founders and executives can use to develop stronger strategy About the guest Alex has spent the past decade helping founders and CEOs think more clearly about strategy, and he is the author of the bestselling book No Bullsh*t Strategy. His path into strategy, however, has been unconventional. Without an MBA, PhD, or corporate consulting background, Alex developed his thinking by closely studying some of the world’s most successful brands and distilling practical lessons about what makes them work. The result is a perspective on strategy that is deliberately simple, direct, and grounded in real-world business practice — what Alex describes as “street strategy.” Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts, it really helps grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

In this episode, I speak with Professor Adrian Saville about the essence of shaping effective strategy in dynamic markets. Adrian is Professor of Economics, Finance and Strategy at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). As Founding Director of the GIBS Centre for African Management and Markets (CAMM) and Founder of Boundless World, he works with leaders to sharpen strategic direction in dynamic environments by addressing three essential questions: Where to compete? How to win? And why does it matter? With deep experience in the investment industry - including building and exiting Cannon Asset Managers and managing a global multi-asset fund - Adrian brings both academic rigor and practical insight to strategic decision-making. He consults widely to blue-chip and high-growth firms across industries such as digital banking, pharmaceuticals and payments, while continuing to teach MBA programmes at GIBS and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. In our conversation, we explore: What defines a truly dynamic market The importance of understanding your business model, your home-market advantage, and the exportability of that advantage The role of key assumptions, culture, and capabilities in shaping strategic performance The tension between growth and profitability, and how leaders should navigate it Tyme Bank as a case study in timing, conviction, and disciplined execution If you’d like to explore the book Adrian mentioned in relation to the Tyme Bank example, you can find it here:  It's About Tyme Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts, it really helps grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

Strategy is often presented as a search for the “right” answer. But according to Prof Bob de Wit, strategic problems are not puzzles to be solved; they are paradoxes to be navigated. In this episode, I speak with Prof de Wit about why perspective lies at the heart of strategic choice. He is one of the world’s leading strategy thinkers and author of Strategy: An International Perspective (now in its eighth edition, used in over 75 countries). Drawing on decades of research and teaching, Prof De Wit explains why leaders routinely talk past one another, how competing strategic logics create blind spots, and why becoming aware of your own perspective is the first step toward better strategy. We explore: Why strategic problems have no single “right” answer. How leaders can identify and overcome their own blind spots. The tension between competing strategic perspectives (inside-out vs. outside-in, evolution vs. revolution, control vs. adaptation). Why the digital age is reshaping not just business models - but professions, governance, and society itself. What “Society 4.0” means for leaders navigating AI and global power shifts. Prof. De Wit argues that strategy is ultimately about making conscious choices between competing logics - not applying universal formulas. In an era defined by AI, platform power, and accelerating change, that awareness becomes even more critical. For leaders, academics, and strategists alike, this conversation is a reminder that the quality of your strategy depends on the clarity of your perspective. Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts, it really helps grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

In this episode, I speak with Dr Marc Sniukas, creator of the Better Strategy OS — a practical, execution-focused system that helps leadership teams design, activate, and embed strategy for real results. We explore how leaders can navigate complexity, accelerate growth, and transform their organisations using the Better Strategy OS as a structured, no-nonsense approach to strategy. Guest Bio: Dr Marc Sniukas, Strategy Advisor | Author | Creator of the Better Strategy OS For over 20 years, Marc has helped leadership teams at companies like BMW, DeBeers, Deloitte, HSBC, Danfoss, MTN, and more design and execute strategies that drive real growth, innovation, and transformation. He’s the author of The Art of Opportunity (Wiley) and creator of the Better Strategy OS — a practical, proven system that helps leaders make better strategy, fast. Marc has taught strategy at leading business schools and worked with organizations across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East—from global giants to fast-scaling hidden champions. Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts, it really helps grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

In this episode, I speak with Prof Clayton Williams, author of What Strategy Is: The 18 Fundamental Laws of Strategy, a thought-provoking synthesis that distils decades of strategic thinking into a clear, disciplined framework. We explore the foundations behind the 18 laws, what inspired Clayton to write the book, and how leaders can use these principles to sharpen strategic clarity, avoid common pitfalls, and make more coherent strategic choices in complex and uncertain environments. The book is available in print and on audiobook. Guest Bio: Prof Clayton Williams, Chief Strategy & Policy Advisor | Author | Professor of Strategy & Applied Complexity Science. Clayton Williams grew up between two worlds - the Kruger, which remains his true home and first love, and the corporate world shaped by organisations such as Mondi, Sappi, Massmart, and Liberty. His childhood was split between wildlife reserves and boardrooms, ecosystems and economics. His mother’s studies in nature conservation drew him into fieldwork early on, sparking both a love of learning and an instinct for seeing systems as living, dynamic networks. As a teenager, inspired by the TV series JAG, Clayton set his sights on flying. He earned his pilot’s licence at 15 and ignored career counsellors who warned he would be bored. By 19, he was CEO of the flying school where he had trained; by 21, he had completed a management buyout. That early immersion in leadership shaped his view of organisations as adaptive organisms that must be cultivated, not merely managed. Over the following years, he led several mid-cap companies through transformation programmes, worked in consulting, and spent five years in banking across a wide range of sectors. Today, he serves as Chief Strategy Adviser to a national investment institution, helping to align capital with the Netherlands’ societal and environmental agenda. He describes his work not as traditional leadership, but as strategy cultivation: building the strategic organism that can think, decide, and act coherently. His academic journey began unexpectedly. Standing in for his then-wife at a business school lecture, he discovered a passion for teaching and research. Later, while at Nedbank, he worked closely with Dr Amy Jansen, a rigorous practitioner-academic who sharpened his thinking and introduced him to a more scientific discipline of strategy. That collaboration planted the seed for What Strategy Is: The 18 Fundamental Laws of Strategy. Frustrated that even after winning his university’s strategy prize he still could not clearly define what strategy is, Clayton set out to build a falsifiable, scientific foundation for the field. Drawing on complexity science, thermodynamics, and information theory, his work reframes strategy as a universal adaptive process - how intelligent systems, from companies to ecosystems, collapse uncertainty into advantage. Everything, he says, traces back to the Kruger: “That’s where I first learned that survival, whether in nature or in business, depends on sensing, adapting, and cohering. In the end, that’s all strategy really is.” Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts, it really helps grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

Episode overview: In this episode, I speak with Richard Hammond, Co-Founder and CEO of Uncrowd, an experience-analytics company that uses the Friction vs Reward (FvR) model to help organisations understand how customers choose between competing offerings. Richard has extensive experience in retail, loyalty, and customer-insight roles. He is the author of: Friction/Reward: Be Your Customer’s First Choice (Pearson, 2019) Smart Retail: Winning Ideas and Strategies from the Most Successful Retailers in the World (4th ed., Pearson Business) He works at the intersection of behavioural insight, retail strategy, and analytics, and is widely recognised for his thinking on retail-choice dynamics. Over the years, Richard has translated the insights of his book into practical, strategic tools through Uncrowd. Our conversation explores both the foundations of the FvR framework and how it has evolved since the book was published. We talk about real-world retail applications, common blind spots for leaders when it comes to customer choice, and practical lessons any organisation can apply to build smarter decisions, clearer value, and more effective retail strategy. Follow his work: LinkedIn Uncrowd Other resources mentioned: Gap Selling: Get to the Root of Why People Buy - a book Richard referenced as influential during our conversation, which he shared as a useful complementary perspective. Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to your podcasts, it really helps us grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

Episode Overview: In this episode, I speak with Jeffrey Roberts, a strategist and organizational researcher who works at the intersection of theory, practice, and decision-making. We discuss how organizations really make strategic choices, and why the hardest part of strategy is often defining the real problem. Jeffrey shares insights on sense-making, systems thinking, and what it means to “muddle through” complexity rather than trying to find the perfect plan. If you’re interested in strategy, foresight, or how leaders can turn data and uncertainty into better decisions, this conversation is for you. About Jeffrey Roberts: Jeff is a Partner in the UK Strategy3 & UK Data Labs practices.  A specialist in corporate strategy, organisation design, and business transformation he works with clients to identify commercial growth opportunities and organise to capture them.  He has worked across geographies and sectors helping clients to invent and activate new markets, build novel business models, grow into new categories, value future opportunities, introduce products, define and defend their political interests, transform their operating models, and redesign their organisations for improved performance. His 20+ year career includes management consultancy and in-house roles (BAT: business transformation and strategy). He was named by Rethink Retail as a Top Retail expert for 2023, 2024, & 2025. He holds a PhD in Sociology and frequently lectures on strategy, organisations, and quantitative methods. Follow Jeffrey’s work here: LinkedIn Substack Books mentioned: Abbott, Andrew Delano. Methods of Discovery: Heuristics for the Social Sciences. W. W. Norton & Company, 2004. Hammond, Richard. Friction/Reward: Be your customer's first choice. Pearson, 2019. Final note: If you found this conversation valuable, please share it with your network or leave a rating wherever you listen to your podcasts, it really helps us grow the conversation. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational and discussion purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Listeners should consult a qualified advisor before making any business or investment decisions.

Episode Overview: In this episode of Wait & Speak, I speak with John Loos about the signals shaping South Africa’s property market, from national trends and micro shifts to sentiment tracking, economic headwinds, and the factors influencing the near-term outlook. You’ll also hear us refer to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC): the major global recession of 2008–2009, triggered by the collapse of the U.S. housing market. We explore how that moment reshaped property markets and consider which lessons may still be relevant today. About John Loos: John Loos is a senior economist at FNB Commercial Property Finance. He started his career as an economist at the National Treasury under Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, then worked as a macroeconomist for Global Insight (now S&P Global). At Absa Group, he coordinated macroeconomic forecasting and was named 2004 Reuters Economist of the Year. Since joining FNB in 2006, John has developed the FNB Property Barometer, a leading source of housing market analysis in South Africa, and currently focuses on commercial property, conducting surveys such as the FNB Commercial Property Broker Survey. Follow John’s work here: https://za.linkedin.com/in/john-loos-299a3a51 Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Please consult a qualified advisor before making any decisions. Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to subscribe to Wait & Speak for more insights where signals meet strategy. Please leave a review if you enjoyed this conversation!

In this episode, I speak with Prof Wim Naudé. Wim is an economist active in academia, business and public policy making. His focus is on innovation, technology and trade, and their consequences for human well-being, security, and prosperity. According to the Stanford and Elsevier rankings (version 5) Wim is among the top 2% of scientists in the world. ScholarGPS ranks Wim amongst the top 0,05% of scientists in the world, and rates him as a Highly Ranked Scholar™ in the field of Artificial Intelligence (#32 globally). We discuss Wim’s research on the economics of AI and how this is something that is seldom taught or researched at business schools. Business schools do well to teach their students advanced data science, including the techniques of modern AI and the ethical principles that should be applied in its use. This is however not enough. Wim suggests that understanding the bigger picture is necessary if current and future leaders are to properly govern, not only the technology of AI, but the entire global digital economy. Further reading: Naudé W, Gries T, Dimitri N. Artificial Intelligence: Economic Perspectives and Models. Cambridge University Press; 2024. Wim’s IZA Discussion Paper on this topic: What They Don’t Teach You about Artificial Intelligence at Business School: Stagnation, Oil, and War

In this episode, I speak with Willem Gous about how aspiring entrepreneurs can shift their mindset to unlock their entrepreneurial potential. As the founder of The Human Entrepreneur, Willem helps people to become self-employed through entrepreneurship training and building a business to become financially sustainable. Willem Gous, an entrepreneur for more than 25 years and ASEB (African Startup Ecosystem Builder Awards) Startup Mentor of the Year 2023 South Africa, is a South African entrepreneur who developed a recipe for job creation in Africa. In his business, The Human Entrepreneur, he works with unemployed people in townships. He helps them develop the right mindset, mental fitness, and rhythm of success to start a profitable business with customers without external funding in just 5 weeks. His focus on micro-entrepreneurship continues with his latest book, “Side Hustle Success - A Low-Cost, Low-Risk Way to Make More Money in 5 Easy Steps”. Written for Africa, easy, simple and contextual to the African continent, it focuses on awakening the entrepreneurial spirit in schools, universities and communities. Website: https://TheHumanEntrepreneur.org    LinkedIn: http://za.linkedin.com/in/willemgous

In this episode, I speak with Felicity Hodkinson about how coaching can unlock previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership. Felicity Hodkinson is an experienced International Coaching Federation (ICF) credentialed PCC (Professional Certified Coach) level coach who works with individuals at all stages and transitions of their working life. She enables individuals to both connect to, and also show more of their inherent talent in their lives and work. She has a reputation for coaching in a style that has been described as ‘challenging, not soft’.  She works intuitively and intelligently to create a space for growth that is bespoke for each client.  With over 20 years experience in marketing, commercial and change management within the food and retail industry, across both small business and corporate FTSE100 companies, Felicity brings lived experience to her passion for coaching. She holds an MSc in Organisational Transformation, and her continued development includes a Diploma in Supervision: A Relational Process.  She is committed to expanding the availability, access and quality of professional coaching and supports coaches with Mentor Coaching for ICF credentialing and with supervision. In 2020, Felicity led the UK Chapter of the ICF in the role of President, and remains a committed member of the ICF.  Connect with her: On LinkedIn Via her website: bendtheriver.org Visit ICF: https://coachingfederation.org/

Have you ever had the feeling that you're treading water professionally; that you're coming up against limits in terms of what you can achieve? In his new book, Christian Greiser shares insights on how we can reset our mental attitude and achieve success and fulfilment. He draws on insights from his many years of experience as an executive coach and incorporates research findings, case studies and exercises. I had the pleasure of speaking with Christian about the book: Remove, Replace, Restart – The Essential Maintenance Manual for Your Engine for Success. In addition, we talked about what good coaching looks like and the benefits of meditation for professional development. More about Christian: Christian Greiser is an executive coach and management consultant. He guides thought leaders, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs on their personal development journeys, helping them figure out their values, talents, and strengths. As he does so, he brings not only his perspective as a senior strategy consultant with operational leadership experience, but also an intuitive understanding for the role of personality in business. Prior to establishing his own consultancy, Christian held the role of Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and led one of the largest practice groups worldwide. An engineer by education, he occupied managerial roles at German industrial conglomerate Mannesmann AG before entering the world of consulting. He studied in Braunschweig, Paris, and London and is a Fellow of the Institute of Coaching (McLean/Harvard Medical School). Christian has been featured in Knowledge@Wharton and Forbes. He is author of the book “Remove, Replace, Restart – the Essential Maintenance Manual for your Engine for Success” (GABAL). Christian and his wife divide their time between the German town of Meerbusch, near Düsseldorf, and the Greek island of Corfu. Christian has been practicing meditation with Zen masters of Europe and Asia for more than fifteen years and is the founder of a global mindfulness network. Insights from this meditation practice are also incorporated into his coaching. Christian’s website: https://www.greiseradvisory.com/ Get a copy of the book: Remove, Replace, Restart – The Essential Maintenance Manual for Your Engine for Success  

I spoke with Emilio Galli-Zugaro about Communicative Leadership, gaining credibility and trust with your stakeholders, the fork test as a leadership analogy, and how leaders can practice communicative leadership. Emilio Galli-Zugaro is founder and Managing Director of the Orvieto Academy for Communicative Leadership and Senior Advisor of Methodos S.p.A Milan, The Change Management Company. He is member of the board of the Allianz Foundation in Munich and the Giovanni Bassetti Foundation in Milan. He sits in several advisory boards (Safe Deposit Bank of Norway, Actyx, Gk Personalberatung et al.). As a Certified Business Coach he coaches C-suite people, teaches and publishes on leadership issues. From 1992 to 2015 he was Head of Group Communications of Allianz. He studied political science in Würzburg and Rome and worked at different PR levels in Rome, inter alia as head of PR of the Organization of Italian Chambers of Commerce. From 1985 until 1992 Emilio worked as a journalist and correspondent for various international media like Fortune, Wirtschaftswoche, L‘Indipendente, Finanz und Wirtschaft, The European. Since 1996 he has been an Associate Lecturer of Corporate Communication and Crisis Communication at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. He also lectures Communicative Leadership at the executive programs of esmt, Berlin, since 2006. In 2016 he has founded the Orvieto Academy for Communicative Leadership offering leadership workshops in Germany and in Umbria (Italy) for executives and communications professionals (www.orvieto-academy.com). In January 2017 Pearson FT, UK, published Emilio and his daughter Clementina Galli-Zugaro’s book on Communicative Leadership (“The Listening Leader”). In June 2018, Ariston/RandomHouse has published his latest book “Ich bin so frei – Raus aus dem Hamsterrad und rein in den richtigen Job” (“I am free – out of the hamster wheel and into the right job”), written together with Jannike Stöhr. In 2023 he completed the WABC Chartered Business Coach Programme You can contact Emilio via his website: https://www.galli-zugaro.com/ Emilio and his daughter Clementina Galli-Zugaro’s book on Communicative Leadership can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Listening-Leader-performance-communicative-leadership/dp/1292142162 

I spoke with Dr Cobus Oosthuizen about the implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) for organisational leaders, and how leaders can orientate themselves for a future of exponential automation across the various sectors of the economy. Cobus is the Dean of Postgraduate Business Programmes at Boston City Campus, South Africa. His research focus is on leadership cognition, mental modalities, and neuroplasticity to enact peak leadership performance. He is a member of the Southern Africa Institute for Management Scientists (SAIMS) and an endorser to the Responsible Research in Business Management (RRBM) initiative. He serves on the conference board of the International Business Conference (IBC), and is also a member of the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) Africa Chapter Steering Committee. In April of this year (2023), Cobus received the Morné Mostert award for a Futures-related PhD thesis at the Stellenbosch Business School: “A 4IR Integrated intelligence Taxonomy and Measurement Framework for Top Management.” Cobus holds a PhD in Entrepreneurship and a PhD in Leadership (Futures). Link to publications: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jacobus-Oosthuizen

I spoke with Sensei Scott Langley (7th Dan) about his latest book, A Sustainable Karate-ka: A Small Book About a Long Journey. We discussed motivation, the elements of being a sustainable karate-ka and instructor, how to keep on keeping on, how karate is not a thing but a karate-ka is, and his advice for karate-ka who have just started and those who have trained for many years. Background to the book: “From a prematurely early age, I have been concerned with the longevity of my karate journey. Before I was anywhere near my prime. I was already predicting my decline and busied myself with ideas of how to counteract my natural tendencies to be lazy, fat and aging. Now, as I approach my fiftieth birthday, I am somewhat justified in my anxiety over general decline. Therefore, I have written a short book about the long journey I embarked upon all those years ago. This book is about me, no one else. However, I do hope that the lessons I have learnt as I meandered through life speak to you a little. This book isn’t about making big gestures or disclosing huge revelations. It doesn’t contain secrets or answers to mysteries and enigmas. It doesn’t even share salacious gossip about well-known karate-ka (I am sorry to say.) What it does contain is how I have approached the difficult question of how do we keep on keeping on? So, I do hope you enjoy how I have tried to become a Sustainable Karate-ka” About Sensei Scott Langley 7th Dan: Scott is one of the youngest people ever to win the World Championships and has over 30 years’ experience practicing and teaching karate. Scott has been practicing martial arts since the age of 5, however, he started his karate career proper in 1986 under the instruction of Howard Milson, a senior member of Kodokai and one of the very few 5th dans in the UK at the time. Scott trained hard with Howard and Kato Sensei and gained shodan in 1992. After travelling to Japan with Kato Sensei in 1993, Scott started university in Staffordshire and trained on a daily basis with him. During this time, he assisted Kato Sensei teaching around the UK and Europe. Scott also competed regularly, winning, both in kata and kumite, the National Championships five times, European Championships three times, and the 1996 JKA World Championships in Moscow. Building on this success, Scott travelled once more to Japan in 1997 and started to train full time at the JKA (Asai fraction) Hombu dojo. Under constant pressure from the instruction of Asai, Abe, Yahara, Kagawa, Isaka, Yamaguchi etc, Scott went from strength to strength and in 1998 was asked to enter the instructor’s course. Unfortunately, an injured knee prevented this, so after considerable rehabilitation, Scott, along with Yasuhisa Inada, entered the course in 2000 and became the first instructor’s course class of the newly formed Japan Karate Shotorenmei. Two intensive years later, Scott graduated from the course and became the fifth non-Japanese person ever to do so (JKA/JKS). Feeling it was time to move on and encouraged by the hombu dojo to develop JKS karate, Scott moved to Ireland. From 2002 until 2013 Scott was the Technical Director of the JKS GB & Ireland and the Chief Instructor of JKS Ireland’s Hombu Dojo. In that time the group grew from 4 clubs to 120 clubs, making it the biggest single style group in the British Isles. His own club also grew from the initial 8 members that showed up first night, to over 500 members and four full time instructors. Scott is the best selling author of Karate Stupid and Karate Clever which tell much of Scott's karate journey so far. Scott trains daily at the dojo with the other Sensei and takes the adult classes on Monday and Thursday nights.  He spends most of his weekends travelling around Great Britain and Europe teaching at seminars. However, he likes to surprise the kids every now and then so he might drop in on any class any time. “Scott Langley is one of the few instructors to have learnt karate in Japan from the source. He teaches the true art of karate. In Europe this is very rare and should be taken advantage of!” Yutaka Koike 5th Dan – All Japan Champion

In this episode I speak with Prof. Wim Naudé. Wim is an economist active in academia, business and public policy making.  His focus is on innovation, technology and trade, and their consequences for human well-being, security, and prosperity. According to the Stanford and Elsevier rankings (version 5) Wim is among the top 2% of scientists in the world. We discussed his recent research paper on late industrialisation and global value chains (GVCs)* under platform capitalism. Keywords: Digitisation · Digital platforms · GVCs · Industrialisation · Competition policy. * A global value chain (GVC) is the series of stages in the production of a product or service for sale to consumers. Each stage adds value, and at least two stages are in different countries.” (World Bank, 2020:17) Further reading: Naudé, W. Late industrialisation and global value chains under platform capitalism. J. Ind. Bus. Econ. (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40812-022-00240-2 World Bank: World Development Report 2020: Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains

I spoke with Mary Rodgers, CEO at the Galway City Innovation District. We discussed her work with startups, startup ecosystems and what it takes to become a successful founder. Mary promotes ecosystem building activities to support the creation of high-value sustainable jobs in the West and North West of Ireland. Mary nurtures a transformative culture at the PorterShed Galway, supporting globally focused tech startups and facilitating technology innovation and collaboration. Mary is an accomplished executive with domestic and international experience in startup supports including mentoring, business development, scaling and fundraising. Mary has worked with both startups and growth organisations throughout her career. Further reading: The rise of innovation districts Building a startup that will last

I spoke with Faris Aranki - CEO and Founder of Shiageto Consulting. We discussed his experience of starting a business and how he helps clients to sharpen their effectiveness and improve their success Having spent over 20 years delivering strategic change for the corporate and non-corporate worlds, Faris has experienced first-hand the fine differences between strategic success and failure. His work has spanned numerous companies (from global behemoths to small start-ups), in numerous countries, across a range of sectors, supporting them all to unlock strategic success.  He came to realise that often what hinders institutions from achieving their goals goes beyond the quality of their strategy; it is their ability to engage effectively with others at all levels and remove barriers in their way. This has led to his passion for improving strategic effectiveness within all businesses and individuals and the foundation of Shiageto Consulting. Over time, Faris has worked to distil his knowledge of how to solve complex problems in a structured manner combined with his skill on engaging effectively with others and his ability to quickly determine the barriers to a strategy's success. This knowledge has formed the foundation of Shiageto’s workshops, courses and methodologies. Faris believes that any firm or team can adopt these improvements; all it requires is a little of the right support - something Shiageto provides.

I spoke with Doris Viljoen about the role of trends and fads in futures thinking. We considered the difference between trends and fads, the dimensions of change, the approach futurists use when thinking about the future, macrotrends, technology and the macro environment. Doris Viljoen is the director of Stellenbosch University’s Institute for Futures Research (IFR) where she endeavours to interpret global as well as local trends and assess their relevance for South Africa and Africa. She has specialised skills in environmental scanning, the application of foresight methodology, scenario planning as well as strategy development.  Before joining the IFR, Doris did consulting work on feasibility and location assessment studies for large capital projects and received the top student award on the M.Phil Futures Studies programme. She has a wide range of research interests and is passionate about asking the right questions, searching for and finding relevant data as well as designing tools and techniques to facilitate thinking about plausible futures. She is well versed in multiple scenario planning techniques and has facilitated decision making teams through scenario exercises on topics ranging from infrastructure planning, higher education, and downstream metals beneficiation to the futures of work in South Africa. Doris also lectures on the academic programmes in Futures Studies at the University of Stellenbosch Business School. Her particular areas of specialty are scenario planning, organisational foresight, futures studies frameworks, tools and techniques, and managing foresight projects.  Her research towards a PhD in Futures Studies looks at the future of work, specifically focusing on non-conventional employment engagements. Further reading: IFR: Futures of agricultural employment in South Africa 2035 OECD: About Strategic Foresight George Day and Paul Schoemaker: See Sooner, Act Faster Useful resources on Futures thinking UNESCO on Futures literacy  

I spoke with Michal Reut-Gelbart about public transport in the context of the smart mobility revolution. Michal is a Manager with KPMG’s Strategy practice in Ireland. Michal was previously the CEO of Future Mobility IL, a non-profit NGO that seeks to promote implementation of smart mobility solutions and reduce road congestion and air pollution. This is achieved by promoting effective public policy in the mobility sector and working in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders. She is an expert in the MaaS (Mobility as a Service) revolution and sustainable transportation. Michal also has vast experience in public policy after serving in the Budget Division at the Israeli Ministry of Finance, where she was responsible for national innovation and high education system budgets. Michal has experience as an economist in a global listed high-tech company and in a global consulting firm in the corporate finance team.    Resources for further reading: Integrating Public Transport into Mobility as a Service Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) – a new way of using ITS in public transport How Mobility as a Service Impacts Public Transport Business Models The Innovative Mobility Landscape: The Case of Mobility as a Service Mobility to 2030

KPMG has produced several publications in a series on aviation and aerospace. Given the investment, R&D development and regulatory timelines in aviation are longer, strategic decisions about where to place bets or anticipate disruption for 5-10 years out starts now. The first publication, launched just before the pandemic, looked at several topics like sustainability in propulsion technology and the return of supersonics. The second looked at the potential long-term legacy of COVID as well as topics like urban air mobility. The most recent (3rd) focused on ground handling. The pandemic has proven seismic across aviation - but not terminal. In common with other segments, the ground handling industry will likely survive, but it cannot afford to return to pre-pandemic norms. Players should use the opportunity presented by today’s lower volumes to get ahead of the trends that can shape the coming decade. I spoke with Chris Brown to learn more. Chris is the national lead of KPMG’s Strategy practice in Ireland. Specialising in strategy and new service revenue streams for the past 15 years, Chris has led over 250 strategic reviews, portfolio strategies, growth strategies, market entries, commercial due diligences and similar projects. Besides working in the UK and Ireland, he has lived and worked in China, Hong Kong, Japan and mainland Europe, leading market entry strategies in over a dozen other markets. Further reading: Aviation 2030: issue 1 - Disruption and its implications for the aviation sector Aviation 2030: issue 2 - Disruption beyond COVID-19 Aviation 2030: issue 3 - Ground handling beyond COVID-19

Emerging technologies, population growth, urbanisation and environmental concerns are driving the creation of a new generation of transport solutions, with the potential to transform how people and goods are moved. KPMG Ireland’s recent publication, Mobility 2030, considers Ireland’s readiness to benefit from the opportunities presented by mobility disruptors such as Electric Vehicles (EVs), Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). I spoke with Chris Brown to learn more. Chris is the national lead of KPMG’s Strategy practice in Ireland. Specialising in strategy and new service revenue streams for the past 15 years, Chris has led over 250 strategic reviews, portfolio strategies, growth strategies, market entries, commercial due diligences and similar projects. Besides working in the UK and Ireland, he has lived and worked in China, Hong Kong, Japan and mainland Europe, leading market entry strategies in over a dozen other markets. Further reading: Mobility to 2030: https://home.kpmg/ie/en/home/insights/2021/06/mobility-2030-strategy.html  

“Progress is the realisation of utopias” - Oscar Wilde I had an engaging conversation with Doris Viljoen and Schalk Engelbrecht. We discussed the relevance of utopian thinking with perspectives from Philosophy and Futures Studies. Doris is a senior futurist at Stellenbosch University’s Institute for Futures Research (IFR) where she endeavours to interpret global as well as local trends and assess their relevance for South Africa and Africa. She has specialised skills in environmental scanning, the application of foresight methodology, scenario planning as well as strategy development.  Before joining the IFR, Doris did consulting work on feasibility and location assessment studies for large capital projects and received the top student award on the M.Phil Futures Studies programme. She has a wide range of research interests and is passionate about asking the right questions, searching for and finding relevant data as well as designing tools and techniques to facilitate thinking about plausible futures. She is well versed in multiple scenario planning techniques and has facilitated decision making teams through scenario exercises on topics ranging from infrastructure planning, higher education, and downstream metals beneficiation to the futures of work in South Africa. Doris also lectures on the academic programmes in Futures Studies at the University of Stellenbosch Business School. Her particular areas of specialty are scenario planning, organisational foresight, futures studies frameworks, tools and techniques, and managing foresight projects.  Her research towards a PhD in Futures Studies looks at the future of work, specifically focusing on non-conventional employment engagements. Schalk is an ethicist, the Chief Ethics Officer at KPMG in South Africa, and a student of philosophy. He is responsible for KPMG’s internal ethics programme, and assists client companies to identify ethics risk, develop Codes of Ethics, design ethics management programmes and facilitate ethics training. Schalk is also a research associate with the Centre for Applied Ethics at Stellenbosch University. In 2010 he completed his PhD in Philosophy with a thesis on the need to revive utopian thinking in an anti-utopian age. He has presented papers at national and international conferences on topics that include "radical business ethics", "the problem of the commons in organisations", and "ethics and utopian thinking". He is published in academic and popular journals and has been an invited speaker at conferences and provincial Anti-Corruption events. Before joining KPMG Schalk lectured Philosophy and Ethics at the University of Stellenbosch and North-West University. He has lectured Business Ethics as part of the University of Stellenbosch Business School's MBA programme, and was the previous editor-in-chief of the African Journal of Business Ethics. Resources: Bellamy, E., & Beaumont, M. (2007). Looking backward, 2000-1887. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bregman, Rutger. (2017). Utopia for Realists. London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. Cooke, M. (2004). Redeeming Redemption: The Utopian Dimension of Critical Social Theory. Philosophy & Social Criticism, 30(4), 413–429. https://doi.org/10.1177/0191453704044026 Hines, A.(2020). Utopia is a moving target: https://www.andyhinesight.com/after-capitalism/utopia-is-a-moving-target/ Huxley, A. (2007). Brave new world. Toronto: Vintage Canada. More, T., & Turner, P. (1965). Utopia. London: Penguin Books. Skidelsky, R., & Skidelsky, E. (2012). How much is enough?: Money and the good life. New York: Other Press. Tankersley, J. (2018). Reimagining Our Tomorrows: Making Sure Your Future Doesn't Suck. Unique Visions, Incorporated.

I spoke with Sarah Babb about organisational change. We covered the key types of change organisations face, success factors for change initiatives, change frameworks including Theory U and the Cynefin framework for managing complexity, linking strategy with change management and futures thinking and leadership development for effective change. Sarah designs and leads innovative and impactful learning and change processes for leaders, teams, entrepreneurs, and organisations seeking to create the new world we all want to live in. Sarah is passionate about enabling futures thinking capacities in executive programmes, coaching circles, and change processes. Over twenty years she has led many exciting programmes: from leading scenarios projects, to national skills programmes, to leading culture change, to leadership development. Trained with global experts in Theory U, Cynefin and Waysfinder, Transformative Scenarios amongst other techniques.  Sarah is a Professional Associate at GIBS and Part-time faculty at USB and USB Exec Ed. Her qualifications include: BA (Industrial Psychology & Industrial Sociology), PDM (HR), MBA (cum laude, GIBS), PhD (Leadership Identity Development, submit 2020). For more see Sarah’s website: www.laminar.co.za Further reading: Berger, J. G. (2019). Unlocking leadership mindtraps: How to thrive in complexity. David, S. A. (2016). Emotional agility: Get unstuck, embrace change, and thrive in work and life. Heifetz, R. A., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Press. Kegan, R., Lahey, L. L., Miller, M. L., Fleming, A., & Helsing, D. (2016). An everyone culture: Becoming a deliberately developmental organization. Uhl-Bien, M., Marion, R., & McKelvey, B. (2007). Complexity leadership theory: Shifting leadership from the industrial age to the knowledge era. The leadership quarterly, 18(4), 298-318. Further resources: Theory U: https://www.presencing.org/aboutus/theory-u Cynefin framework: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_waoADNcaBU

I spoke with Jakkie Cilliers from the African Futures and Innovation (AFI) team at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria. We discussed Jakkie’s new book, Africa First! Igniting a Growth Revolution. The discussion covered the key developmental challenges facing Africa and the International Futures (IFs) forecasting platform that was used to model scenarios on how the continent can ignite a growth revolution. We also touched on Africa’s Current Path - the likely development trajectory assuming current policies continue going forward, the key scenario insights policy makers should adopt to shift to prosperity, the impact of COVID-19 and AFI’s ongoing research that builds on the work done for Africa First. Dr Jakkie Cilliers is the Chairman of the ISS Board of Trustees and Head of the African Futures and Innovation team in Pretoria. Jakkie co-founded the ISS in 1990 and was the executive director until 2015. He is an Extraordinary Professor in the Centre of Human Rights and the Department of Political Sciences, Faculty Humanities at the University of Pretoria.  His 2017 book on the future of South Africa Fate of the Nation – 3 scenarios for South Africa’s future was on the best seller list for several months. His most recent book (March 2020) is Africa First! Igniting a Growth Revolution.  He has a DLitt et Phil from the University of South Africa. Further reading: Jakkie’s book: Africa First! - https://www.jakkiecilliers.org/africa-first?gclid=CjwKCAjwps75BRAcEiwAEiACMVTLhdzpwfeLSbgjBPDPuPQvgyLYiezW9_kRI2Tv0XDw32lzl_aGyBoCSeoQAvD_BwE Pardee Center for International Futures - https://pardee.du.edu/

I spoke with Laura Balmond about the circular economy and circular fashion. We covered the benefits of a circular economy transformation, the challenges, the “linear operation” of the textiles industry and opportunities to make fashion circular. Laura joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2015 following two years as a Management consultant, and completing her Masters in Environmental Engineering. Laura’s first few years at the Foundation saw her work on a co-funded EU project, ResCoM (Resource Conservative Manufacturing) and research and co-author the reports ‘Circular Economy in India’ and ‘A New Textiles Economy - Redesigning Fashion’s Future’. Now, as Programme Manager in the Make Fashion Circular team at the Foundation, Laura manages relationships with the Make Fashion Circular participants, key industry stakeholders and coordinates the Jeans Redesign - a project which sets minimum criteria for jeans to ensure they are made from safe materials, can be kept in use and turned into new jeans once they can no longer be worn. Further reading: Ellen MacArthur Foundation A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s Future                                The Jeans Redesign Guidelines Circular Economy in India: Rethinking growth for long-term prosperity The ResCoM (Resource Conservative Manufacturing) project Ellen MacArthur Foundation The Centre for Sustainable Design WRAP Central Saint Martins Raworth, K. (2017). Doughnut economics: seven ways to think like a 21st-century economist. London: Random House.

I spoke with Susan Hall about the ethics of human enhancement. Activities such as physical fitness routines and taking music lessons do not seem to raise any philosophical problems. However, a current example that elicits debate is Elon Musk’s Neuralink, his neural technology company that is developing an implant designed to interface directly with the human brain. Our discussion covered the types of enhancements that are considered in the philosophical debates and the various arguments that arise. Dr Susan Hall is a lecturer in the Philosophy Department and Centre for Applied Ethics at Stellenbosch University. She completed her PhD dissertation, “Harm and Enhancement: Philosophical and Ethical Perspectives” in 2012, and her research interests include Bioethics and the ethics of technology. She is currently working on the ethics of biotechnological human enhancement and bioethical issues related to the participation of intersex athletes in sporting competition. Further reading: The Stanford Encyclopaedia entry on human enhancement provides a useful overview of the debate: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/enhancement/ Buchanan, A.  2008.  Enhancement and the Ethics of Development.  Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 18 (1): 1-34. (Summarises some of the central arguments that appear in his book below.) Buchanan, A., 2011. Beyond Humanity?: The Ethics of Biomedical Enhancement, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. Harris, J.  2007.  Enhancing Evolution: The Ethical Case for Making Better People. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Kass, L. 1997. “The Wisdom of Repugnance”, New Republic, 216(22): 17–26. Sandel, M.  2004.  The Case Against Perfection: What’s Wrong with Designer Children, Bionic Athletes, and Genetic Engineering. The Atlantic Monthly, 293 (3): 51-62, available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/04/the-case-against-perfection/302927/, and his later book (2007),  The Case Against Perfection.  Cambridge & London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Earp, B.D. & Savulescu, J. 2020. Love is the Drug: The Chemical Future of Our Relationships. Manchester: Manchester University Press.  

I spoke with Jakkie Cilliers and Stellah Kwasi from the African Futures and Innovation (AFI) team at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria. We discussed their recent report on the impact of COVID-19 in Africa. Dr Jakkie Cilliers is the Chairman of the ISS Board of Trustees and Head of the African Futures and Innovation team in Pretoria. Jakkie co-founded the ISS in 1990 and was the executive director until 2015. He is an Extraordinary Professor in the Centre of Human Rights and the Department of Political Sciences, Faculty Humanities at the University of Pretoria.  His 2017 book on the future of South Africa Fate of the Nation – 3 scenarios for South Africa’s future was on the best seller list for several months. His most recent book (March 2020) is Africa First! Igniting a Growth Revolution.  He has a DLitt et Phil from the University of South Africa. Stellah Kwasi joined ISS in April 2018 as a Researcher in the African Futures and Innovation programme in Pretoria. Before joining the ISS she was a research affiliate at the Fredrick S Pardee Center of International Futures at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, Colorado. At Pardee, Stellah worked on international non-government organisations' trends and sub-regional data analysis in conjunction with QED/USAID in Uganda. Before that she was an intern at the ISS. Stellah has a Master’s degree in international development from the University of Denver. Further reading: Impact of COVID-19 in Africa: a scenario analysis to 2030 - https://issafrica.org/research/africa-report/impact-of-covid-19-in-africa-a-scenario-analysis-to-2030 Watch the associated webinar here - https://issafrica.org/events/updated-forecasts-impact-of-covid-19-in-africa Webinar presentation - https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2020-07-23-covid-presentation-jakkie-1.pdf Jakkie’s book: Africa First! - https://www.jakkiecilliers.org/africa-first?gclid=CjwKCAjwps75BRAcEiwAEiACMVTLhdzpwfeLSbgjBPDPuPQvgyLYiezW9_kRI2Tv0XDw32lzl_aGyBoCSeoQAvD_BwE Pardee Center for International Futures - https://pardee.du.edu/

I spoke with Senseis Lars Niehaus and Stephan Steyn about karate as a martial art. The discussion covered the purpose and development of karate, the focus of traditional karate, the guiding principles of karate (dojo kun), advice for parents and adult beginners, what it takes to be a good karateka and much more! Sensei Lars Bio: I started karate in or about September 1981 while studying at University in Pietermaritzburg.  I joined the university karate club which was headed up by an instructor called Peter Schoerie who, in turn fell under Sensei Rob Ferriere. My introduction into the martial (and fighting) arts began at age 8 or 9 when my late father, a judoka, took me to boxing at the Hugenote Amateur Boxing Club under the tutelage of the late “Oom” Naas Botes.  Oom Naas was a very strict and hard taskmaster but he loved his boys and taught us good values.  The club was (and still is) situated at the Brixton Recreation Centre in south-western Johannesburg.  I loved boxing. It was during this time that I met Sensei Stan Schmidt at the home of some boyhood friends of mine.  Their father was also a judoka. It was then that the seed was planted that I wanted to do karate and remain involved in the fighting arts scene for the rest of my life. I had no idea how I would get there or anything like that, but I just knew it would happen.  Why I stopped boxing (something I was very upset about) is because I had to go to boarding school in Kwa-Zulu Natal at the age of 11. Fast forward to sometime during 1981 and the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal Pietermaritzburg Law Library – I was sitting next to another guy studying.  During a short break, we introduced ourselves to one another and he turned out to be Peter Schoerie.  For some reason, the conversation turned to fighting and karate.  I told him that I wanted to start karate and had no idea where.  He told me he was the one to talk to and that is where my karate career started. I was terrible at the beginning.  In fact, when it came time to attempt my grade for 8th kyu (yellow belt) a few months later, Sensei Rob Ferriere – who scared the hell out of me with his Mexican Zapata-style moustache and French-Mauritian accent – I failed.  Sensei Rob’s comment “not ready yet…”. I did soldier on and, subsequent to moving to Johannesburg and being told by the late Sensei Derrick Geyer to report to the morning class (Sensei Stan Schmidt’s Early Birds class) while I was still a purple belt in 1986, I attained the rank of shodan (first dan) in March 1987. I have continued training over the years and currently hold the rank of Godan (fifth dan) and run my own dojo (school) in Rivonia, northern Johannesburg. Sensei Stephan Bio: Stephan is a Japanese registered 4th Dan (Yondan) instructor in the World Shotokan Karate-do Federation with both national and international competition experience. His karate career spans over 26 years of training with top class senior Shotokan instructors. Highlights of the almost three decades include Shodan grading at the age of 16 (Malcolm Dorfman Sensei), representing South Africa at the KWF World Championships in Norway (2009), being part of the Student National WKF team competing at the student World championships in Slovakia (2012) and receiving Yondan from Hitoshi Kasuya Sensei in 2016.  Stephan teaches at their Potchefstroom dojo with his wife, also a Yondan instructor. They believe in not only teaching the physical aspects of karate but also the use of karate principles to improve each student's abilities and the application of these principles in all areas of life. The dojo kun (training hall rules) - Guiding Principles of Karate: 1) Character Hitotsu, jinkaku kansei ni tsutomeru koto Strive for the perfection of character 2) Sincerity Hitotsu, makoto no michi wo mamoru koto Protect the way of the truth 3) Effort Hitotsu, doryoku no seishin wo yashinau koto Foster the effort of spirit 4) Etiquette Hitotsu, reigi wo omonzuru koto  Respect the principles of etiquette 5) Self control Hitotsu, kekki no yū wo imashimuru koto Guard against impetuous courage “Karate is in your head”- Sensei Rob Ferriere: Some reading on psychology and getting into the “zone”: Karageorghis, C. I., & Terry, P. C. (2011). Inside sport psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Evans, C. (2019). Perform Under Pressure. HarperCollins. YouTube resource: Jesse Enkamp: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRIeMHsEdzA9RroG19kXdYg  

I spoke with Stephan Steyn about antibiotic resistance. Stephan is a qualified pharmacist with a PhD in pharmacological neuroscience. Stephan is a senior lecturer in Pharmacology at North-West University, Potchefstroom. His research interests include the lasting effects of early-life, central-acting treatment strategies and the role that mitochondrial function plays in these effects. Being a karateka for more than two decades, Stephan has incorporated the discipline of karate into his professional life, making him critical of his own performance, always willing to learn from others, broaden his knowledge and improve his skillset. Context for this episode: Antibiotics are a core tool of modern medicine. However, the emergence of antibiotic resistance is a growing concern. According to the World Health Organisation, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development. A growing number of infections are becoming harder to treat as the antibiotics used in treatments become less effective. This resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and increased mortality. Further background: Ted Talk: Maryn McKenna: What do we do when antibiotics don’t work anymore? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3oDpCb7VqI&feature=youtu.be Trafton, A., (2020). Artificial intelligence yields new antibiotic - A deep-learning model identifies a powerful new drug that can kill many species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. MIT News Office: http://news.mit.edu/2020/artificial-intelligence-identifies-new-antibiotic-0220 Yeh, Y. C., Huang, T. H., Yang, S. C., Chen, C. C., & Fang, J. Y. (2020). Nano-Based Drug Delivery or Targeting to Eradicate Bacteria for Infection Mitigation: A Review of Recent Advances. Frontiers in Chemistry, 8, 286. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2020.00286 The South African Antibiotic Stewardship Programme: https://www.fidssa.co.za/SAASP   Disclaimer: Please note that this discussion is for information purposes only and it does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor for any medical advice you may need.

I spoke with Dr Lize Barclay about applied systems thinking. We touched on: systems thinking as a lens to look at the world and specifically for decision making, mental models, complicated vs. complex systems, key systems thinking tools, how to practice your systems thinking skills, the links with design thinking and futures studies, as well as gaming simulation. Lize studies emerging issues, trends and alternative future scenarios for business, places and spaces and map paths to adapt in order to thrive and not merely survive, often through simulations and gaming. On the 1st of December 2017 Lize joined the University of Stellenbosch Business School as Senior Lecturer in Futures Studies and Systems Thinking. Her current research explores gaming, cyberpunk, gentrification, hipster culture, gender, the 4th Industrial Revolution and indigenous knowledge systems. Previously she spent 12 years as lecturer in Town and Regional Planning. She has a PhD in Town and Regional Planning with a focus on the use of scenario-based gaming simulation in higher education. Lize has 7 years’ experience working for local and provincial government, predominantly in Forward Planning. She also runs a boutique consultancy called Question Unknown Infinity. Further reading: The Systems Thinker - https://thesystemsthinker.com/ What are mental models? - https://thesystemsthinker.com/what-are-mental-models/ 15 Systems Thinking Guidelines to Live in a World of Uncertainty - https://medium.com/constraint-drives-creativity/15-systems-thinking-guidelines-to-live-in-a-world-of-uncertainty-b07d5a478e6 Recommended books: Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday/Currency. Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in systems: a primer. London: Chelsea Green Publishing

I spoke to Maura Feddersen about behavioural economics. We discussed the field’s growing relevance and practical applications, behavioural economics frameworks, opportunities to use big data, the use of “nudging” and the broader ethical considerations, especially for policy interventions. Maura is an economist at Swiss Re, focused on behavioural economics. She develops solutions that enhance prediction and improve the value that insurance offers consumers. Before joining Swiss Re, Maura was a behavioural economist at the UK's Financial Conduct Authority. Maura's background is in economic consulting. At PwC's Strategy& and KPMG's Financial Risk Management practice, Maura developed economic and behavioural science insights to help organisations position themselves strategically in view of continuous shifts in their environment   Defining behavioural economics: “An approach to economic analysis that incorporates psychological insights into individual behaviour to explain economic decisions. Behavioural economics is motivated by the observation of anomalies that cannot be explained by standard models of choice. It provides an explanation for the anomalies by introducing human and social cognitive and emotional biases into the decision-making process.” See Oxford Reference.   Navigating ethical considerations: Sunstein, C. (2016). The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science. Cambridge University Press. Lades, L., & Delaney, L. (2020). Nudge FORGOOD. Behavioural Public Policy, 1-20. Jachimowicz, J., Matz, S. & Polonski, V. (2017). The Behavioral Scientist's Ethics Checklist. The Behavioural Scientist.   Frameworks & models: EAST framework by Behavioural Insights Team: This model for behaviour change suggests making actions Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely (EAST) through a 4-step process: 1. Define the outcome, 2. Understand the context, 3. Build your intervention, and 4. Test, learn, adapt. Also see MINDSPACE. Dual-system theory: “Dual-system models of the human mind contrast automatic, fast, and non-conscious (System 1) with controlled, slow, and conscious (System 2) thinking.” COM-B model: The COM-B model ('capability', 'opportunity', 'motivation' and 'behaviour') recognises that behaviour is part of an interacting system involving all these components. Interventions need to change one or more of them in such a way as to put the system into a new configuration and minimise the risk of it reverting. Tools and Ethics for Applied Behavioural Insights: The BASIC Toolkit by OECD.   Further reading: Classic behavioural economics books to get started: Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Penguin. Thaler, R.H. & Sunstein, C.R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press. Ariely, D. (2008). Predictably irrational: the hidden forces that shape our decisions. HarperCollins.   Online reading: Behavioural Scientist Behavioral Economics Habit Weekly   Great behavioural economics/behavioural science podcasts, for example: Behavioral Grooves Choiceology with Katy Milkman The Brainy Business Brainfluence The Human Risk Podcast Freakonomics   Behavioural Economics in Action - online learning presented by Dilip Soman at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management   More behavioural science and insurance insights: Nabholz, C. (2020). Behavioural economics: Predicting the irrational in a data-driven world. Swiss Re Blog. McLean, A. (2020). Will our behavioural change from COVID-19 help us fight climate change? Swiss Re Blog. Tamma, F. (2020). Five ways behavioural insights can improve COVID tracking apps. Swiss Re Blog. Güntner, A., Lucks, K. & Sperling-Magro, L. Lessons from the front line of corporate nudging. McKinsey Quarterly.   More reading on some of the examples used in the podcast: Behavioural Insights Team (2012). Applying Behavioural Insights to Reduce Fraud, Debt and Error. Cabinet Office. Nieboer, J. & Feddersen, M. (2019). Paying attention or paying charges? It’s all in the timing. FCA Insight.    

I had an engaging conversation with Schalk Engelbrecht. We discussed ethics in the time of COVID-19.  Schalk is an ethicist, the Chief Ethics Officer at KPMG in South Africa, and a student of philosophy. He is responsible for KPMG’s internal ethics programme, and assists client companies to identify ethics risk, develop Codes of Ethics, design ethics management programmes and facilitate ethics training. Schalk is also a research associate with the Centre for Applied Ethics at Stellenbosch University. In 2010 he completed his PhD in Philosophy with a thesis on the need to revive utopian thinking in an anti-utopian age. He has presented papers at national and international conferences on topics that include "radical business ethics", "the problem of the commons in organisations", and "ethics and utopian thinking". He is published in academic and popular journals and has been an invited speaker at conferences and provincial Anti-Corruption events. Before joining KPMG Schalk lectured Philosophy and Ethics at the University of Stellenbosch and North-West University. He has lectured Business Ethics as part of the University of Stellenbosch Business School's MBA programme, and was the previous editor-in-chief of the African Journal of Business Ethics. Notes & Resources: Defining Ethics: “Rules for the human zoo” - Peter Sloterdijk Dictionary definition: “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation”, “a set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values” - Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The Framework: Key point: Context matters. The framework for being ethical has stayed the same, but the content has changed (changes over time) – for example, comparing ethics in the Victorian era and the era of climate change. Main ethics theories/frameworks: Deontology (Duty) Utilitarianism (Consequentialism) (Maximising happiness for the world) Virtue Ethics (character) Also see: Blackburn, S. (2002) Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://www.oxford.co.za/book/9780192853776-being-good-p-a-short-introduction-to-ethics#.XsowcGgzbIU Bregman, R., & Manton, E. (2018). Utopia for realists. New York: Bloomsbury. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/utopia-for-realists-9781408893210/ Bregman, R., & Manton, E. (2020). Humankind: A Hopeful History. New York: Bloomsbury. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/humankind-9781408898932/ Dalio, R. (2017). Principles: Life and Work. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2017. https://www.principles.com/ Painter-Morland, M., & Ten Bos, R. (Eds.). (2011). Business Ethics and Continental Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139013338 https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/business-ethics-and-continental-philosophy/34A80BD91724193969CA10EF86D675A4#fndtn-information Rachels, J. & Rachels, S. The elements of moral philosophy (9th Edition), New York: McGraw-Hill https://www.mheducation.com/highered/product/elements-moral-philosophy-rachels-rachels/M9781259914256.html Raworth, K. (2017) Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-century Economist. London: Random House. https://www.kateraworth.com/ Skidelsky, R., & Skidelsky, E. (2013). How much is enough? Money and the good life. Penguin Random House. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/216918/how-much-is-enough-by-robert-skidelsky-and-edward-skidelsky/ Van Niekerk, A.A. (2002) Can more Business Ethics Teaching Halt Corruption in Companies? Ethics thought pieces, The Ethics Institute. Available Online: https://www.tei.org.za/index.php/resources/articles/business-ethics/2219-can-more-business-ethics-teaching-halt-corruption-in-companies-prof-anton-a-van-niekerk Van Niekerk, A.A. (2011) Ethics theories and the principalist approach in bioethics. In Medical Ethics, Law and Human Rights: A South African Perspective, ed. K. Moodley. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. https://www.vanschaiknet.com/book/view/394

I spoke to Prof Waldo Krugell about the South African economy: the status quo and new realities. Waldo is Professor of Economics at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences (SAJEMS) and the President of the Economic Society of South Africa (ESSA). Useful Links: @WaldoKrugell , SAJEMS , ESSA ; Covid-19 Economic Ideas Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, Michael Kremer: The Nobel Prize (Economics 2019) winners mentioned in this episode: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2019/press-release/

I spoke with Jahni de Villiers (https://twitter.com/JahniDeVilliers) about work & the “new normal” under COVID-19. Jahni is the Head of Labour and Development at Agri SA. Before joining Agri SA, she was a union organiser at Solidarity for 12 years and served as sector-head of the union’s branches at all the major commercial banks, Armscor, the Agricultural Research Council and universities. She has an LLB degree from Nelson Mandela University and an LLM degree, specialising in labour law, form the University of South Africa (UNISA). She represents organised business on the following structures: National Minimum Wage Commission. Nedlac Development chamber. Various task teams at Nedlac, including the national minimum wage task team and the comprehensive social security task team. Member of the Jobs summit sub-committee on Public Sector Programmes, Labour Market Reform and Anti-corruption initiatives. Represents Agri SA as a member of the AgriBEE Charter Council. Completed the AOTS Employee Relations and Human Resources Management training program in Tokyo, Japan in March 2018. Useful resource: Return2Work Initiative - https://www.return2work.co.za/ “The Return2Work Initiative is facilitating collaboration between government and business to provide tools and guidelines to enable sectors to expedite a safe, effective and structured return2work plan.”

A business model helps to describe how your business creates, delivers and captures value. Whether you are a start-up or an incumbent, your business model needs to be fluid – your strategy needs to consider how your business model might look over multiple time horizons and how it will need to adapt to external shocks.  In the context of COVID-19, it is crucial to assess the impact on your business model, both immediately and over the longer term. I spoke with Prof Thomas Ritter and Prof Carsten Lund Pedersen (Copenhagen Business School) about their framework for assessing the Coronavirus’s impact on your Business Model. Carsten Lund Pedersen is assistant professor at the Department of Marketing at the Copenhagen Business School. Being an expert in autonomy, business development and strategy, his research interests cover data-enabled business development, frontline employees’ behavior, and the role of projects in strategies. His work is widely published, including Harvard Business Review (hbr.org), MIT Sloan Management Review, Strategic Management Review, Industrial Marketing Management, amongst other outlets. He is a highly appreciated executive educator and involved in several applied research projects. Thomas Ritter is professor of market strategy and business development at the Department of Strategy and Innovation at the Copenhagen Business School. He works with customer insight, value creation, market-driven strategies, data-enabled business models, and business development through strategic projects. Current research projects focus on product, service and data integration and business model analysis. His work is widely published, including Harvard Business Review (hbr.org), Journal of Product Innovation Management, Strategic Management Review, Industrial Marketing Management, amongst other outlets. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and highly appreciated executive educator. Further resources: Preparing Your Business for a Post-Pandemic World (HBR.org): https://hbr.org/2020/04/preparing-your-business-for-a-post-pandemic-world Assessing Coronavirus’s Impact on Your Business Model (HBR.org): https://hbr.org/2020/04/assessing-coronaviruss-impact-on-your-business-model?ab=hero-subleft-2 Workbook: https://research.cbs.dk/en/publications/the-impact-of-the-corona-crisis-on-your-business-model-workbook Video: https://cbs.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=5ac06562-7228-40d9-95eb-ab8e00b5960d Alignment Squared book: https://research.cbs.dk/en/publications/alignment-alignment-squared-driving-competitiveness-and-growth-th   IMM first paper by Henry Chesbrough: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001985012030300X IMM special issue call: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/industrial-marketing-management/calls-for-papers/managing-through-a-crisis-managerial-implications-for-b2b-fi

I spoke to Dr Tracy Davids about the impact of COVID-19 on South Africa’s food system. Tracy heads the commodity markets and foresight division at the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP). Tracy is an established specialist in agricultural market analysis, her focus includes commodity market modelling, price formation and spatial price relationships, competitiveness and international trade. Tracy has an extensive record of international collaboration, contributing regularly to international market outlook publications and conferences. She has a consistent publication record in peer reviewed journals. She holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Pretoria. BFAP, founded in 2004, is a non-profit organisation. BFAP exists with the distinct purpose to objectively inform and support decision-making by stakeholders in the agro-food, fibre and beverage sectors of Africa. It provides independent, rigorously tested, research-based market and policy analyses. BFAP consists of a network of 45 employees, including associates and researchers at universities spanning the African continent. Resources - South Africa: BFAP COVID-19 Information Page: https://covid19.ivis.africa/ Agri SA COVID-19 Information Page: https://www.agrisa.co.za/covid19 SA Department of Agriculture: https://www.daff.gov.za/daffweb3/Home/COVID-19-updates Resources – International: FAO: http://www.fao.org/2019-ncov/q-and-a/en/?fbclid=IwAR2IUaATf9w3EOn6sCkjhFpvzAmQXYFBlT1Se5Yhe_v57MXHGruYHMPkhB UNSCN: https://www.unscn.org/en/news-events/recent-news?idnews=2040 CGIAR: https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/all-news/our-response-to-covid-19/

I spoke to Prof. Carel van Aardt, Research director at the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) at the University of South Africa (UNISA) (www.unisa.ac.za/bmr). Our discussion touched on various aspects and insights of big data, for example: consumer behaviour, happiness, financial inclusion and economic development. Show notes: Defining Big Data: Gartner: “Big data is high-volume, high-velocity and/or high-variety information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information processing that enable enhanced insight, decision making, and process automation.” Lexico (Oxford): “extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions” Cambridge dictionary: “very large sets of data that are produced by people using the internet, and that can only be stored, understood, and used with the help of special tools and method” Resources on big data: Google trends: https://trends.google.com/ Simply searching for big data will deliver numerous useful results – also search for big data courses, there are many free options available. Resource examples:  Stanford University Presentation: Overview of Big Data Tools and Techniques, Discoveries and Pitfalls: https://web.stanford.edu/class/cs102/lecturenotes/Overview102.pdf    Data Science Central: https://www.datasciencecentral.com/   

I spoke to Doris Viljoen: Senior Futurist at the Institute for Futures Research (IFR) and lecturer in Futures Studies (FS) at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). Show notes and resources: On defining the field:  Richard Slaughter: “the ultimate purpose of FS was to open out productive mind spaces, precursors of social innovations, from which more advanced stages of civilized life can emerge” - Slaughter, R.A. (2002). Futures studies as a civilizational catalyst. Futures, 34, 349-363. On activities of a Professional Futurist: Andy Hines identifies three groups of activities: Creating content: sharing information with people to gain insight Process work: create thinking tools or processes for the information you create (1) to reach decision makers Culture and mindset change: so that people can understand, change their minds if necessary, influencing mental models FS as a scientific field: FS is a science and an art. It is not about predication but rather about identifying possible/multiple futures and making this part of your strategy process. Personal exercise: on a regular basis, start asking why and what if? Why are we doing this? (For example, ask why? X5) What are my underlying assumptions? Futures studies in South Africa: https://www.usb.ac.za/academic-programmes/academic-programmes-future-studies/ Nedlac report - Futures of Work in South Africa:  https://nedlac.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Futures-of-Work-in-South-Africa-Final-Report-March-2019.pdf Reading: UNDP (2018): Foresight Manual - Empowered Futures Maree Conway: Thinking Futures ; Resource downloads Andy Hines: Articles Peter Bishop: Teach the Future For organisations: George Day and Paul Schoemaker: See Sooner, Act Faster Joe Tankersley: Reimagining Our Tomorrows  Podcast website: https://waitspeak.podbean.com/p/contact-1578666710/

Welcome to the Wait & Speak Podcast, my name is Requier Wait. I hold a PhD in Economics and I am currently enrolled for a Postgraduate programme in Futures Studies (strategic foresight). My experience covers academia, consulting and industry advocacy. Industry experience ranges from upstream oil and gas to renewable energy and agriculture. I am based in South Africa. Join my learning journey and goal of being a multi-hyphenate in business. I will be interviewing experts on topics ranging from futures studies, strategy, economics and entrepreneurship. Please rate and review the podcast if you enjoy it. The first episode will look at Futures studies, followed by interviews on behavioural economics, cultural intelligence, negotiation and the concept of brand/branding. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Podbean. You can find more information on the podcast website. I look forward to learning and growing with you. Podcast website: https://waitspeak.podbean.com/p/contact-1578666710/