Wait & Speak Podcast

This episode explores how modern organizations can reclaim the 'soul' of strategy by returning to the fundamental directive: the creation and retention of customers. I am joined by Bernard J. Jaworski, the Drucker Chair in Management and the Liberal Arts at the Drucker School. Bernie is one of the world's leading voices on corporate strategy and organic growth.  In this session, we unpack the 'cus...

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....

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 sce...

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 discus...

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 str...

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 sha...

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 i...

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 M...

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...

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...

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...

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 o...

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...

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...

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 bot...

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...

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...

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 modali...

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...

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 la...

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...

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 wo...

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 interpre...

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 polic...

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 t...