Phil has more than 24 years’ experience in the fast-moving consumer goods industry in various senior positions. Phil has previously served as COO – Africa for Coca Cola SABCO and as an Executive Director at Tiger Brands.
My Definition Of Success | Success is two-fold. My job is extremely important to me. That said, as I have matured more, my family and caring for others in a meaningful way is reaching heightened focus.
I Am Driven By | I hate losing. I am highly disciplined and somewhat of a perfectionist. High performance outcomes are an imperative.
My Highlights | Meeting my career aspirations, my marriage of 18 years, and my wider family.
The Difference Between Good And Great | Discipline and never accepting mediocrity.
A Key Talent | Being both strategic and operational. Be prepared to take risks, and pursue a non-traditional career. Learn – learn – learn!
Principles I Live By | I believe in hard work, being forthright, and authentic.
How I Use My Mind | You need mental and physical fitness. To the former you need to continuously be expansive in your thinking. Being an avid reader assists this. You literally need to train yourself on this type of integrative thinking ability. To the latter I stay very fit physically. Train at 5 am and cycle on road over weekends.
Lessons I Have Learnt | Judge less. Manage impetuousness. EQ counts a lot! Never compromise on standards. Hiring the best talent is critical. Never compromise integrity.
Dealing With Doubt | I am continuously fearful and anxious. It comes with high performance. I work harder to compensate which may seem counterintuitive. Plan and manage the detail relentlessly. Lean on my family for support.
Performing At My Peak | Keeping my mind and body ‘fit’ and never becoming over confident –hubris.
Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | Business literature, ex CEO’s and mentors.
My Future Dreams And Ambitions | I want to leave Pioneer in much better shape and organizational health that I found it. I may retire early and take on a different career or go on to lead an even bigger corporate.
The Meaning Of Life | We all need purpose. Work defines a lot of who I am. I love my family dearly and want to see them prosper and support them to the hilt. I also support many others financially which is rewarding.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | Don’t be so hard on yourself. Difficult to apply.
On Inspiring Others | I try to inspire them. I create a visualization of the future. I work them really hard and don’t tolerate sub-standard performance. Those that count respond to it well. I try to care about the whole person.
I Am Inspired By | My deceased father. I don’t emulate anyone in particular. There have been many business greats. I am my own man.
The Legacy I Would Like To Leave | Having added value to lives.
Lucy Bloom | The Legacy Project is an award-winning leader and speaker. She’s a change maker, exceptional communicator and business fixer with the best mohawk in the business. Lucy led an advertising agency for 20 years before she became the CEO of a brand new women’s health organisation, funding a network of hospitals in Ethiopia. […]
Roman Rezac is a prolific South African retail entrepreneur with 25 years experience in a constantly evolving environment. He was an International knee-board surfer before he made his passion for beach lifestyle into a career. He opened his first Surf store in 1993 in Durban with borrowed capital and with hard work and perseverance he […]
Ryan “Hedgie” Sandes is a South African trail runner, who In 2010 he became the first competitor to have won all four of the 4 Desserts races, each a 7-day, 250-kilometer self-supported footrace. Being rated as one of the greatest endurance athletes of all time, his most recent victory came in the 2014 North Face […]
Tony Horton is an American fitness trainer best known for the boot camp style P90X home fitness program. Tony has been featured in numerous national publications like Men’s Fitness, Fitness, SELF, Women’s Health, People, LA HEALTH, ESPN, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Politico, LA Times, Roll Call, Military Times and has made multiple appearances on National […]
Bridgette Gasa is the founder and Managing Director of The Elilox Group. She holds a PhD in Construction Management with NMMU and is the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) Past-President for the Africa Region. She serves on a number of Boards and is a recipient of prestigious awards which include a Department of Science & […]
Vigdis Apeland Bergh is an interior architect & furniture designer MNIL. In 1996 she completed her masters degree in Interior and Furniture design, with exchange in London. In 2000 she started her own design company -INNE DESIGN, based in Oslo. The company has been awarded a number of prestigious awards both in Norway and Internationally. […]
After leaving her role as the founding CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau of South Africa (IAB SA) Josephine Buys, a dynamic and no-nonsense leader in the publishing and marketing industry in South Africa is now the new CEO for Publisher Research Council (PRC). Her interview below typifies the way she goes about life. It’s […]
Our dream when we started CA Connect was to be the first private SAICA[1]-accredited CTA[2] in South Africa that offered contact education to students who were not able to study on a full-time basis. We wanted to run a programme that was founded on inclusion, support and genuine care taking a fresh look at education, […]
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