Letsema Talks

"The primary focus of the Letsema Foundation is to look at leadership developments as a means to drive social change by transforming individuals and their world view, and is facilitated by transitioning them from success to significance. “ – Robin Bleekers. Subscribe to Letsema Talks for more.

Change in any circumstance is complex, interrupting the certainty and habits with which have become accustomed. In large organisations seeking improved company, team and individual performance, change management is a process that can add tremendous value to these efforts, if implemented in the correct way.

Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are an important vehicle to drive economic growth, job creation and social development. Yet, SMMEs in South Africa face several hurdles as they seek to grow, with one potential avenue being a support ecosystem underpinned by large businesses. In this installment of Letsema Talks, Shenelle Nair, Engagement Manager in Letsema's Strategy & Enablement practice, discusses how SMMEs can be better supported, and why large businesses are critical to both their success and that of SMMEs. To learn more about Letsema's Economic Development expertise, located in our Strategy & Enablement practice, visit our website to find out more.

In this installment of Letsema Talks, we speak to Rowan McDonald, CEO of Letsema Corporate Finance. In our discussion, Rowan breaks down the significant financial challenges facing the aviation sector at large, especially airlines, the subtle differences between private and state-owned airlines, and how airlines are attempting to anticipate future demand in the face of COVID-19 driven uncertainty. To learn more how Letsema Corporate Finance can assist your organisation, including those in the aviation sector, visit https://letsema.co.za/consulting/corporate-finance-letsema/, email corporatefinance@letsema.co.za or connect with Rowan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowan-mcdonald-ca-sa-3a537718/).

Welcome to this last installment of Letsema Talks for 2020. As discussed two weeks ago, Letsema Talks has sought to offer the views and expertise of Letsema's skilled and experienced staff on a menagerie of topics we believe those working in a business, or responsible for managing one, may find enlightening, intriguing, educational and valuable in a time of unprecedented uncertainty. This episode is the second in our two installment series, Year in Review, highlighting several of the many insights raised by our Consulting and Executive team over the course of the year. In this installment: Keith Van Niekerk, Executive: M&A and Partnerships Nirojan Poovendran, Partner: Strategy Jason Levine, Senior Manager, Customer & Marketing Will Coetsee, Managing Director, Botanica Natural Products Katlego Tlale, Letsema Chief Financial Officer To learn more about how Letsema can help your organisation successfully adapt to change, email info@letsema.co.za or visit www.letsema.co.za.

2020, not yet over, represents a high water mark in modern society adapting to accelerated systemic change at a speed previously thought not possible. The COVID-19 pandemic uprooted established norms, accelerated nascent economic change and has irrevocably changed how the modern economy functions. Launched this year, Letsema Talks has sought to offer the views and expertise of Letsema's diverse range of staff on a variety of topics we believe those working in a business, or responsible for managing one, may find enlightening, intriguing, educational and valuable in a time of unprecedented uncertainty. Over the next two installments of Letsema Talks, starting with this episode, we are conducting a Year in Review, highlighting several of the many insights raised by Consulting and Executive team over the course of the year. In this installment: Derek Thomas, Letsema CEO Manav Sachdeva, Associate Partner, Next-Gen Operations Tafadzwa Mudyiwa, Associate Partner, Economic Development Rowan MacDonald, Partner: Letsema Corporate Finance Katlego Tlale, Letsema Chief Financial Officer To learn more about how Letsema can help your organisation successfully adapt to change, email info@letsema.co.za or visit www.letsema.co.za.

Sustainability has become an increasingly prominent theme within agriculture, with sellers of agricultural products leaning heavily on the term to reach consumers. Yet, what is meant by sustainability? In this installment of Letsema Talks, we speak to Will Coetsee, the managing director of Botanica Natural Products, a private agri-business based in Alldays, Limpopo. Coetsee tells us what sustainable agriculture should look like, how Botanica anchor themselves to principles that promote sustainability not just with their produce but the wider community, and the challenges facing farmers seeking to operate more sustainably. Botanica Natural Products is a partner of Cirebelle, the African chemistry-led manufacturer of high quality ingredients for the personal care sector. Cirebelle is part of the Letsema family. To find out more about Botanica and the work they do, visit https://botanica.africa/.

In this installment of Letsema Talks, we speak to Jason Levine, a Senior Manager within Letsema's Customer & Marketing practice and an expert in the field of digital transformation. In our detailed discussion, Jason breaks down what digital transformation actually means, its different tiers, and with precision, identifies three main reasons why digital transformations fail in organisations, giving examples from his own career of those who refused to embrace what was in front of them, and what it takes to drive change in the face of entrenched opposition. To find out more how Jason and the Customer & Marketing team can help your organisation digitally transform, visit https://letsema.co.za/consulting/customer-and-marketing, email info@letsema.co.za, or connect with Jason on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-levine-9811a811/).

In this installment of Letsema Talks, we speak to Nirojan "Nitro" Poovendran, Partner: Strategy at Letsema (https://letsema.co.za/team/nirojan-poovendran/). The focus of our discussion is partnerships, and how they are becoming an essential way to do business in an economy that demands innovation, quality and speed. Nirojan takes us through what needs to be in place for a business to establish a partnership, how to find the right partner and what to do once a partnership begins. To find out more about Letsema and it's Strategy offering, visit www.letsema.co.za, https://letsema.co.za/consulting/strategy/ or Letsema's LinkedIn page (www.linkedin.com/company/letsema-…ing-and-advisory).

In the latest episode of Letsema Talks, we speak to Jayde Alexander, a Senior Consultant at Letsema (https://letsema.co.za/team/jayde-alexander/). In our conversation with Jayde, we discuss East Africa's pharmaceuticals sector, the structural challenges inhibiting its growth, the role of international actors within the global pharmaceuticals market, and the steps countries can take to create an enabling environment for the sector to grow in a way that it serves their local populations. To find out more about Letsema's East Africa and Next-Gen Operations practices, visit www.letsema.co.za/consulting/east-africa (East Africa), www.letsema.co.za/consulting/nextgenops (Next-Gen Operations) or Letsema's LinkedIn page (www.linkedin.com/company/letsema-…ing-and-advisory).

In the latest installment of Letsema Talks, we speak to Keith Van Niekerk, Group Executive: M&A and Partnerships (https://letsema.co.za/team/keith-van-niekerk/). In our conversation with Keith, we discuss Letsema's partnership philosophy, how being moored to a set of partnership principles has shown its value during the COVID-19 pandemic, how great people have guided Letsema's industry approach and sage wisdom for entrepreneurs and business owners considering entering partnerships with other organisations. To find out more about Letsema, visit www.letsema.co.za or Letsema's LinkedIn page (www.linkedin.com/company/letsema-…ing-and-advisory).

In the latest installment of Letsema Talks, we speak to Letsema Chief Financial Officer, Katlego Tlale (https://letsema.co.za/team/katlego-tlale/). Our conversation with Katlego traverses a number of topics, including leadership in a time of crisis, how executive tenure is mismatched against economic downturns, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic upon South Africa's balance sheet, and the opportunity that exists for South Africa's public and private sectors to forge new partnerships. To find out more about Letsema, visit www.letsema.co.za or Letsema's LinkedIn page (https://www.linkedin.com/company/letsema-consulting-and-advisory).

In the latest installment of Letsema Talks, we talk to Carolin Feck (https://letsema.co.za/team/carolin-feck), a Senior Consultant at Letsema, about the Balanced Scorecard, its basic principles, how its weighting accounts for a holistic picture of business performance and why it is a strategic management tool. Our conversation follows the recent article, Balanced Scorecard: An adaptable tool for dynamic, uncertain times (https://letsema.co.za/consulting/supply-chain-management/balanced-scorecard-dynamic-tool-for-uncertain-times/). To find out how Letsema's Next-Gen Operations team can use the Balanced Scorecard to drive strategic change and performance management in your business, email nextgen.operations@letsema.co.za or visit https://letsema.co.za/consulting/nextgenops

In the latest installment of Letsema Talks, we talk to Luke McLachlan and Robert Crichton, CEO and Operations Manager at South African chemicals solutions manufacturer, Cirebelle, about the challenges and opportunities they face in running an export-orientated manufacturing business in the COVID-19 era. To find out more about Cirebelle, and the great work they are doing in the personal care space, visit www.cirebelle.com.

In the next installment of Letsema Talks, we speak to Moshe Unterslak (https://letsema.co.za/team/moshe-unterslak), a Consultant at Letsema, about FICA, the associated 2017 Amendment Act and its impact on financial institutions and the regulatory environment they operate in. Our conversation follows Moshe's recent article, FICA Amendment Act: What you need to know (https://letsema.co.za/consulting/governance/the-fica-act-what-to-know). To find out more about Letsema's Governance, Risk and Compliance offering, visit our website or email GRC@letsema.co.za.

In the latest installment of Letsema Talks, Rowan McDonald, Partner: Corporate Finance (https://letsema.co.za/team/rowan-mcdonald) at Letsema, talks about how business valuations have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, what businesses can do when assessing their own situation, and his thoughts on COVID-19's impact on future economic development, among other topics. To find out more about how Rowan and the Corporate Finance team (https://letsema.co.za/consulting/corporate-finance) can help your organisation in these trying times, contact him at corporate.finance@letsema.co.za, or connect with him and Letsema on LinkedIn.

In the next installment of Letsema Talks, Annabel Fenton (https://letsema.co.za/team/annabel-fenton), a Senior Consultant at Letsema, discusses how technology has changed how communities are defined and COVID-19's impact upon social connection, among other topics. Our conversation follows Annabel's recent article, ‘Constructed communities' in the time of COVID-19 (https://letsema.co.za/consulting/strategy/constructed-communities-time-of-covid-19). To find out more how the Strategy team (https://letsema.co.za/consulting/strategy) can help your organisation, contact them at strategy.team@letsema.co.za.

In the next installment of Letsema Talks, Tafadzwa Mudyiwa (https://letsema.co.za/team/tafadzwa-mudyiwa), Associate Partner at Letsema, talks about the different relief options available to SMEs within the public and private spheres, and how they can make themselves as resilient as possible in this time of economic crisis. You can find out more how Tafadzwa and the Economic Development team You can help your organisation and the SMEs in your supply chain online (https://letsema.co.za/consulting/economic-development). You can also contact Tafzdzwa at economic.development@letsema.co.za.

In the next installment of Letsema Talks, Yoshlin Pillay (https://letsema.co.za/team/yoshlin-pillay), a Consultant at Letsema, elaborates on what supply chain visibility (SCV) is and why SCV transcends operations to play a key role in an organisation's strategic planning. Our conversation follows Yoshlin's recent article, The what, why and how of supply chain visibility (https://letsema.co.za/consulting/supply-chain-management/the-what-why-and-how-of-supply-chain-visibility). You can learn more about the Supply Chain team online (https://letsema.co.za/consulting/supply-chain) or if you wish to contact them so they can help your business, email supply.chain@letsema.co.za.

In the latest installment of Letsema Talks, we spoke to Manav Sachdeva (https://letsema.co.za/team/manav-sachdeva), an Associate Partner at Letsema, about digital procurement, its evolution, current trends within the space and the role digital procurement plays in a business's COVID-19 response and recovery strategy. You can learn more about the Next-Gen Operations team online (https://letsema.co.za/consulting/nextgenops/) or if you want to find out how they can help your business, email nextgen.operations@letsema.co.za.

In our first episode of Letsema Talks, we speak to Letsema CEO Derek Thomas (https://letsema.co.za/team/derek-thomas) about what SMEs need to become viable exporters, based on his experience working with Cirebelle, a chemicals solutions manufacturer. You can learn more about Cirebelle and the work they do at www.cirebelle.com.