Rachel Lande
Regional customer service and logistics manager (South Central Africa) at Colgate Palmolive
GIBS MBA Class of 2023
Rachel is an experienced supply chain specialist with extensive knowledge of the food and beverages industry. Skilled in operations management, customer service, continuous improvement, warehousing, and the distribution process, she began her career at South African Breweries (SAB) as an operations management trainee.
“Generally, I’m an optimist. I’ve got yellow energy. I’m extroverted, radiant, and friendly. I have a positive outlook on life which helps me to stay motivated when times are tough,” Lande says of herself.
Rachel began her journey with GIBS in 2013 when she took part in the SAB in-house management development programme, and returned in 2015 as part of the Leading Women Programme. She completed her MBA at GIBS in 2023.
· Tell us about the trajectory of your career to date.
My core values of teamwork and collaboration have guided my footsteps since my earliest days as a junior manager at South African Breweries (SAB).
I have always had a strong ethical foundation with a commitment to hard work. This helped me to establish a culture of integrity that permeates through all the departments I have led.
· What is the best career advice you have received?
There are pockets of inspiration I’ve picked from those around me during my career.
I’ve especially found tremendous value learning from the many strong women in my male-dominated industry, and have benefited greatly from watching how they confidently assert their presence and manage their roles with strength and resilience.
· How would you describe your leadership philosophy or management style?
I believe leaders have to inspire through their deeds, as much as their words. You have to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in with your team.
My leadership style is values-orientated, mission-based, and human-centric, an approach that values the collective but never forgets the individual at the heart of the task.
Leadership is a journey. Along the way you become exposed to different experiences, and you develop certain traits, but I have a very strong moral compass. There are times as a leader when your integrity is tested or when you battle to find ethical alignment within an organisation. But there is a line that cannot be crossed when it comes to holding true to your personal values.
As a leader, I navigate uncertainty by staying grounded in my principles and clearly communicating the vision ahead. Consistent hard work is key.
· What have been the most important lessons you have learnt over the course of your career?
I became junior manager at SAB in my mid-20s. I was working with older male colleagues, leading the brewer’s largest warehouse at the time, and I saw how my values at home helped me navigate that environment. Ultimately, it was through respecting the knowledge and wealth of experience of my older colleagues, and leaning into them to achieve success, that the warehouse was named best depot in the country for two years in succession.
My success wasn’t because I came in and had all the knowledge from university, but because of the way we worked together as a team.
Zuriel Naiker
MD of risk management for Africa at Marsh
GIBS MBA class of 2014
Zuriel Naiker, MD of risk management for Africa at Marsh, advises multinational businesses on a range of critical matters relating to their risk exposure.
Working in the world of risk management means he has developed a keen eye for developing trends and significant shifts, and an ability to entrench adaptability into his leadership style.
With a reputation as an effective turn-around strategist and growth engineer, Naiker believes we live in a world of rapid change: “The rate of change will only continue to increase; we have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and with not knowing.”
· Tell us about the trajectory of your career to date.
I graduated with a BCom from Wits University in 2005, and went on to do my GIBS MBA in 2014. A believer in constant self-improvement and learning, and with fintech shaping the evolution of financial services, I completed a MS in Financial Technology from NYU Stern School of Business in the US in 2024.
I have spent time as executive head of commercial insurance at Discovery Limited, and I also worked at Hollard Insurance and Etana Insurance before joining Marsh. In 2022 I was recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
· How would you describe your leadership philosophy or management style?
I believe in remaining future fit – adaptability is almost a non-negotiable in the current leadership landscape and you have to constantly stay ahead of the curve. We live in a world were pace is prized and technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Creativity and emotional intelligence, as well as agility and the ability to deal with multiple risks and inputs by simplifying them and looking for interconnections, are traits that will set exemplary leaders apart.
The people element of leadership is important and will become even more so in future. Leaders today are required to communicate across diverse teams, embrace innovation, and lead with empathy. It is very important to be able to understand the context and the environment you work in, the people around you, and what motivates and moves them. This way you can inspire them to push towards a higher purpose, delivering something that is bigger than any of us in our individual capacity.
A key component in my leadership is transparency and communication. Those around you should never have a doubt about what the direction is.
· What have been the most Important lessons you have learnt over the course of your career?
I’m a firm believer in constant self-improvement and learning, and take time for deeper reflection in order to stay informed about developments in my field. It is also important to remain knowledgeable about mega disruptors like technological advancements and societal shifts.
One way to keep your mind fit and flexible enough to consider all the angles is continuous learning. Whether it’s formal or informal, we have to constantly stretch our minds and expose ourselves to new things. In my career, I’ve had to learn to let go of perfectionism and prize progress, because you have to adapt to the future.
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