Breakfast with Roy Andersen

On the 1^st June Instinctif’s South African office hosted its second networking breakfast with one of South Africa’s most prolific and respected business leaders, Roy Andersen. These quarterly breakfasts have become a great platform to gather business leaders to hear insights, while getting to know other executives within and outside their field (with a delicious breakfast, of course). 

With a corporate career spanning more than five decades, across a range of industries such as banking and insurance, Roy has become a definitive voice on good corporate governance in South Africa. From the boardroom to battle, he has also had a highly distinguished and decorated career in the South African National Defence Force, achieving the foremost Reserve Force rank of Major General, and holding the position of Chief of Defence Reserves for 18 years.

During the event, Roy unpacked the question:

“In a post-pandemic world, and amid the greatest geopolitical crisis since World War Two, how do you employ a leadership style that draws the most out of your Management team and Board?”

His presentation dove into what makes a good leader, especially during unexpected and unprecedented events. During his opening speech, IPA Associate Director: Capital Markets Bryan Silke noted that what was particularly exceptional about Roy was not just his breadth of sector expertise, or the scale of the leadership roles he had fulfilled, but the circumstances in which he undertook those roles.

There is hardly anyone better placed to share advice on how leaders can navigate a pandemic and geopolitical conflict than a man who has successfully led businesses through events like South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994 and the 2008 global recession. Dr Leila Fourie, CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Limited, the largest stock exchange in Africa, was also in attendance to give the introduction.

The breakfast was well attended; we gathered some of South Africa’s best business minds from a range of industries. Business leaders have had to contend with multiple global events over the past two years, whilst effectively leading their teams and successfully ensuring the profitability of their businesses. As such, our attendees were keen to hear Roy’s insightful, and often funny, advice, while mingling with other executives.

Watch the whole of Roy Andersen’s insightful presentation on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRtDdTjUWPk&t=18