Media
On air and in print
For several years I’ve been a regular commercial voice on national TV, radio and in the business press, especially around the National Budget and Africa’s Travel Indaba. The topics change. The thinking is the same: read the market, find the growth, and build the TEAM that delivers it.
As featured on
Also Business Day, Metro FM, Bizcommunity, Tourism Update, Getaway, Sunday Tribune and The Star
Latest
Tourism is changing lives
Why South Africa has so much potential
A full conversation with Brent Lindeque at Primedia Studios: why South Africa is the easiest product in the world to market, how tourism lifts whole communities, the careers hospitality opens for young South Africans, and leading with empathy.
“The impact of tourism in communities is just gigantic. It’s multigenerational. It’s entirely community-driven when you get it right.”
Watch
Selected TV interviews
Short interviews on eNCA, SABC News, Newzroom Afrika and Business Day TV. Each one is about a commercial question: customers, competition, pricing or people.
If I had the budget, where I’d spend it
Asked how I’d spend a new tourism budget to win more customers, I went straight to buyers, partnerships and packaging the product for the market.
“Like with any product, you need to package it. Then we need to promote it and put it in front of the world.”
When your biggest customer cuts spend
Treasury had just cut state travel and conferencing budgets. I unpacked what that means for revenue, staffing and planning when one buyer is a large share of your business mix.
“Government conferencing and accommodation is a very important revenue stream for a lot of hotel groups. So yes, this will hurt.”
Small shifts, big ripples
Why a small change in one major customer’s spending moves a whole value chain, and how to separate perception from fact before you react.
“Even 1% shifts in their spending habits has a big impact and a ripple effect across transportation, accommodation and conferencing.”
Hire for attitude, train for skill
How a labour-intensive industry becomes a gateway to employment, and why the onus is on employers to build the skills once the right people are through the door.
“It really is about a willingness to serve others and a great attitude. From there, the onus shifts to the industry to upskill you.”
More interviews
- Competing in a global marketplace SABC News · 18 February 2025
- Bringing the world back to Africa (my first eNCA interview) eNCA · 9 May 2023
- Calling for stronger public-private partnership SABC News · 16 February 2024
- What business wants from the Budget Newzroom Afrika · 20 February 2024
Listen
Radio highlights
Short excerpts from national and regional radio. Each clip is under two minutes.
From 2 hotels to 17
The growth story: scaling through COVID without retrenchments, and the all-hands culture that made it possible.
“We had general managers mowing lawns and accountants cleaning toilets, and we all got stuck in.”
Every segment wants something different
Reading the customer: how domestic buyers chase value while international buyers pay for experience, and what that means for your offer.
“From government to corporate to domestic leisure to international leisure, they all have their specific needs.”
Four-star product, three-star price
A clear value position in one line, and why the domestic market was the saving grace that funded growth.
“We offer a proper four-star offering, but at a three-star pricing bracket.”
Read
In print and online
Diversifying the business mix
How building a corporate sales TEAM and new facilities reduced reliance on a single customer segment.
“This strategic move has allowed us to lessen our reliance on government contracts and diversify our business mix.”
Following demand beyond the big cities
Why the group invested in secondary towns as domestic and conferencing demand shifted.
“A lot of work happens outside the primary nodes, and there’s a lot of business to be had.”
Growing through a downturn
“The hotel boom”: adding 14 properties through the pandemic and lockdowns, and what the sector contributes to GDP.
The rise of the domestic traveller
A #BizTrends2022 forecast on domestic demand, self-catering and contactless service. That year I was one of Bizcommunity’s most-read contributors.
Stepping forward when the world hesitates
Why South Africa’s resilience makes it a first-choice destination, not a Plan B.
Competitiveness, bleisure and building ecosystems
Columns including “Can SA hotels remain competitive?” and “Could the bleisure traveller be tourism’s saving grace?”.
Job titles in the coverage reflect my role at the time: Sales & Marketing Director, then Talent & Commercial Director, at ANEW Hotels & Resorts.
“In any difficult time, somebody is going to be flourishing. It takes the mindset to decide that that’s going to be you.”
Power FM, May 2023
Speaking
Topics I speak on
Growth beyond the obvious
Finding revenue in under-served markets, customer segments and regions that competitors overlook.
De-risking revenue
Diversifying your business mix before your biggest customer cuts spend, and pricing on value rather than discount.
People as the commercial engine
Building TEAMs that sell, serve and scale, from entry level to leadership.
Available for TV and radio commentary, panels, conferences and leadership events. Get in touch →
Want this thinking in your business?
Book a 30-minute call. We’ll talk about your market, your customers and where the growth is.