Systems, Power & Institutional Behaviour | Value & Risk

Some wise words stay with you: if it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, it doesn’t grow you.

Three and a half years ago, I made a deliberate decision to leave South Africa and take on a Global Supply Chain Director role at Nando’s headquarters in London. It meant distance from family, from familiarity, and from a life that was comfortable by design. I did not leave to escape. I left to grow.

Growth demands something in return. It stretches identity, removes certainty, and places you in rooms where you must learn again. I was reminded of the book Who Moved My Cheese – a principle I have lived by for over two decades: comfort leads to complacency. I had felt this when I moved to Johannesburg years earlier. This time, the geography was global, but the lesson was unchanged.

What shifted was responsibility.

London is one of the world’s major commercial centres. Capital moves here. Decisions are made here. And I quickly understood that proximity to power increases obligation. Distance does not weaken responsibility – it amplifies it. Respect for where we are and responsibility for where we come from can coexist.

London is a direct—or in some cases short—flight to friends in over 55 countries, especially across Europe and the USA, and for my travel adventures.

That clarity shaped three system-level decisions.

First: people and core capability.

I advocated for our global supply chain capability to be anchored in South Africa. Today, approximately 60 professionals are based in Johannesburg, managing global procurement, logistics, and manufacturing across multiple continents and time zones. Labour complexity, inflation, currency volatility, and infrastructure pressure have shaped a workforce that is resilient, adaptable, and execution-focused. Across most sectors, South African professionals operate on par with global standards.

Second: heritage and physical supply systems.

South Africa is the heart of our brand. As a result, 100% of peri-peri and perinaise products for around 20 global markets – including Australia, the Middle East, and Canada – are produced and exported from South Africa. This is not sentiment. It is jobs, exports, and economic flow.

Through my travels and business engagements around the world, one truth has become clear: South Africa has exceptional manufacturing capability. Our food, packaging, clothing, and furniture industries consistently meet – and often exceed – global quality benchmarks. These are globally competitive sectors already exporting at scale.

Third: extending the ecosystem.

Beyond core operations, we deliberately support small-to-medium South African consulting firms across data and analytics, human capital, and marketing services. These partners contribute to global projects, gaining exposure to international standards, governance, and scale – while keeping value creation anchored at home. Contribution does not require relocation – only intention.

My call to action is clear:

If you are South African in the UK or abroad, use where you are.

• Open doors with intent.
• Shorten trust cycles.
• Convert access into opportunity.
• Invest influence – time, insight, or sponsorship – back into scalable systems at home.