A visit to Gold Fields South Africa

Meeting Ian Cockerill, CEO of Gold Fields SA

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I arrived at Gold Fields Head Office to meet the CEO, Ian Cockerill. I was shown into a room, which I took to be the Board Room with a painting of Cecil John Rhodes on one wall and a photo of Nelson Mandella on another wall.



Ian walked through the door and I was immediately struck by the warmth of this man. He was welcoming and within minutes he was showing me around the room explaining the history of Gold Fields and what this room, in particular, represented.

Gold Fields will be 120 years old in February and the history of those years is etched into this room in simple things that denote landmarks or points in time. The latest is a cheque on the wall for R4.1 billion which was the result of the black empowerment transaction, which ensured that 15% of the company was owned by previously disadvantaged people in South Africa.

A year ago this company was in the middle of fighting off a hostile takeover from Harmony. The battle consumed the headlines for over 7 months in a very public and aggressive attack by Harmony. I was here to find out from this man how his leadership style had needed to be adapted, and what he had learnt. I also wanted to know how he saw the future of leadership in the face of ‘going global’.

I found my interview with Ian extremely interesting as he explained the approach he and his team had taken. He explained how he had prepared, the approach he had decided to take and the impact on him and his family. Here was a man that personified one of the characteristics of real leaders – his ability to learn from what happens and move on.

Ian believes the team is stronger and wiser, although a little cynical as a result of their experience. He explained that you see the worst side of people and life in these situations, which makes you a little cynical. But, in no way was I led to believe that this was anything but a healthy cynicism that will add to his and his teams ability to lead Gold Fields in the future.

Ian is a man I could talk to for hours because of his insightful mind, his grasp and perspective on business and the way the world is moving. I think I found in Ian a kindred spirit because he is also interested in Leadership.

I thank Ian for allowing me the opportunity to ask him some questions and in particular for sharing his passion with me, as well as his experiences.

Most of all I want to wish Gold Fields a very Happy Birthday for February.

A visit to South African Breweries

23 August 2006

A visit to the head office of South African Breweries (SAB) in Joburg

I visit numerous corporate offices and most corporate Head Office
buildings are extremely efficient looking, a lot of glass and marble
and no soul and a definite air of snobbery or the feeling of having
walked into their version of heaven. Even the secretaries in these
places give the air of being an upper breed because they “work in
Head Office” and in here, “we are the top dog”!

Driving into SAB at 65 Park Lane is NOT like that. Even the guard at
the gate is the most helpful, considerate and very pleasant person to
deal with. The receptionist was only covering, and yet had the
efficiency of a person who totally knew what was expected of someone in that position.

The walk into the Directors suite is always interesting as it often
tells you a lot about the organisation. I was very pleasantly
surprised to find a warm, friendly atmosphere that was not overly
‘plush’ but rather shouted out to me – we are proud of being
South African!

The walls have some very large, beautiful paintings of African scenes
that would stir the soul of any person who loved this part of the
world. Of course, painted into every picture is something that shows
South African Breweries, which is done in a way that shows a pride in
being part of this great country.

My interview with Tony van Kralingen, the Managing Director of SAB in
South Africa, was one of those interviews that I didn’t want to
end. There was so much knowledge to be gleaned from this man about this amazing company. The insight I gained from him backed up
everything I knew about SAB from my previous visits to their depots
and regions around the country. I had expected a bit of exaggeration
from Tony but everything I heard I could believe and understood based
on my past experience.

The reason I was here and why I wanted to interview Tony was because I
wanted to know how they generated the culture within their business
where measurement is not to be feared but rather something that is
welcomed. On my visits a couple of years ago to a number of depots within different
regions, the expression, “If it moves we measure
it” was very common. What I wanted to know was how an organisation
(especially one of this size) engenders that culture at all levels.

I was fascinated with what I discovered and appreciated the time Tony
gave me in order to show me a glimpse of what happens behind the curtain of
this progressive global company.