The Agency's Leadership Series: Vanessa Gounden

Few people have lived lives as big as Vanessa Gounden. From a small farm in Durban to launching a fashion label in London, Vanessa has served under former South African president Nelson Mandela, runs multi-million-dollar corporations and has fought tooth and nail for equal rights for all. She is the embodiment of a leader and an inspired choice for The Agency's Leadership Series.

Could you give us brief introduction on who you are, a little bit more about your background and what you are busy with now.

I grew up on a small farm in a mixed racial area near Durban, South Africa, with my grandparents and two other families.

Under the apartheid government my family was forcibly moved to a dormitory township, this experience made an indelible impression on me, it awakened my political consciousness.

I went on to become an activist, gaining a university degree and later becoming a

primary school teacher. When the ANC won power in 1994, both my husband (also an activist) and I received calls from the Mandela administration, requesting our assistance in the rebuilding of South Africa.

I was appointed as the director of change management in the South African police force, and later headed up human resources for the National Intelligence Agency and moved on to South African Airways as the Vice President of Customer Relations.

In 2005, my husband, Sivi, and I combined our life savings and launched our own company principally within the mining industry, HolGoun.

I believe my experience, through active involvement in one of the largest transformation projects that the world has ever seen, equipped me to enter the world of business, which started from humble beginnings at a desk in my bedroom.

I am proud to say, HolGoun has grown into a multi-million-dollar corporate empire with interests spanning Mining, Healthcare, Financial Services, Lifestyle & Leisure, Property, Music and Movie Production.

You are well known for your activism during Apartheid and later for your work under former South African president Nelson Mandela, Could you give us some insight into this period of your life?  

This was post 1994, and during the coalition period - I was responsible for the implementation of a change management programme - during a highly emotive period in the ranks of SAPS - having to integrate the old guard with the new.  A seemingly impossible task.  Having to institutionalise a new police culture from a military approach to a community policing based approach..

While serving during that time we all felt his immense leadership in the way he managed to bring about diverse positions into the government of national unity.  In our small way we tried to embody this in all our practices.

The Late Nelson Mandela is my inspiration as his philosophy was always that nothing is impossible. My favourite quote of his is "It seems impossible until it is done".

You have a background in education and the HolGoun Development Trust has done a great deal for the education of under-resourced students. This must be an incredibly rewarding outcome for you personally?

Although, my business interests have since grown substantially, I remain forever conscious of my roots.

Being conscious of the plight of people and being very involved in my community from an early age - I have witnessed the degeneration of family values and hardship and how education becomes pivotal in uplifting lives.  I have been very blessed and there is nothing more satisfying then giving back to family and community.

I am deeply involved in philanthropic activities, such as starting the HolGoun Development Trust that has educated over 100 underprivileged students over the last 10 years. I am proud to say some of these students have even taken on roles within the HolGoun Group and continue to thrive.

Reading is a serious passion of mine and I continue to donate money to causes that provision reading materials for children. I remember only too well what it was like to have no money for books as a child.

It is through books and the power of my imagination, that I believe I was spurred on to aspire, believing that anything is possible.

While your business interests are vast, fashion seems to be a great passion of yours - tell us more about your fashion label and current fashion venture?

My mom made all my clothing.  From a young age I had an eye for detail and loved dressing up.  Having had a taste of the fashion world, I decided to expand my business portfolio and to take my passion a step further by setting up my own fashion label in 2011.

My signature style combines bold prints and patterns with innovative tailoring techniques, such as 3D layering. My work is handcrafted in the finest luxurious fabrics and embellished with some extra novel touches such as hand painted buttons, beading and embroidery.

My designs are meant to work for intelligent, glamorous, spirited women where classic styles endure over trends.

Each collection centres around a concept that is close to my heart with each season's concept framed around my passion for social issues, love of art and innate creativity.

I continue to push the boundaries and ensure that my signature prints are conceptual and challenging - an elaborate canvas to create awareness of social and political issues.

I am currently working on some innovations in the digital fashion space. I am very excited about this and we will be launching some amazing "retail" game changing tech in the coming months.

You mentioned your businesses Atelier and Luxe Print and the impact they have had in terms of job creation in Cape Town. Could you provide some more background on these businesses and potential growth?

Although I launched my label out of London to ensure global scale, I was very conscious of my South African roots and the saddened state of the local textile industry. We have such amazing skills here in Cape Town.

I travelled the world looking for manufacturers and fabric printers and am pleased to say I found the best fit right here in Cape Town.

My business is now completely vertically integrated that has empowered over 300 people directly and indirectly in the mostly mothballed manufacturing sector in South Africa.

I see massive potential for growth. We have the skills. Now we do need the political will.

What other current initiatives and ventures are you involved in? Is there anything in particular you are focused on? Or do you prefer to manage a variety of projects at one time?

My husband and I are always looking for gaps in the market and how we can make meaningful change.

The most pressing one, for all South Africans, is most definitely in the energy space.  We are working on some amazing new projects that will hopefully ensure a better future in terms of security and cost of energy supply.

You have enjoyed an incredible career to date and have been responsible for a number of ventures in a variety of sectors. How has the landscape changed over the years. Is there more opportunity for entrepreneurs and what sectors do you see as potential growth areas?

There is always opportunity. you have to be open to it. I think technology has made things easier rather than more difficult. The landscape has changed in that if you hesitate, you get left behind. Don't stop dreaming big.

Young entrepreneurs have to be able to understand.  Working from the bottom up is not a limitation but rather a foundation.  Younger generations don't seem to have the patience for this.

Making a mistake should never be a deterrent or a failure.  A differentiator is an ability to turn such failure into opportunity.

You split your time in more than one city, including Cape Town. What is it about the area you enjoy? What drew you to Cape Town.

My extensive travels over the years have put me in the best position to choose the best location for work and play! This has to be Cape Town - hands down!

Landscape, lifestyle and a good place to get some work done. All this in one place.  It was an easy choice to make.

What is your forecast for Cape Town - and South Africa as a whole - in terms of investment and growth potential?

Despite our challenges as a country I remain positive.

Crisis equals opportunity.

If we all do our part we can ensure change...