Lezanne Human

ByWBSComms

Lezanne Human

Current title Co-founder and Director, Bank Zero Course at Wits Business School Master of Business Administration, 2003 A defining moment in my career The defining moment of my career was when I left a successful career in the corporate world to join a few ex-colleagues and friends in starting a new bank. This was a daunting move after having spent most of my career in a world where complex challenges were sheltered by the relative security of size, then moving to another world of complex challenges with no security. Daunting, but exhilarating. I was fortunate that a varied career path enabled this: starting in the Cape Flats as an industrial engineer in a textile factory, followed by a detour through America developing international methodologies, and then without pre-planning landing up in the world of banking, first as a consultant to some of the big banks in South Africa and thereafter as the CEO of various businesses within the FirstRand Group. By directly driving the turnaround of businesses as well as building successful businesses from small start-ups, I received enough scars and participated in enough happy stories to help me know what to focus on to make a business successful. My career’s digital evolution started with my involvement in the dot-com bubble and later continued as part of a team that shaped the digital journey of a bank. This equipped and prepared me for where I now find myself, helping to start a new digital bank.

Similar Posts

Thabo Mokwele

Thabo Mokwele

ByWBSComms

WB Yeats said, “Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold,” which holds a harsh lesson for me. I took my radio broadcasting talent for granted. Because it came so easily, I began not to pay it attention and focused on what others considered important.

Paul Ballen

Paul Ballen

ByWBSComms

The glow of the newly installed blue iridescent Paul’s Homemade Ice Cream logo on the opening of our first the store in The Zone, Rosebank, in December 2015, was a moment that brought with it an understanding of where my career was rapidly moving.

Deon Opperman

Deon Opperman

ByWBSComms

The defining moment of my career happened when I was 12 years old. My father was the managing director of Glenton & Mitchell in the Eastern Cape, the company that launched Joko Tea during the first half of the 20th century. 

Wendy Luhabe

Wendy Luhabe

ByWBSComms

After spending about ten years in corporate South Africa from 1981 to 1991, I was overlooked for a marketing position that became available. The marketing manager would not even allow me to be interviewed.