AFRICAN SPEAKER BUREAU | CURATED FOR PEP
When the Customer Changes, Leadership Thinking Changes First
Outside perspectives for a leadership team with a strong culture, as its customers change and its group prepares to offer banking.
In 1965 a young entrepreneur in Upington started a clothing business by serving customers that South Africa's established retailers had chosen to ignore. Sixty-one years later, the same company sells two of every three baby garments bought in South Africa, according to Pepkor's published figures. Its parent group, Pepkor, has announced plans for PlusB, a bank expected to launch in 2027, subject to regulatory approval. A year focused on the customer, at a moment like this, raises good questions for leaders. Who is the next customer, what does she expect, and what does trust mean when a familiar brand moves closer to her financial life? The speakers on this page offer more than motivation. They bring stories that move people and practical ideas that leaders take back to their teams. For any speaker you shortlist, we arrange an online preview before you decide.
About this collection
Strong cultures are best placed to meet a changing customer. They already know how to listen. A business that has served value-conscious families for six decades holds knowledge no competitor easily copies. Its leaders know the customer, its people live its values, and its results speak for themselves. The opportunity in 2027 is to build on that strength as a new generation of customers arrives with different family lives, different expectations and a phone in every hand. Financial services add a new dimension. Pepkor's planned bank brings questions of trust, simplicity and responsibility into a relationship that until now centred on clothing, homeware and cellphones. Leaders across the business, from the executive table to the buying office, will want a shared view of what that relationship asks of them. This selection builds on the speakers PEP has already brought to its leaders. It adds voices and themes chosen for the 2027 priorities rather than repeating ground already covered. The first three speakers are our lead recommendation. The others add specialist depth: change that lasts beyond the conference, AI and consumer intelligence, the young parent as customer, and leadership in a new line of business.
Explore this curated collection and contact African Speakers Bureau for speaker recommendations and availability.