AFRICAN SPEAKER BUREAU | CURATED FOR UNILEVER SOUTH AFRICA
What High Standards Ask of Leaders
Veli Ndaba, The NeuroEngineer, brings an engineer's experience to how managers set demanding standards, develop capability and respond when work does not go to plan.
On 2 October 2026, Unilever commissioned a R100 million Vaseline production line at Maydon Wharf in Durban. At Khanyisa in Boksburg, the company's liquids operation continues its manufacturing-improvement work. The investments and facilities differ. Both make the everyday work of leadership relevant: standards must be understood, applied and sustained by people. Veli Ndaba has experienced two sharply different ways of leading to a high standard. One senior engineer developed his capability through demanding feedback. Another manager responded to a production breakdown with a threat. Veli uses the contrast in The Neuroscience of Effective Leadership, a tailored keynote for manufacturing, supply chain and people leaders. It complements Unilever's existing leadership development and manufacturing systems rather than claiming to replace them.
About this collection
A high standard is only useful when the people responsible for it understand what good work requires and have a constructive way to respond when reality departs from the plan. Unilever's investment in Maydon Wharf, continuing manufacturing-improvement work at Khanyisa and established Play to Win and Unilever Manufacturing System programmes provide the context. The company already invests in leadership and operational capability. Veli adds one focused question: how does a manager's response to mistakes, constraints or difficult feedback influence the team's judgement and willingness to raise a concern early? The keynote introduces practical distinctions drawn from engineering and applied human-performance research. Leaders leave with questions they can use in their next management conversation. If Unilever identifies a specific priority, a separately scoped workshop turns that discussion into agreed actions and review points.
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