KZN Leaders - Looking beyond the achievements
- Dylan Naidoo
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
By: Dylan Naidoo
When I was told that I was going to be joining Business Sense for three interviews, as well as distributing newspapers, I knew that today was going to be special. My experience doing these activities was relatively new, but at the same time I was excited to meet the leaders that grow KZN businesses.
Our arrival at the Rising Sun Newspapers’ office in Chatsworth in the morning kicked off a hot but memorable day. While we were waiting outside the main office, it took me by surprise when I saw a bright orange forklift slowly pulling in with the first batch of Business Sense newspapers. Immediately phone at hand I captured some shots and video footage of the newspaper, making sure that the front page was on full display. With our newspapers picked up and minds determined, we headed to our first interview with Nkosinathi Myataza, general manager of King Shaka International Airport.
King Shaka International Airport brings back interesting memories for me. Walking around the bustling airport, wheelie bags and trollies all around, excited couples bring me back to when I used to travel. However, today I was able to meet the man that made it all possible, Nkosinathi Myataza. Looking beyond his credentials, Nkosinathi really did have quite the inspiring story. Starting out during the troubles of apartheid, studying while people thought it was impossible for him to do so, and working his way up to general manager does sound like a great movie script. The reality is, Nkosinathi can be credited for helping the King Shaka International Airport during times where it seemed all hope was lost, especially through Covid. Through his great charisma and will-do attitude, Nkosinathi stands as a KZN business leader who inspires others to illustrate that nothing is impossible no matter the challenge. During our time at the airport, we had to offload our Business Sense newspapers at our dedicated stands. Seeing the airport lounges requesting Business Sense newspapers felt like we were making a meaningful impact on business news, and I was a part of that.
Our next stop was at MGM HR services to interview the CEO, Michelle Isaac. When I first met her, Michelle stood out as a confident individual that did not let any challenge get in her way. But one of the biggest things that resonated with me was her early life. Moving up from a human resources intern at Spar all the way to CEO of her own company truly is an accomplishment to behold. And yet, outside of all the achievements, I still felt like I was seeing a genuinely optimistic leader that strives for success and is the mentor to her team when she needs to be. Michelle mentioned that she liked to look back on herself and her team and analyse just how far their company had progressed from their beginnings, and I found that very interesting. It showcased to me a CEO who was proud of their achievements and does not forget how they got to where they are, which I find quite admirable.
At our final stop we would meet with the Business Success Leader of Cannect Digital, Terry Flack. So how did Terry stand out to me? The immediate aspect that I noticed about Terry was his optimism and friendly nature that shines in the company. With a star-studded team of individuals ready to make a change in the world of marketing, Terry and his team propelled their company to achieve becoming a proud Google Partner. But looking beyond these achievements, like the other leaders in this blog, Terry started out from humble beginnings. His father encouraged him to make a name for himself in this world and he acknowledged that being a part of the Boy Scouts was his first ever job.
I had the opportunity to interview Terry about marketing and the impact of effective marketing communication on businesses and the digital landscape. His answers demonstrated deep knowledge of the marketing genre and business growth, and he surprised me with how he managed to effortlessly answer my questions. To me, he shined as a KZN leader, and I felt he and his team were well deserving of their accomplishments.
If I had to bring together my experience of what happened during the day, I would say that I learned that KZN leaders are more than I had initially thought. While I tended to look at where they are now, what was important to look at where their careers all started, and by looking at that, we see individuals that started with humble beginnings and worked their way up to become our KZN Business leaders.
