ROYAL HUSTLERS

CEO of Nictus Namibia, Francois Wahl, is a Royal Hustler who fell in love with Namibia and has for years been calling it home.

DESTINED FOR NAMIBIA “Well, I grew up in South Africa and married into Namibia. Namibia has the most beautiful, attractive people full of personality, so naturally I chose to stay and my sister also married a Namibian – it seems like our family is really attracted to Namibians.”

Describing Namibia as the “land of opportunities”, Francois says that working here has only been a pleasure. “The people are hungry to learn, people are hungry to develop themselves and businesses have big opportunities to grow.”

A chartered accountant by profession, Francois never quite took to the finance world, preferring arts and film amongst other interests. In fact, his first film won a few nominations and awards at festivals and at the South African Film and Television Awards.

“I’ve got that interest in culture as well. The business side of being a CA and an entrepreneur is fascinating, but I think business can be so rigid, so I love bringing art and the business together,” he says.

Describing himself as someone who likes to think out of the box, Francois says that it was this trait that has helped him get to the top.

“I actually started within the Nictus Group. I started with TrenTyre as the financial manager and from there we already got involved with operations and we really had a magical team. From there I moved to the holding company, Nictus Holdings, and out of finance to retail operations,” he explains.

The Nictus Group, he says, is a great place to work if you are invested in career development. “The Nictus Group promotes people who want to grow and it’s a great place to work because they really promote training and learning,” he says.

The people are hungry to learn, people are hungry to develop themselves and businesses have big opportunities to grow.

He is especially thankful for the mentors he has in the company, such as Group MD Philippus Tromp who Francois says saw him as more than “just the Finance Manager.”

INVESTING INTO NAMIBIA With the current economic climate in Namibia there are more reasons to empower its citizens, and in order to do that Nictus Namibia strives to promote and stimulate industries and businesses, Francois says. One of the ways in which the company does this is by giving young creative entrepreneurs a platform to access retail space in Nictus stores.

“We have to promote the local culture and support local. I mean, we are a Namibian company, we’ve been around for 75 years, we’re going to be here for another 75 years and we want to see other Namibian companies thrive as well,” he says.

AIMING FOR SUCCESS Asked about his recipe for success, Francois says that the ability to adapt to change is very important for anyone who wants to succeed.

“If you are not willing to change you are going to struggle, you have to be hungry, you have to work hard, you have to really want to grow yourself and grow the business and not only think about yourself but also about how you can make the environment you’re in a better one.”

For Francois, the ability to adapt to change is what will keep Nictus alive despite what happens in the industry. “There’s a lot of potential in the furniture industry, but it’s in such a vulnerable state. You have to be one hundred percent on top of your game at all times because if there’s one second you drop your game it can set you back. You need to be on top of your game the whole time, and it makes me very excited for the future.”

This article is based on an interview with Francois on 99FM. Tune in to The Royal Hustlers on 99 FM every Monday to Friday at 07h35.