2 minute read
Royal Hustlers
Wessie van der Westhuizen - Started from the bottom, now he’s here.
A man who is as passionate about work as he is about living a purposeful life, Wessie van der Westhuizen is an inspiring leader and CEO of Ohlthaver & List, Namibia’s biggest privately held group of companies (outside the mining sector). Van der Westhuizen was born in the south of Namibia but grew up in the coastal town of Walvis Bay from the age of seven. After completing school he moved to South Africa. He was initially interested in sports physiotherapy as a career option but as fate would have it, this rugby fan was drawn to the fishing business instead. His passion and grit thrived as he rose through the ranks in the industry. While initially working to earn pocket money during his studies, he fell in love with it. “I don’t know how that happened. I completely fell in love with the fishing industry and ended up being there for 20 years,” Van der Westhuizen says. He worked at Irvin & Johnson, one of South Africa’s largest fishing companies, where he also began studying after he was identified as a high flyer by his employer.
TAKING O&L INTO THE FUTURE
Van der Westhuizen became CEO at Ohlthaver & List in July 2019. This appointment came after sixteen years of working for the O&L divisions Hangana Seafood and Namibia Breweries Limited. In his new position he aims to continue the Ohlthaver & List legacy as the group of companies celebrates its 100-year-anniversary in October 2019. “It’s a huge honour and privilege to continue the legacy. How two gentlemen with a dream came here in the early 1900’s, started this [company], and if you look at the magnitude of the O&L group of companies today, you know what was achieved through their legacies,” he says. Van der Westhuizen shares more on these values, and how he hopes that every Namibian joins hands to collectively change the future of the country: “We don’t believe in taking the cheap seats, sitting on the side and complaining about everything. We believe in collectively changing the future of people, and O&L’s purpose of Creating a Future, Enhancing Life is exactly that. And we don’t only mean for us as a business and our employees, but for every Namibian.” Van der Westhuizen’s own leadership philosophy resonates with these values. “My goal is to have a positive impact on people and to unlock their full potential, so I would definitely look for a purposeful person understanding the responsibility of leaving a legacy and making a difference.” On a personal level he is a firm believer in being passionate about what you do in order to have a good quality of life. “You need to work very hard, but you also need to have fun. You must have fun in what you are doing. I hear people say they are going to work, but for me it’s: I’m getting up every morning to go and live my purpose.” And his philosophy on success? “If you are purposeful and you have a lot of fun in what you are doing, but you are also doing it for the good of people and for reasons much greater than yourself, that for me is definitely a recipe for success,” he reiterates.
This article is based on an interview with Wessie van der Westhuizen on 99FM. Tune in to The Royal Hustlers on 99 FM every Monday to Friday at 07h35.
