I spoke with Jahni de Villiers (https://twitter.com/JahniDeVilliers) about work & the “new normal” under COVID-19.Jahni is the Head of Labour and Development at Agri SA. Before joining Agri SA, she was a union organiser at Solidarity for 12 years and served as sector-head of the union’s branches at all the major commercial banks, Armscor, the Agricultural Research Council and universities.She has an LLB degree from Nelson Mandela University and an LLM degree, specialising in labour law,...

A business model helps to describe how your business creates, delivers and captures value. Whether you are a start-up or an incumbent, your business model needs to be fluid – your strategy needs to consider how your business model might look over multiple time horizons and how it will need to adapt to external shocks.  In the context of COVID-19, it is crucial to assess the impact on your business model, both immediately and over the longer term.I spoke with Prof Thomas Ritter and Prof...

I spoke to Dr Tracy Davids about the impact of COVID-19 on South Africa’s food system. Tracy heads the commodity markets and foresight division at the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP).Tracy is an established specialist in agricultural market analysis, her focus includes commodity market modelling, price formation and spatial price relationships, competitiveness and international trade. Tracy has an extensive record of international collaboration, contributing regularly to...

I spoke to Prof. Carel van Aardt, Research director at the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) at the University of South Africa (UNISA) (www.unisa.ac.za/bmr). Our discussion touched on various aspects and insights of big data, for example: consumer behaviour, happiness, financial inclusion and economic development.Show notes:Defining Big Data:Gartner: “Big data is high-volume, high-velocity and/or high-variety information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information...

I spoke to Doris Viljoen: Senior Futurist at the Institute for Futures Research (IFR) and lecturer in Futures Studies (FS) at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB).Show notes and resources:On defining the field:  Richard Slaughter: “the ultimate purpose of FS was to open out productive mind spaces, precursors of social innovations, from which more advanced stages of civilized life can emerge” - Slaughter, R.A. (2002). Futures studies as a civilizational catalyst. Futures, 34,...

Welcome to the Wait & Speak Podcast, my name is Requier Wait.I hold a PhD in Economics and I am currently enrolled for a Postgraduate programme in Futures Studies (strategic foresight). My experience covers academia, consulting and industry advocacy. Industry experience ranges from upstream oil and gas to renewable energy and agriculture. I am based in South Africa.Join my learning journey and goal of being a multi-hyphenate in business. I will be interviewing experts on topics ranging...