Retail and relationship-building have always been the key drivers behind Gerhard Nortjé’s evolution towards becoming an IT business leader.
Today, Nortjé is more than three years into his highly successful tenure as MD at redPanda Software, the leading retail software partner in South Africa.
Nortjé’s journey to tech was facilitated by retail, a shared passion in the redPanda Software business that is known for delivering best-of-breed solutions across retail verticals that match a retailer’s unique business context.
Nortjé himself started out in retail, managing a branch that saw him embed himself in every aspect of what it takes to succeed in the industry.
“Many of my friends when I was young were playing games and taking computers apart or writing programmes, I was never that guy. I grew up in retail. I am a retailer, born and bred. From the bottom up, I learnt operations and front and back office functions, including managing people and customers. Then, as fate would have it, one day I was instructed to get involved in a digital transformation project for a JSE-listed retailer and, as they say, the rest is history,” says Nortjé, with his trademark smile and humility.
This led to a career change from operations to software development, where he used his retail operations background, business analyst qualification and analytical thinking to start developing retail solutions.
Gerhard Nortjé joined redPanda Software in 2017 because of what he says is their shared belief in producing high-quality work for clients with honesty and integrity.
Believing in the power of collaboration to solve issues and unlock potential, over the span of four years he grew from Business Development Manager to Senior Development Manager and then Operations Director. He was promoted to MD in October 2021.
“People are very important to me,” says Nortjé. “They are the lifeblood of any business. I connect with people. I have a little ritual that matters to me. Every morning before I even have my coffee I walk the ‘shop floor’, so to speak. I engage with everyone I see. You see, as retailers, we used to walk the shop floor and greet everybody every day. Keeping this alive is special.”
Nortjé says that he is driven by a shared purpose at redPanda Software. “Our vision is to build long-lasting relationships that drive sustainable growth within the retail industry. This can only be achieved if you are a genuine, trusted partner that brings valuable expertise.
“If we say we want to positively impact our clients, then we must live the values that enable this. When we bring new people into the business we are clear and deliberate in how we explain this to them. We take time to explain their role and what ‘positively impacting the businesses of our clients’ means.”
Business, as with life, is not always plain sailing. Nortjé says that it is through the hard times that one learns about oneself, and builds the resilience and drive to thrive and grow. “The lockdown was a while ago now, but it is still affecting people. It caused a loss of business and staff – remember the great resignation? This wasn’t an easy time,” explains Nortjé.
“But it reminded us that nothing, nothing can be taken for granted. You can become too comfortable, you can relax believing things will always just work out the way you want and that your staff and your customers will always remain loyal.” Nortjé explains that as with all things in life, you need to continually work on the relationships and things within your control to build that resilience, both personally and within a business.
Naturally, hiring the right people is crucial. Nortjé says that when it comes to talent management, he looks at behaviours over skills.
“Don’t misunderstand this, obviously skills are important. Every position has a set of skills that are non-negotiable and we ensure these are in place, but what is it that sets people apart? What makes me want to bring you into the business or promote you within the business. Hiring people who exhibit the right behaviours is invaluable,” he says.
Nurturing young talent is an investment in the future, not only of the business but also the industry, says Nortjé. “We support the redAcademy initiative that was designed to train work-ready young people, who learn theory while also getting on-the-job, live and relevant training. In addition to this we have also run our own successful intern programme for more than 10 years.” An investment in young people is an investment in all our futures, he explains.
When pressed about industry trends, Nortjé says that recently, every conversation, eventually, leads to artificial intelligence. “Of course, it has become important and one of our key focus areas. We are working carefully from a strategy point of view to define how we leverage and adopt the technology to benefit our business and the businesses of our clients,” says Nortjé.
However, cautions Nortjé, as enabling as technology is, redPanda Software holds onto its retail DNA. “We are retailers. We look after retailers. We work with retail software. We are not trying to become AI specialists for AI’s sake. Rather, we will always stay true to our value proposition and ask how, where, or if at all, any new technologies support the success of our partnerships.”
Nortjé, having worked his way up from the trenches in retail, has clear advice for young people who want to grow in their careers. “Pay your dues. Start where you need to start. Be prepared to learn. Understand the basics. Don’t make demands when you are not ready. Pave the road towards your success first. Learn from everybody you deal with, even if you don’t like them, even if what they do is – in your eyes or the eyes of someone else – not great. Even if they do things poorly… that is still learning. Become a sponge and take every opportunity to learn what to do, and what not to do.”
Looking back on the key influences in his life and success, Nortjé emphasises the importance of mentorship.
“Many people have played a role in shaping who I am today, offering guidance and support both professionally and personally.”
