Terry Volkywn would be the last person to admit that, without her efforts, Lead SA would not have existed, due to her unassuming character. But the truth would be that it couldn’t have.
With 30 years’ experience, the laidback but efficient CEO of Primedia Broadcasting has the knack of successfully selling an ostensibly mundane concept in which she has a firm belief in to indifferent subordinates and they would buy into it. That’s what she did with Lead SA, which she acknowledges was a hard sell when she first pitched it to his team.
Now, she has been proved right. Lead SA has now clocked five years, during which its influence has permeated in most areas of high need in society. Its flagship projects include #StopRape, Drug Watch, the Pothole Brigade, RAGE (anti-rhino poaching). A recent addition is Talk Radio 702 CEO Sleepout, which aims to raise funds for the homeless. Lead SA also promotes volunteerism and food security.
The Welkom born and bred is a evidently personification of creativity; someone who believes in an idea and presides over its perfect execution.
Volkwyn knows too well about the cruelty of time – the conflict between a mind that wants to continue, but the body won’t have none of that. And sensibly, she has a succession plan firmly in place. She says: “I don’t want to leave a business when I’m 60 and too old to enjoy life. The gold-watch-at-65 scenario is not for me. So I’m looking for the right person to take over.”
