Meet Our Managing Executive: Victor Leeuw

Meet Victor Leeuw, Managing Executive: Operations and Sales Execution at Vector Logistics.

1. What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Result oriented, resilient, collaborator.

2. How would you describe your day job to a child?
I am in Logistics and I make sure that shops like PnP and restaurants like Spur have the food that people want to buy.
Logistics is like planning a big party! Imagine you want to invite your friends over for a birthday party. Here’s how you would use logistics:

Planning: First, you decide when and where the party will be. This is like figuring out the best way to move things around.
Supplies: You need balloons, cake, and games. Logistics is about making sure you have everything you need and that it arrives on time.
Getting Things There: You might need to ask someone to bring the cake from the bakery. Logistics helps you figure out how to get things from one place to another.
Organising: When your friends arrive, you need to show them where to sit, where the games are, and when to eat. This is about keeping everything running smoothly.

So, logistics is all about planning and making sure everything goes well so everyone has a good time!

3. What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day involves me covering strategic, tactical and operational elements.

I start the day ensuring that operations have executed the plan for all deliveries to take place successfully with the planned resources whilst mitigating any risks.

It will then include covering tactical elements as we plan our focus for the day, week and month. Then my day also covers some strategic elements to drive improvements and ensure that the tactical and operational goals align with the company’s strategic intent.

4. What makes you proud to be part of the Vector Logistics’ team?
Firstly, we are leaders in what we do and the company lives its values day in, day out. Those values align with mine.

5. How would you describe a high-performance organisation?
A high-performance workplace is an environment where employees share a strong sense of purpose and feel aligned with their company’s core values. They are productive and motivated to meet and exceed their goals.

6. What does safety mean to you?
I think that several people think safety is about being free from harm. For me personally, I think that it also extends to being able to express myself in a just manner without fear, being able to access necessities and being able to provide for my loved ones. All those elements of safety are important in the workplace.

7. How do you keep yourself/your team motivated?
Doing fun activities together (run/walk together) or consuming motivational and developmental material (a quote, a reading, etc.).

8. What do you like most about your job?
I enjoy the opportunity this job offers to collaborate with a talented team whilst solving challenging issues and seeing the results of our efforts. This provides the opportunity to learn and develop whilst helping others to learn and develop too.

9. Do you have a mentor/coach?
Yes, I do. I have had a few mentors in my career who have contributed immensely to the person that I am.

10. Given a chance, who would you like to be for a day?
I think most probably Siya Kolisi. He has become an international superstar despite his background, but still continues to be humble, gives selflessly and works hard at his craft. I think it will be very interesting being in his shoes for a day.

11. If you were the CEO for a day, what would you change or introduce?
I think I would introduce a development onboarding programme for all new recruits from a certain level upwards. This would consist of a recruit spending some time (e.g. a week or 2 in all departments where they are assigned to someone and need to get signed off) to get a full understanding of Vector’s complex nature, but also to help foster a culture of collaboration and integration. This will be done parallel to the role that the individual has been recruited for.

Lastly, I might look at introducing a no-meeting day countrywide to allow employees to process what they are hearing in meetings, reflect on what is working, and focus on improvement. Simply put, it will allow employees to do what they have been discussing.