Full Name: Marius Wessels

Position and Company Name: Senior VP: Consulting Services International at SYSPRO

Main Activity of the Company: SYSPRO is a global enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider specialising in simplifying business complexity for manufacturers and distributors

Date and Place of Birth: 1984, Bloemfontein, South Africa

Schools and Tertiary Education: University of Pretoria, industrial engineering, 2007; Gordon Institute of Business Science, Managing Managers for Results, 2023

First Job: Implementation consultant, 2008

Career History Prior to Current Position: Implementation consultant, iPlan, 2008 to 2011; project manager, iPlan Global, 2012 to 2015; business principal, iPlan Global, 2015 to 2018; GM, iPlan Global, 2018 to 2019; key account manager, SYSPRO Africa, 2019 to 2020; head of professional services, SYSPRO Africa, 2020 to 2025

Size of First Pay Packet: R6 800 a month 

First Job with Present Group: Key account manager

Number of people under your leadership: 55

Management Style: Collaborative, strategic, and people-focused. I believe in empowering teams through structure, process, and accountability 

Personal Best Achievement: Raising a family and managing to keep balance with an active lifestyle close to nature

Professional Best Achievement: Successfully leading complex ERP implementations across multiple industries and driving SYSPRO Africa’s consulting, support, and education divisions towards service excellence and measurable customer outcomes

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My parents

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: I’ve been fortunate to work with leaders who shaped my path, but Mark Wilson, former SYSPRO EMEA CEO, stands out 

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Sir Richard Branson — partly for his business wisdom, and partly just to experience his energy and outlook first hand

Philosophy of Life: Strive for balance, integrity, and continuous improvement – professionally and personally. And never forget to laugh, even when things don’t go as planned

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Leading the international consulting services division at SYSPRO during a transformative period of global ERP expansion

Biggest Ever Disappointment: I prefer to see disappointments as lessons 

Hope for the Future: To enable African businesses to thrive through technology and to grow a legacy of customer success and empowered teams

Favourite Reading: Deon Meyer – there is nothing like a gripping South African crime novel to unwind

Favourite TV Programme: Clarkson’s Farm – it’s farming, chaos, and comedy rolled into one

Favourite Food/Drink: Biltong and droëwors – proudly South African fuel!

Favourite Music: Kip Moore – his music keeps me grounded and inspired

Favourite Sport: Rugby (can’t escape it as a South African) and netball, where I’m now proudly a ‘netball dad’

Hobbies: Hiking, cycling, connecting with nature, and family adventures

Car: Hilux (it’s reliable — even if my garage once tried to fight back!)

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Inefficiency, poor communication, and lack of accountability. Life’s too short for these

Favourite Other South African Company: Naspers – bold in vision and fearless in execution, proving that South African companies can lead on the global stage