Meet André Breytenbach, South African GM

This month we’ve got an interview with another of our wonderful GMs – the leader of the South African team, André Breytenbach.

André recently took over the GM role earlier this year from Adam Diprose (now Head of People Operations at Global HQ) and has been making waves in the SA team since he joined 6 years ago. Renowned across Elevate for having the gift of the gab and a talent for helping both his team and students achieve their full potential, André brings both experience and passion to his management of the South African team and has spearheaded some big wins for them so far this year.

Read on below to hear about how André came to be in the role of GM, and the twists and turns he encountered in his own journey through further education.

What has your time at Elevate looked like so far?

I came straight out of a post-graduate degree in 2016 and formed part of the initial full-time recruits to start in January 2017. Initially, there were three of us in the office – I was the BDM, we had a CSM who joined alongside me, and Adam Diprose, who is now Head of People Operations at Global HQ, was our GM and looked after everything else that a typical business unit would have. At the time, we had about 20 presenters across the country and approximately 40 client schools. Since then. we’ve managed to grow this to a team of 100 presenters and a couple of hundred schools across the African continent. I look back at the early days fondly; young, naïve, confident that every meeting would result in a sale, and swatting cockroaches in our humble beginnings office. Sheesh, what a ride!

At the time, Elevate offered an outlet for my excessive yapping. I had just received a Cum Laude in a Sociology Honours Degree, with an option to study further in Musicology. The key question I asked myself was, “where will this path ultimately lead me?”, and suffice it to say, I wasn’t convinced by the answer. One afternoon, during a call to my folks back in Zimbabwe, where I was probably looking to get a few extra bucks, she mentioned that there was, “a role that a chatty boy like [myself] would be suited for.” I threw my name in the ring and the rest is history.

What degree did you study and why?

I took a gap year performing at a theatrical dining institution in Cape Town. I told my parents that I was going to do the music thing and become a rockstar, but they had different plans and pushed me into a degree. I fancied myself a bit of a sportsman at school, so decided that Sport Science was the way to go. This only lasted 6-months before realizing that the compulsory humanities subjects, which most chaps hated, were my favourite part of the degree, so I changed over to an Undergraduate in Social Dynamics, majoring in Philosophy, Psychology, Politics, and Sociology. I graduated in the top percentile, and I received the opportunity to do my Honours in Sociology. The idea of studying the indigenous dance forms of the Nama and Khoisan that were still practiced in parts of the Western Cape was intriguing, so I dove in.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

My ‘Why’ is to coach and develop people, both practically and emotionally. The GM position gives me the opportunity to refine my capacity to do this every single day. I love it!

Go-to karaoke song?

The Gambler, by Kenny Rogers. Although, I wish I could say Chandelier, by Sia!

Favourite TV series/film?

TV Series: Yellowstone

Film: Gangs of New York

Favourite food?

Mozambican Peri-Peri Chicken and Chips (with a bread roll!) What are you most excited about at Elevate at the moment?

Three things:

1. The growth in the 1-1 coaching business. This arm of the business is still in its infancy, and we have so much room to grow, which is incredibly exciting.

2. CSI growth. Partnerships with CSI corporations like Toyota, Absa and Capitec, have really enabled the growth and reach in South Africa, but we have still only scratched the surface as to what this initiative can achieve. This avenue presents the opportunity to work directly with students that genuinely need Elevate’s services. Love it!

3. Elevate South Africa’s expansion into Africa. We have now got an active footprint in eight other countries in Africa - wild!

Sounds like the SA team can expect a BIG year in 2024 – we can’t wait to see what’s in store for them!

Join us next month for another of our Meet the Team interviews - if there’s someone in particular you’d like to learn a little more about, just let us know and we’ll do our best to make it happen!