RS Connect

Brian’s leadership philosophy centres on inspiring others through action, accountability and trust. He is deeply committed to building healthy organisations that prioritise the wellbeing of employees, customers, suppliers and the communities they serve. His approach integrates performance, purpose and connection, recognising that sustainable success is built on strong relationships at every level.

In addition to his business leadership credentials, Brian is a certified Situational Leadership Trainer, Working Genius practitioner and Whole Brain Profiling practitioner. He is also an ambassador for The Noakes Foundation and an advocate for holistic health and wellbeing, which he views as essential to effective leadership.

At RS Connect, Brian opens the event by reflecting on why powering connections matters now more than ever in business and leadership and how this can help shape a resilient and collaborative future for industry across the continent.

Abdullah is renowned for blending foresight, strategy, and execution in disruptive contexts. He is the author of ESCAPED: Strategy in a Disruptive World and has delivered keynotes and facilitated strategy sessions in more than 60 cities globally. He has also been awarded the excellence in teaching award, as voted by staff and students at GIBS, for a number of consecutive years.

Abdullah authored the best-selling book Disruption Amplified: Reset, rewire, reimagine everything and has co-authored 6 other books. He has been asked to present at some of the world’s leading institutions including the School of Public and International Affairs at Colombia University in New York, Tedx Euston in London, the OECD in Paris and Casa Asia in Madrid amongst others.

He is a Harvard Business school alumnus. He holds a PhD in strategy, a Bachelors in Law and a Masters in Management (cum laude). He has also completed executive programmes on strategy and shared value and also on Competitiveness, with Professor Michael Porter’s Institute of Strategy and Competitiveness, at Harvard Business School. He also completed an executive programme at University of Oxford’s Said Business School as well as an executive programme on broadcast technology at Columbia Business School.

He later transitioned into sales and commercial leadership roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Fluke Corporation, where he built deep expertise in managing complex portfolios, regional markets and customer relationships within highly regulated and performance‑driven environments.

At RS South Africa, Erick is a member of the Executive Management Team and plays a key role in shaping commercial strategy, driving sustainable growth and developing high‑performing sales teams. His leadership approach is firmly rooted in customer centricity, data‑informed decision‑making and long‑term partnership building, with a strong focus on execution and accountability.

Erick is known for his ability to translate market insight into actionable strategies that deliver measurable results. At RS Connect, he will share perspectives on the current state of MRO, the trends influencing the sector, and practical considerations organisations should prioritise to remain competitive in an increasingly complex industrial landscape.

Her experience covers a broad ESG agenda including net zero & climate change, diversity & inclusion, community and education and corporate-charity partnerships. She is passionate about purpose-driven business and the additional value that can be created for all stakeholders when people, planet and profit agendas are aligned.

Andrea Barrett is VP of Social Responsibility and Sustainability at RS Group plc. RS Group is the leading global omni-channel industrial product and service solutions provider to customers who are involved in designing, building and maintaining industrial equipment and operations, safely and sustainably.

His background spans continuous improvement, productivity transformation, B2B eCommerce and leading large‑scale operational change, making him a recognised voice on the future of industrial performance. A certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Innovation Coach, De Wet is passionate about enabling teams and customers to unlock real productivity gains through collaboration, technology adoption, and smarter process design.

At RS Connect, De Wet joins the panel “Powering Industrial Performance: Collaboration at the Intersection of Innovation & People”— where the panellists will bring deep insights into:

• Strengthening collaboration between procurement, engineering and sustainability teams
• The consequences of poor supply chain visibility
• How leadership thinking is shifting in industrial environments
• Practical examples of innovation driving measurable productivity
• What suppliers need from distributors to ensure customer success

De Wet’s long-standing industry experience, credibility within the RS ecosystem, and track record of partnership make him a powerful voice in shaping how organisations accelerate performance through innovation and people.