Staff writer
Leonie Prinsloo is the Managing Director (MD) of Namibia Dairies, a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group effective 1 July 2020.
Prinsloo was previously Head of Marketing at Namibia Dairies replaces Gunther Ling, who was appointed MD of Hartlief. She joined the O&L Group in 2011 as Brand Manager at Namibia Dairies. Thereafter, he was appointed the company’s Head of Marketing and also served as Acting Head of Marketing for Hartlief for three months before her promotion to MD. “I am very excited to be starting in this new role, but I know it will not be an easy journey. It was initially hard to avoid feeling overwhelmed as there are so many pressing issues to consider, such as COVID-19, food security and job creation. It is a major responsibility and I feel very humbled and honoured to have been chosen to lead in this role and to be welcomed as a woman in leadership,” she said.
“I think women have so much to bring to the world of leadership; one only has to look at the concept of Mother Nature herself. Our caring and attentive dispositions and contemplative natures are aspects of emotional intelligence. They also relate to the O&L values, from fostering open communication to growing people. I believe it is no longer a man’s world, but a leader’s world and I am glad to see it rising in all spheres of society, whether it be in business or government. Empowering others is essential to achieving the end result and with that empowerment; anyone can make a success of themselves.”
Prinsloo said she will be leading the diversification of the Namibia Dairies portfolio and business focus to ensure sustainable of the business. “We need to find new opportunities to combat the present risks and that is why, in the case of Namibia Dairies, we will be diversifying our portfolio and business focus. In order to keep offering our products at affordable prices we need to focus on what we can do and find partners for the activities we can no longer optimally perform. The proportion of our dairy product offerings will be less in future, but that opens the door to other possibilities. We can extend our product lines to bring customers new products under the brands they have come to know and love, thereby maximizing the potential of our existing brands. That is part of what I am looking forward to the most: turning all opportunities into realities. I firmly believe we have the ability to change anything from the way people think all the way to the bottom line,” she said.
