While Brett Grobbelaar has the engineer’s quick grasp of underlying structural realities, both technical and procedural, he is far from the emotionally blunted stereotype that’s often (somewhat unfairly!) associated with engineers.
Perhaps that’s the reason why—with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Witwatersrand University and experience as a consultant engineer under his belt—Grobbelaar chose to move out of the mainstream mechanical engineering space to team up with Accenture in mid-1995. “I saw lots of space for growth and I was attracted by the fact that Accenture is a global business,” he explains.
Grobbelaar feels that while there may be any number of companies that operate internationally, in reality there are very few that can truly be described as global. Accenture, by contrast, has a structural cohesion across all its systems, which means the business truly operates as one unit. To give an example, Grobbelaar says, “If we change our operating model in the United States then it will also change in South Africa—and on the same day!” And because its structures are global, collaboration is easy. This means that a local client genuinely benefits from global expertise, a real advantage especially in today’s multi-polar world. (Accenture coined this phrase to describe the new world economic order, which is no longer dominated by a few centres of power.)
The huge variety of opportunities is another aspect of Accenture that Grobbelaar appreciates. “I started in technical architecture in the public services space. Then I moved into the utilities space, where I spent many enriching years. I also had exposure to banking and retail,” he explains.
Grobbelaar became an executive director in Accenture’s Resources operating group in September 2006, and he sees himself growing further within the resources sector, which includes mining, chemicals, energies, natural resources and utilities: “There’s lots of growth in this area. There has been a commodities boom, which means many of the companies I work with have merger and acquisition opportunities.” He envisages plenty of scope for expansion around the globe as demand, especially from China, continues to drive growth in this sector.
While Grobbelaar emphasises that most of his work is focused on shaping and closing deals, he adds, “I’m first and foremost a client partner, a relationship guy.” Nonetheless, technology remains crucial to what he does. His inner engineer gives him an edge when it comes to understanding what clients need in the vital area of enterprise resource planning. “Enterprise resource planning began in the back office, and vendors like SAP and Oracle are now tailoring solutions to specific industries to operate more within the core business. Accenture, with its research-backed understanding of high performance in general and mining in particular, has a vital role to play in helping our clients leverage enterprise resource planning to achieve competitive advantage.”
For a demanding and fulfilling career to be possible, Grobbelaar believes that it must be balanced with home life. “I love my work but I try to keep weekends for my family,” he says. Grobbelaar and his wife have two daughters. He is also a golfer and one of his more humble goals, apart from simply “seeing where I land,” is to play golf when travelling.
Back to Executive Point of View: South Africa