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Creating a future, ­enhancing young lives

Elizabeth Joseph



Shortly after Thieme matri­culated at the Deutsche Höhere Privat Schule (DHPS), he ­completed the German Abitur, which is a qualification one needs in order to get into universities in Germany.

He obtained his Bachelors in Accounting at the University of Stellenbosch. He then completed his postgraduate Diploma in Accounting (PGDA) at the University of Cape Town.

Thieme later joined Deloitte in Cape Town and qualified as a chartered account. He is a registered CA in both South Africa and Namibia.

After working at Deloitte for three years while doing his articles, Thieme joined the team in Luxembourg.

He specialised in banking and later decided to switch lanes.

At this stage he had two jobs lined up. One in New York City and another in London, but there was a bigger picture.

His grandfather, the late Mr Werner List, persuaded Thieme to come back to Namibia and join the O&L group.

Soon after working through his options, Thieme became the head of corporate governance for the O&L group. One thing led to another and he later found himself in the executive coordinator seat.

By 2001 Thieme became the ­managing director of O&L and shortly after his grandfather passed on in 2002, he took the position of executive chairman, a title he still holds today.



Method in the madness

“Being the executive chairman of the O&L group gives me the opportunity to have a bigger impact on the lives of people,” says Thieme. “My purpose is giving life to people and that is why I have an absolute passion for their well-being,” he adds.

Furthermore his purpose is aligned with the purpose of the company, which is “Creating a future, enhancing life”.

Thieme wishes to teach a philosophy which will benefit the organisation as well as have a great impact on society as a whole.

“Other ways that assist me in living my purpose is to continuously remind myself to refine my emotional intelligence. This helps me to see, feel and investigate matters of concern as well as opportunities,” he says.

“Another way is to continuously review the impact of my actions, thoroughly going through each idea to make sure I get the desired outcome,” he adds.

Thieme remains inquisitive, not only about things business related, but also seeing and finding ways to nurture a “breakthrough culture” in society.

He is inspired by great leadership as well as a purpose-filled life. Seeing people prosper and achieve goals which may seem impossible also sparks a flame in Thieme's heart.

He also strives to take the organisation to the next level.

Thieme is a family man and spends as much time as possible with his family. He also enjoys the typical ­Namibian “braai” and a family ­get-together. He loves cooking, watching soccer and playing the clavinova.



Fact Box

• Thieme plays the clavinova, which is a digital piano.

• The parent companies of Olfitra are O&L Holdings (Proprietary) Limited and List Trust Company (Proprietary) Limited

• The group emerged from the early Ohlthaver & List Bank Kommission partnership between Hermann Ohlthaver and Carl List in 1919. Subsequently Ohlthaver & List Finance and Trading Corporation Limited (Olfitra) was established in Namibia on 13 May 1923. The group's headquarters is located in Windhoek, Namibia.

• The role of the executive chairman of a company is to provide top-level leadership of a business or nonprofit entity. The executive chairman is also known as the chief executive.