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Salt of the earth Chief Executive Officer

Iréne-Mari van der Walt

Markus van der Merwe left the Land of the Brave behind for love when he uprooted to South Africa to be closer to his love after being inspired by the Oscar-winning film ‘Good Will Hunting’.

Van der Merwe originally qualified as a civil engineer at Stellenbosch University after matriculating from Windhoek High School, but abandoned these plans to work in the transport and logistics business in order to be near his wife.

Van der Merwe and his wife lived in South Africa for roughly a decade and after working from grassroots level upwards, Van der Merwe served as the director for the business he worked for at the time, which specialised primarily in the transport of coal, after about six years at the company.

He remembers that his first job was to fill up the vehicles at the company with fuel.

He explains that his eye started wandering towards more fruitful opportunities in 2014 and this led to his appointment at Imperial Logistics in Namibia.

During his time at Imperial, Van der Merwe completed his MBA before becoming the managing director for WP Transport Namibia from 2014 to 2018.

He then moved to Imperial Managed Solutions in until he was scouted by the CA&S group to be the CEO of Wutow Trading last year, where he took up office in November.

Wutow Trading specialises in what the industry calls fast-moving consumer goods - these are products that one would see in the average supermarket.

“We essentially serve as an arm of the principal businesses, such as Unilever and Mondelez, who manufacture goods primarily in South Africa. We then take the product off their books, import and manage the product for them in Namibia. We work with different outlets to ensure that the product reaches the market and that the product reaches the sale area,” he says.

Wutow takes the responsibilities of distribution, claims and issues, product management as well as warehousing off the principal company’s shoulders.

A future for everyone

Van der Merwe hopes that his company, and his industry at large, can make a difference in the communities where they operate.

“It is our responsibility to make a difference,” he says.

Wutow Trading recently warmed the hearts of hordes of people as they started donating excess products to the less fortunate. “Many companies in our industry, not just in Namibia, throw it out or they sell it on the street in the name of making money, but that’s not what I want for us. Giving to the less fortunate is not just a marketing gimmick. If we are able to make a difference, we should,” says Van der Merwe.

Wutow Trading has recently formed relationships with an organisation named Charitree to ensure their donations reach the individuals who need it most.

More than the industry’s aid to the less fortunate, he hopes that their business models can be altered not only to better accommodate the consumer, but to accommodate one another.

“In Namibian context I want to see more variety. Our consumers are limited to what is available and although we have a few individuals who can afford the newer and better products, I think we can work toward offering more affordable variety,” he says.

He dreams of cohabitation, coordination and teamwork within the various competing businesses in his industry.

“I think instead of looking to compete we must look at where we can get co-operation in our distribution model. Instead offending half a truck to Katima (Mulilo), load some of your competitors’ goods - and that way the price of logistics becomes cheaper for everybody and the price consumers have to pay becomes more affordable,” he says.

He also hopes that the goods management sector will look inward instead of dreaming across the pond.

“I think it’s important that we look at where we can promote our local products instead of importing. We need to support local SMEs and job creation. We should look at supply from the local market and the markets surrounding Namibia instead of importing from far away,” he says.

One for all

Van der Merwe is quick to say that his company is not his doing alone.

“It’s not about me. It’s always about the people around you and the business. Your role as CEO is to make the business stronger and ensure that all stakeholders gain from the system. If everybody doesn’t gain from the system, it is not a sustainable system. I think many CEOs can easily have a chip on their shoulder, but to me the growth and development of others is the most important,” he says.