Kemp Swanepoel is the CFO of Ford Motor Company in Canada, and his career turns on a day he didn't have to show up: a finance guy who volunteered to smash car windows at a product demo for Volvo, and met the executives who would later call him out of the blue. In this episode he takes Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe from seven schools before the age of ten, to walking away from the audit route, to turning down Sweden and Japan and betting everything on Canada. This is for South Africans abroad, and anyone weighing the move, who want an honest account of what relocation really costs a family: the slow build of self-doubt, the friendships that fade, and a culture that makes spending far too easy. Kemp shares the simple decision ritual he and his wife return to whenever they question the move, how he leads a large team by taking the pressure off them, and why he believes South Africans abroad should refuse to assimilate.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
01:37 The Anthem in the Lounge
03:56 Faith, Family and Fitness
05:57 Seven Schools and an Ironman
09:29 Love, Audit and a First CFO Job 1
4:13 Smashing Windows for Volvo
17:11 How Constant Change Shaped Him
20:37 Betting Everything on Canada
25:00 The List That Ends the Blame Game
28:30 Reasons, Seasons and Lifetimes
30:43 Staying True in a Spending Culture
33:23 Friendships, Trust and Letting Go
38:05 Efficiency and Rising the Tide
43:07 From Volvo to Ford
46:37 Building a South Africa That Works
Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/
Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716
Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584
Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/
Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/
Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast
Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/
Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/
