I am a leader, entrepreneur, woman in business, and mother (to many). I started working as a young teen in my father’s general dealer on Troye Street, Johannesburg. That’s where I learned that I have skill of getting people to accomplish things well. I have spent 10 000+ hours learning business and life choreography.

When people ask me what I do, this is my response: I listen, sift, synthesise, form, ask around, re-calibrate, check again, pull the team together, create a clear vision, make sure every person has a clear script — and then we put the performance together. I’m less interested in titles and corporate posturing, and more interested in outcomes that benefit all stakeholders. I have worked in retail, owned my own business for 15 years, and now head up a global restaurant brand.

I don’t fit the mould of a “normal CEO” — I don’t even like the title. My philosophy is practical: people, goals, shareholder needs, and commercial success must be carefully blended to deliver results without breaking the human in the process. I am kind and direct, warm and sharp and so aware that i still have so much to learn. I’ve met my share of narcissists and game-players; they taught me what I refuse to become.

Professionally, I lead Ocean Basket, a South African-born seafood brand with a global footprint. What our business does is simple and powerful: we make seafood joyful and accessible, served with warmth and generosity. Through a franchise model, we back entrepreneurs with hands-on support, strong systems, and supply partnerships — creating jobs, growing local ownership, and building a sense of belonging in the communities we serve. Yes, we run restaurants; but our real business is hospitality in its truest sense: making people feel welcome, valued, and seen.
I believe I was nominated for the Jewish Achiever Awards because I represent a different kind of leadership: human, candid, and unafraid to challenge the script.

My Jewish roots have shaped my resilience and my instinct to question — to wrestle with complexity, to stand up to power when needed, and to carry responsibility for both people and performance. I don’t posture; I connect. What would make me a worthy winner is not a list of positions, but a way of working. I deliver results without sacrificing integrity. I am generous with accountability and tough on the things that matter: clarity, promises, and follow-through.

I believe strength lives in vulnerability and that candour — offered with care — is a gift. I champion women and under-heard voices, mentor future leaders, and insist that profit and purpose are partners, not rivals.

If honoured with this award, it would use it to create more awareness around the importance of blended leading and working for the long term benefit of all.


My vision — for myself, my business, and South Africa—Stay focused on what matters and starve anything that feeds greed or ego. I will deliberately invest time and resources in the future of our world: the young graduates stepping in, and the young people who won’t graduate but still deserve opportunity. We will build workplaces and communities where disability is not merely tolerated but fully integrated—seen, supported, and enabled to thrive. I have a personal passion for neurodiversity and invisible disabilities, which we are only now beginning to recognise and support with intent. Change takes time, it’s the sum of daily choices—who we hire, what we reward, which voices we amplify, and how consistently we show up. That is the work, and that is the future I’m committed to building.