Suits & Sneakers presents: "Lessons from Cell C's Transformation" with Jorge Mendes

Every business goes through periods when things are not working as they should. The challenge is understanding what needs to change, making difficult decisions in uncertain circumstances, and aligning people behind a common vision.

This Suits & Sneakers breakfast is an opportunity for you and your team to learn from someone who has spent the last three years leading one of South Africa's most closely watched corporate turnarounds.

WHY SHOULD YOU AND YOUR TEAM BE THERE?

When Jorge Mendes became CEO of Cell C in 2023, he took responsibility for a business facing significant financial and operational challenges. It was a bold decision that required clear leadership, difficult choices, disciplined execution and the ability to unite people behind a common goal.

Throughout his career, Jorge has built and led high-performing teams, developed strong organisational cultures and delivered results in complex and highly competitive environments. He saw an opportunity to unlock the potential of Cell C by creating alignment around a clear strategy, strengthening accountability and empowering people to execute with confidence.

Three years later, the company has regained momentum and laid the foundations for long-term growth. On the morning of 6 October, Mark Sham will sit down with Jorge to explore the realities of leading through uncertainty, creating alignment, building strong teams and turning strategy into results. They will discuss lessons that leaders, entrepreneurs and teams can apply in their own organisations, including:

• Finding the real problem: How do you identify what is truly holding a business back when challenges seem to exist everywhere, and decide what to tackle first?
• Making the difficult calls: What do you change, what do you keep, what do you stop doing, and how do you make those decisions when you do not have all the answers?
• Seeing opportunities others miss: What did Jorge see in Cell C that convinced him there was an opportunity to create value, and where did he believe a different approach was needed?
• Building belief and accountability: How do you create a culture where people take ownership, work together and remain committed through uncertainty and change?
• Learning from setbacks: What did not work, what surprised Jorge, and what would he do differently with the benefit of hindsight?
• Sustaining performance: Once a business has stabilised, how do you maintain focus, strengthen execution and position it for long-term growth?

We are extremely grateful to Jorge Mendes for generously giving his time to support this event. All proceeds raised from the breakfast will go directly towards growing the Suits & Sneakers Clubhouse network as we continue building spaces, communities and support structures that help small business owners grow and succeed.