Full Name: Dheshree Chetty

Position and Company Name: Director of Women In Shipping and Transport Services

Main Activity of the Company: End-to-end supply chain

Date and Place of Birth: December 3, 1972, Durban, South Africa

Schools and Tertiary Education: I graduated from the then University of Natal with a Bachelor of Social Science degree in 1995

First Job: A volunteer in a shipping company

Career History Prior to Current Position: I have always worked for a shipping company, starting in 1996, when I joined Kien Hung Shipping, which was later bought out by United Ships Agency, which, in turn, was acquired by Hamburg Süd. In 2009, I was headhunted by Maersk to be the company’s senior sales executive, a position I occupied for three years. Thereafter, I joined Sharaf Shipping in 2011, becoming the first Indian branch manager for a shipping line. I left in 2014 to start Women In Shipping, which I closed four years later, after losing my biggest account. I learnt valuable lessons from this experience. In August 2018, I started working for Hapag Lloyd, initially as national sales manager and later as head of the customer service satellite team. In late 2024, I decided to venture out on my own again, this time with a lot more experience and expertise under my belt and now, one-and-a-half years later, we have a thriving business

Size of First Pay Packet: R1 200 a month

First Job with Present Group: Founder and director

Number of People under Your Leadership: 3

Management Style: I am a leader, as opposed to a manager

Personal Best Achievement: Reopening Women In Shipping

Professional Best Achievement: Being recognised as the Business Women’s Association corporate category winner in 2013

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My father

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: There was no influencer in my career because I was always self-motivated and ambitious

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Barack Obama

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Founder and CEO of Women of Africa Pria Hassan

Philosophy of Life: The more you serve, the more you will be blessed

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Reopening Women In Shipping

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Learning how devious people can be when money is involved

Hope for the Future: Growing Women In Shipping into the go-to company when anyone is talking shipping and logistics

Favourite Reading: I used to love reading James Patterson novels – murder, mystery and any romance novels

Favourite TV Programme: I would have to say Dirty Dancing; I watched it about ten times and danced to the theme song at my wedding

Favourite Food/Drink: Prawn pasta and white wine

Favourite Music: 80’s and 90’s RnB

Favourite Sport: Padel now and netball when I was younger

Favourite Website: Every shopping site is my favourite

Hobbies: Binge-watching series on a Sunday afternoon

Car: Riviera Blue Porsche Boxster

Pets: None

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Disorganisation and bragging

Favourite Other South African Company: Woolworths – it has really been successful in encompassing the various needs of its target group

Favourite Foreign Company: Tesla – the level of innovation has been unsurpassed

Married: To Yugen Chetty since November 8, 2025

Children: Samara, 27; Tiashka, 25; Josh, 23; Kimaeya, 20; Dillon Lee, 13

Clubs: Rivers Foundation – it’s not really a club but a place where Yugen and I serve weekly, making sandwiches for schoolchildren who don’t have food