Full Name: Shahzaadee Ballim

Position and Company Name: CEO of Kwality Holdings

Main Activity of the Company: Kwality Holdings helps organisations grow through international procurement, sustainable supply chain solutions, market entry and commercial partnerships. Through its four specialised divisions, it connects businesses across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, offering end-to-end sourcing, ESG-driven recycled products, consulting and business development

Date and Place of Birth: March 9, 1982, Durban

Schools and Tertiary Education: I was educated in Durban, with further studies through the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of South Africa, complemented by leadership development programmes and industry-specific training

First Job: Working within the family business while I was in Grade 5

Size of First Pay Packet: As in many family businesses, my first “job” came with plenty of responsibility, lots of learning and very little discussion about a pay packet. However, by Grade 10, I had negotiated a total of up to R200 a week

Career Path to Date: Kwality Holdings is a second-generation family business, and entrepreneurship has always been part of my DNA. Over more than two decades, I have gained experience across every area of the company. Around 2011, when my father became ill, I assumed the leadership of Kwality Holdings, with a vision to transform it from a traditional importer and distributor of tableware and household products into a diversified group offering end-to-end procurement and supply chain solutions, from concept development and manufacturing to quality assurance, logistics, shipping and final delivery. In 2016, I took on a new challenge by acquiring an Engen service station in Durban, alongside its Steers franchise, Café 365 and a convenience retail operation. Entering the petroleum and hospitality industries required an entirely new skill set and gave me invaluable experience in managing high-volume retail, franchise operations, people, compliance and customer service. Today, I lead Kwality Holdings as a diversified group comprising Kwality Home, Kwality Sourcing, Kwality Consulting and Waste2Wear Africa, our international partnership



Number of People under Your Leadership: About 60 across the group

Management Style: I lead by example, building strong relationships and creating an environment where people are trusted, challenged and empowered to grow

Personal Best Achievement: Apart from my children, my greatest achievement has been taking over Kwality Holdings during one of the most challenging periods in our family’s history

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My mother – she taught me compassion, resilience and the importance of treating everyone with kindness and respect

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: My father – long before I realised it, he was teaching me the skills to lead a business. He taught me that businesses are built on trust, relationships and reputation, and that these are earned over a lifetime, not overnight

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Sir David Attenborough, whose lifelong dedication to understanding and protecting our planet has inspired generations

Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Satya Nadella, whose ability to transform one of the world’s largest companies by changing its culture first has been remarkable

Philosophy of Life: “Life has a remarkable way of preparing you long before you understand why” – life will constantly test you, and those moments can either define you or you can let them develop you

Biggest Ever Opportunity: Partnering with Waste2Wear, which has given me the opportunity to bring together everything I learnt in my career and apply it to a business that not only solves commercial challenges but also contributes to a more sustainable future

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Seeing people never realise their true potential

Hope for the Future: That we never stop believing in what’s possible

Favourite Reading: Books on leadership, organisational behaviour, strategy, behavioural psychology and biographies of remarkable people

Favourite TV Programme: Comedy and investigative crime dramas

Favourite Food/Drink: Asian cuisine and a good cup of tea

Favourite Music: R&B, particularly the 90’s and early 2000’s. Michael Jackson will always be one of my favourite artistes

Favourite Sport: Tennis

Hobbies: Travelling, spending time with my family, and discovering new cultures and experiences

Car: A BMW

Pets: My British shorthair fur babies (cats)

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Dishonesty, elitism, excuses, negativity without

solutions and strong opinions before taking the time to understand the subject

Married: To Mohamed Mullah

Children: Ariana and Ra’eed