Sid Peimer

Sid is the Indiana Jones of strategic planning. His exploration into planning has covered fields far and wide, establishing him as one of South Africa's most creative strategic thinkers. He has planned in virtually every category - from start-ups to blue chip - having also mentored and trained strategic planners who have made their mark in the industry today.

Sid began his career as a pharmacist with SA Druggists, and was soon appointed as the National Services Manager for the then 400 Link pharmacies. He changed direction shortly thereafter, choosing a more strategic and creative career, firstly with Grey Advertising, followed by WNA Medical and then Leo Burnett, where he emerged four years later as Strategic Planning Director for the subsidiary Red Nail. The brands he planned on included inter alia: Liberty Life, Chicken Licken, FedEx, Incredible Connection and Cadbury. He then joined Ogilvy Johannesburg, planning on SABMiller, Nestle and Iscor.

After leaving Ogilvy, he served as the Strategic Planning Director for BEHP - the agency he co-founded, winning Imperial Bank as their first client. After six years in the position, he was presented with a unique challenge - to serve as interim CEO for their client IFI - a food chemicals company and processing plant. This was an unusual challenge, but then Sid has never been the run-of-the mill strategic planner. As the CEO of IFI in Johannesburg, he was met with the rigours of administration, finance, HR, production and marketing - all the disciplines that our clients face on a day to day business. A successor was groomed and Sid returned to his passion: strategy.

Sid has a particularly insightful approach to business, gained from his understanding of the entire distribution channel - from manufacturing to wholesale to retail to the consumer's mind. His working life reads as somewhat of an adventure novel, covering many eclectic areas: strategic planner, shop assistant, door-to-door salesman, copywriter, creative director, national franchise manager, retail pharmacist, manufacturing pharmacist, laboratory assistant, professional actor, suntan sprayer, karate instructor, SARA-rated river guide and lecturer in marketing & consumer behaviour.

He is a popular speaker and trainer for both the private and NGO sectors, and has also been a frequent guest lecturer at UCT and Wits on the application of practical strategy - appreciated for both his keen insights and the entertaining way he delivers his message. He is the author of The Clear Win - Pitching for new business, the strategies that work; the myths that don't - available on Amazon (only $1 on kindle!). He is also the author of Business for the New and the Free, which was prescribed by Damelin for their Business Enterprise course.

His sense of humour and affable nature come through clearly in the more than 50 articles published on Bizcommunity. Sid is qualified in Pharmacy and holds an MBA from the University of Cape Town. He lives in Cape Town, consulting and training on strategy.