Loading…
Every organisation has people whose names appear on strategic plans, annual reports, and keynote presentations. Then there are those whose influence is woven into the daily rhythm of the business itself. They are the people who keep priorities moving, conversations connected, decisions progressing, and leaders focused on what matters most. For Carmen Potgieter, Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO at Numeral Group, that role has become both a profession and a passion - built around creating clarity amidst competing priorities, strengthening relationships across organisations, and ensuring that ideas move beyond discussion and into action.
For Carmen, people engagement and relationship building have always been among her greatest strengths. These qualities initially drew her to the hospitality industry, where creating positive experiences and fostering meaningful connections formed the foundation of her professional journey. As her career progressed through hospitality, office management, and executive support, she accumulated valuable experiences that deepened her self-awareness and strengthened her ambition to continue growing professionally. Over time, Carmen realised that she wanted to contribute at a more strategic level and take on greater responsibility within organisations. Her transition into executive business partnership and EXCO operations was not simply a change in title but a natural evolution driven by a desire to influence business outcomes, support leadership teams, and participate in decisions that shape organisational success. Every role along the way contributed valuable lessons in communication, stakeholder engagement, adaptability, and leadership. These experiences shaped a leadership philosophy centred on trust, collaboration, accountability, and creating environments where individuals can perform at their best. For Carmen, leadership is not about authority. It is about enabling others to succeed while ensuring that organisational objectives remain firmly in focus.
As Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO at Numeral Group, Carmen occupies a position at the centre of strategic decision-making and organisational execution. The role demands the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining a clear understanding of both executive objectives and broader business needs. One of Carmen's defining strengths is her ability to organise and prioritise information without relying heavily on extensive note taking systems. She possesses a strong memory and an intuitive ability to mentally structure priorities, allowing her to remain focused on what requires immediate attention while maintaining visibility across numerous moving parts. Supporting executives requires adaptability. Unexpected challenges, urgent decisions, and shifting priorities are inevitable. Carmen approaches these situations with a proactive mindset, anticipating needs before they arise and ensuring that potential obstacles are addressed before they become problems. Her ability to multitask, maintain attention to detail, and remain composed under pressure allows executive priorities and organisational requirements to align seamlessly. Through careful coordination and consistent follow-through, she helps ensure that leadership can focus on strategic direction while operations continue to function efficiently.
The role of executive support has changed significantly over the years. For Carmen, the modern Executive Business Partner is far more than an administrator responsible for managing schedules, meetings, and correspondence. Today, the role requires serving as a trusted advisor, strategic partner, and operational extension of the executive. It involves understanding business priorities at a deep level and treating organisational objectives as though they are one's own. Carmen believes that success in this profession requires a unique combination of resilience, emotional intelligence, discretion, and sound judgment. Supporting senior leaders often means operating within complex environments where sensitive information, high-stakes decisions, and demanding personalities intersect. The profession has evolved from a support function into a strategic business role. Executive Business Partners are increasingly expected to influence outcomes, coordinate stakeholders, manage projects, and contribute directly to organisational success. While qualifications and formal education remain valuable, Carmen firmly believes that real-world experience is irreplaceable. Many of her most important lessons have come from working alongside executives, observing how they think, make decisions, and respond to pressure. These experiences have strengthened her confidence and expanded her ability to contribute beyond traditional support responsibilities.
Managing relationships across executive leadership teams, board members, investors, and external stakeholders requires a careful balance of professionalism, confidence, and diplomacy. Carmen's approach is rooted in honesty, transparency, and mutual respect. Regardless of an individual's title or position, she believes everyone deserves to be treated with the same level of professionalism and courtesy. Trust sits at the centre of every successful relationship. According to Carmen, trust is earned through consistency, integrity, and open communication. By remaining approachable, authentic, and solution-oriented, she creates an environment where stakeholders feel respected and confident in her ability to support their objectives. She also emphasises the importance of confidence when working with influential stakeholders. Professionals should never underestimate their own value or contribution. Clear communication, strong preparation, and a genuine understanding of organisational priorities help build credibility and strengthen relationships across all levels of an organisation. Ultimately, Carmen's goal is to create partnerships built on trust, collaboration, and shared success.
Another dimension of complexity is added by supporting international business activities. Cross-border operations frequently involve different cultures, communication styles, decision-making processes, and business expectations. Carmen believes that understanding people is the key to successful international collaboration. Before considering operational alignment, it is important to understand the cultural dynamics that shape the ways that teams and stakeholders approach business. She spends time learning how different stakeholders communicate, make decisions, and build relationships. This cultural awareness helps to minimise misunderstandings and strengthen collaboration across regions. Efficiency is gained through proactive planning, clear coordination and ongoing communication. Carmen creates environments where collaboration can thrive despite geographical and cultural differences by ensuring that expectations remain aligned and all parties remain informed. According to her, successful international operations are built on respect, adaptability and a commitment to achieving results that benefit the organisation and its stakeholders.
Effective coordination is one of the most important aspects of Carmen's role, as EXCO management plays a critical role in organisational performance. Her main responsibility is to make sure the CEO's priorities are well managed and translated into action. It's about balancing complex schedules, aligning meetings with strategic goals, and making sure the right conversations happen at the right time. Outside of logistics, Carmen's focus is on creating accountability. She helps leadership teams stay aligned and committed to delivering results through careful planning, effective communication, and consistent follow-through. Effective executive functioning means taking action, following up, tracking progress and making sure decisions get translated into action. By keeping priorities in front of people and holding people accountable, Carmen helps translate strategic intent into measurable results.
Today's executives operate in environments marked by constant change, competing priorities, and increasing demands on their time and attention. "Common challenges leaders face are time management, maintaining organizational structure, and ensuring teams communicate well," says Carmen. This is where executive operations pros come in. They are useful for setting up systems, anticipating needs, prioritizing well, and enabling communication so that decisions can be made and actions taken in an informed and efficient way. Executive support professionals can reduce friction and improve organisational performance by knowing what to expect and being able to spot potential problems before they arise. Carmen believes that this proactive stance is one of the most important things that executive operations can do.
Technology is an indispensable component of modern executive operations. "One of the greatest drivers of productivity and operational excellence is technological advancement," says Carmen. Artificial Intelligence is becoming increasingly important in automating routine tasks, accelerating research, assisting content creation, and boosting overall efficiency. These features enable executives and support professionals to concentrate more on strategic priorities and less on administrative activities. You may also want to look at project management platforms like ClickUp and Asana. These tools increase accountability, streamline workflows, and keep teams aligned on common goals, with visibility across projects. For Carmen, technology and structured processes together provide a powerful framework for improving organisational performance and executive effectiveness.
Company culture is still one of the strongest determinants of organisational success. Carmen believes that without teams that are engaged and connected, even the most sophisticated strategies will struggle to succeed. The executive support professional is crucial for culture development as they typically work across departments and with stakeholders throughout the organisation. They directly contribute to a positive workplace environment by encouraging communication, recognising achievements, celebrating milestones, and creating opportunities for employees to connect. Little things like informal meetups, team events, and coffee sessions can go a long way in terms of morale and collaboration. These moments help build relationships, enhance communication, and foster a greater sense of belonging. For Carmen, culture isn't made with policies alone. It is built through regular interactions that make people feel appreciated, connected and inspired to contribute.
To aspiring Executive Assistants, Executive Business Partners, and Operations Professionals, Carmen has a simple, but powerful message: stay resilient and committed to your growth. There will always be challenges, especially in tough executive environments. But she feels these tough times are often the most important learning experiences. Success is about persistence, always improving, and being willing to try new things. But every challenge, every failure, every hard moment is what makes the person a professional and prepares him/her for more responsibility in the future. Most significantly, Carmen encourages future professionals to keep going and not to give up on themselves or their goals. Confidence, patience, and perseverance are key qualities for anyone who wants to be a trusted strategic partner to senior leadership teams.
And for the future, Carmen is still looking to expand her impact and continue her professional growth. She has a long-term ambition to transition into a Chief of Staff position where she can add further strategic value to the organisation's operations and growth. She believes that the future of executive operations will be shaped by a blend of technology and human ability. Artificial Intelligence and automation will keep changing how we work and make us more efficient, but technology will not be the deciding factor for success. Future leaders and executive operations professionals will need to mix technological expertise with business acumen, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and relationship management skills. As organizations continue to evolve, professionals who can bridge the gap between technology, people and strategy will be uniquely positioned to create value. Carmen's journey is a reflection of this very principle. It is a career of flexibility, lifelong learning, trusted relationships and a relentless pursuit of helping others succeed whilst driving organisational excellence.
Read the full issue
Open Magazine →