indwe magazine – April 2005

Inati Ntshanga
Executive Manager: Commercial & Strategy

Harvard man with heart
Text: Sam Weber
Image: © SA Express
If you want to know about Inati Ntshanga, you have to dig a little. He is extremely easy to get along with, a bit more difficult to get to know. Humble, despite innumerable achievements, he becomes almost shy when talking about himself. The fact that SA Express’ Executive Manager: Commercial and Strategy, graduated from Harvard University, for instance, is revealed with such an understated reserve that one might miss it altogether.
It takes even more care to find out that he distinguished himself as a leader as well in these exalted circles: he was the President of the Harvard African Students Association. Dig a little deeper still, and you find an unexpected gem: Inati Ntshanga taught Gumboot Dance, the traditional miners’ dance, to Harvard students and even performed at various functions. Furthermore, an avid rugby player from a young age, Inati represented Harvard on the sports field. In this he is revealed as a man with global ideas and an African heart.
Inati Ntshanga is assured and confident, but far from overbearing. One gets the impression that, around Inati, people relax and laugh a lot. His keen sense of humour makes him the life and soul of a party. The affable and easy-going exterior camouflages a razor sharp wit. Those who assume that they can take advantage of the easy smile, those who underestimate this friendly man, will do so at their own peril. All this doesn’t change the fact that Inati is a thoroughly likeable man.
Family is clearly very important to Inati. Ask about his wife, the graceful Ayanda, or his two daughters, and his whole face lights up with pride and fondness. “The one who is 6 thinks she is 18, and the one who is 2 thinks she is 6,” he says of his daughters with an affectionate laugh. “The six year old asked me the other day, ‘Papa, when you are gone, can I be the boss of the house?’ Of course I said yes!”
Ask about his work at SA Express and his pride in the company comes shining through. “It is pure gold. It is easy to overlook at this stage, because it hasn’t been polished as much as it should, but the gold is there,” he says. That the airline industry is in his blood is obvious. His office looks out over the tarmac and every now and again, his eyes stray briefly to the activities of the SA Express fleet – a bit like a parent who would keep a watchful eye over children while they play.
“You know, I find myself applying a few work ethics at home now,” he says with a smile. “In my private life I used to spend money quite easily on a dinner here or there. Here, at SA Express, I find that I continuously question expenditure. Is it really necessary? What benefit will it bring to the company? And now I find myself increasingly doing the same thing in my private life!”
His intensity confirms the ownership that he feels at SA Express and which he successfully fosters in all those around him. With a track record of working for bigger companies like SAA and Old Mutual, Inati enjoys the immediacy and the intimacy of SA Express. “In a bigger company, one takes a decision and the ball starts rolling. Here at SA Express, you might be the one who also has to implement the decision. It is very exciting,” he says.
Asked what he views as his greatest challenge at SA Express, Inati chews the question over for a while. It is clear that he does not go through life focused on challenges, but actually lives that old maxim of viewing challenges as opportunities. After a while he answers: “My greatest challenge, I suppose, is the lack of visibility of SAX in the market place. You assume that due to the alliance with SAA, SAX would be well known in the market but you find people confusing us with other smaller regional carriers. But in actual fact, to me it is an exciting opportunity to be in a position to change this perception and I look forward to the next few months as we embark on a major marketing drive to position the airline as a major regional carrier in South Africa.”
Inati is always on the lookout for opportunities to increase his knowledge base and experience, and takes great enjoyment from his leadership position. “You make things happen, rather than having them happen to you,” he says. “This is the best company I have ever worked for, this company has value and purity. All it needs is to be treated the way it deserves to be treated, to be handled with care.”
And the best thing about being with SA Express? “There are a lot of capable people here who are truly committed to the well-being of the company. This company has a great future ahead of it. It is small, it is niche, it is something you can be proud of, and above all, it is yours.”
And thus the lasting impression of our Harvard man is of something no business school can teach. The lasting impression of Inati Ntshanga is that of his passionate ownership of the company he helps to steer. It is of commitment and loyalty. It is of heart.
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