Liz Dewing
Cape Town, South Africa
Liz Dewing is an experienced Consultant with over 28 years’ experience in roles spanning Strategy Development, Project Resource and Change Management, Project Office Management, Business Analysis, Technical Writing, Training and Presentation. She has experience in both SME and Corporate environments including 13 years with Old Mutual during which she worked in IT, Strategy and the Mass Market.
Beginning with a BSc from WITS University with dual majors across Faculties in Computer Science and English, Liz is highly business literate with a good understanding of the business drivers and personnel challenges within both Corporates and SME’s.
Capable of straddling the divide between Business and IT, Liz has always had a foot in both worlds. After a brief stint in hands-on development she progressed rapidly and has spent most of her career engaging with the Senior Leadership of organisations to effect business change. Her experience encompasses systems development, implementation and migration, strategic response initiation, major process improvement undertakings, and operating model development and transition.
A strong Communicator and Systems Thinker, in her last role with Old Mutual she was responsible for the Strategic Project Delivery Office of the Retail Mass Market Division for some 8 years. During this period she developed and implemented a revised standard Project Management Framework fully incorporating a Change Management Framework that represented a ground-breaking advance in the organisational approach to managing business change.
She is recognised for her strengths in people leadership and empowers others to manage effectively by being a strong sounding board and coach rather than by intervening unnecessarily. Liz also believes hard conversations are sometimes required to challenge thinking and test business decisions, and that conflict should not necessarily be seen as negative.
Most recently she has been engaged for a period of 2 years to assist an e-learning Vendor deliver an e-learning capability into the African footprint of one of the major Retailers. In her personal capacity Liz operates Magnetic North – a Consultancy specialising in Speech Writing, Public Speaking Coaching and Independent Facilitation. She is also a published Author, Professional Speaker and a past President of Cape Town Toastmasters Club.
Liz can be contacted at liz@magnorth.co.za
Profile created 11 February 2019