CloutSA Managing Director
About CloutSA
CloutSA is a business-to-business market maker that connects South African designers and makers with local and global commercial opportunities. We celebrate the creative pulse of South African design by sharing curated collections of furniture, lighting, and décor with clients and collaborators around the world.
We are passionate about South African design - its creativity, its craft, and its power to shape how the world sees us. Our vision is for South African design to stand as a distinct global design brand, blending the country’s legacy of craft, heritage, and storytelling with contemporary making techniques.
In 2018, we launched Portal to Africa, a curated online marketplace for interior designers and architects featuring South Africa’s leading designer lighting, furniture, and accessories. Since then, CloutSA has grown into one of the leading exporters of South African design, featuring over 70 designers and makers, and facilitating the sale of thousands of pieces of authentic design. We continue to grow - working with local and international clients committed to sourcing from the country’s best emerging and established designers and makers.
Role Purpose
CloutSA is seeking a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and future-oriented Managing Director to lead the organisation into its next phase of evolution and growth. The Managing Director will be responsible for shaping and executing CloutSA’s strategy to expand its client base - particularly in international markets - while strengthening the platform and team that delivers our core operational excellence.
This role requires a visionary and action-oriented leader with strong enterprise management skills, deep understanding of the South African creative ecosystem, and the commercial acumen to position CloutSA as the preferred procurement platform for values-aligned partners globally.
The Managing Director reports to the Chair of the Board and will maintain strong working relationships with CloutSA’s shareholder and strategic partners.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership
• Lead the creation and implementation of CloutSA’s multi-year growth strategy, translating the organisation’s current foundation into an ambitious and achievable next chapter.
• Refine and update the 5-year strategic plan in response to evolving market, client, and operational dynamics.
• Develop the annual business plan and budget, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
• Lead bi-annual and annual performance reviews, ensuring that the enterprise is tracking against financial and impact goals.
• Ensure CloutSA has the right systems, processes, and talent in place to operate effectively at scale.
2. Team Leadership, Culture & Management
• Inspire, lead, and develop a small, high-performing team - ensuring strong alignment with CloutSA’s organisational goals, mission and values.
• Build an organisation-wide shared purpose around championing South African design, building the next generation of design talent, and delivering exceptional service to our clients and makers.
• Identify talent gaps and recruit strategically to deliver against organisational objectives.
3. Board Engagement & Governance
• Serve as an executive member of the Board of Directors.
• Report regularly on strategy, performance, financials, and risks.
• Seek Board input on strategic direction and leverage the Board’s expertise to support organisational growth.
• Engage with individual shareholder governance structures as required, providing insight into CloutSA’s experiences and impact.
4. New Business Development & Client Growth
• Lead the expansion of CloutSA’s client base, particularly in international markets.
• Proactively identify, engage, and pitch to strategic clients.
• Convert opportunities into long-term commercial relationships that reflect CloutSA’s mission and ensure financial sustainability.
• Maintain strong relationships with existing clients, gathering feedback and insights to strengthen the value proposition and operational delivery.
5. Stakeholder Engagement & Ecosystem Building
• Build and maintain strong relationships across the South African design ecosystem - designers, makers, manufacturers, institutions, cultural partners, and collaborators.
• Serve as an external champion for CloutSA and for South African design globally.
• Communicate CloutSA’s story, impact, and capabilities effectively to partners, clients, and stakeholders.
6. Impact & Financial Stewardship
• Ensure CloutSA continues to deliver on its dual purpose: social impact for the South African design and manufacturing ecosystem and financial sustainability for the organisation.
• Oversee financial management, budgeting, and resource allocation.
• Ensure CloutSA maintains a sustainable business model while advancing its mission-led mandate.
Qualifications & Experience
1. Senior Leadership: Minimum 12+ years of progressive leadership experience, ideally with time spent scaling an enterprise or initiative within the creative economy, design, manufacturing, or platform businesses.
2. Creative Industry Expertise: Meaningful experience in, or personal connection to, the South African/African creative economy. Deep understanding of designers, makers, creative communities, or cultural industries.
3. Platform or Marketplace Experience: Experience operating or contributing to a platform-based business, marketplace, or procurement intermediary is advantageous.
4. Strategic Acumen: Proven ability to imagine and translate strategic ambition into clear, actionable plans with measurable outcomes.
5. Values Alignment: A profound commitment to CloutSA’s values, including celebrating South African design, championing local talent, and supporting the next generation of designers and makers.
6. Entrepreneurial & Adaptive Mindset: Comfort working in an emerging, dynamic, and fast-evolving environment. Able to problem-solve, adapt, and lead through uncertainty.
7. New Business Development: Strong track record in building commercial relationships, pitching, and securing new business - ideally in an international context.
What CloutSA Offers
• The opportunity to lead a mission-driven organisation shaping a global category for South African design.
• A collaborative, values-aligned environment with strong support from experienced partners, funders, and creative ecosystems.
• The ability to influence the future of South African design globally while contributing to sustainable livelihoods for designers and makers.
• A platform with strong proof-of-concept and significant potential for international growth.