1. Riëtte Ackermann
Executive Coach & Learning Consultant
MPhil Industrial Psychology (Personal & Professional Leadership)
M 082 393 0160 E riette@changepace.co.za
PO Box 47, Parklands, 2121
10 March 2015
To whom it may concern
RE: Burton Swain Reference
I had the privilege of working with Burton Swain as his personal development coach when he completed the
Distell Senior Leadership Development Programme in 2013/14. What struck me about Burton as a senior leader,
was his willingness to learn and to put in the hard efforts to improve his impact as a leader, despite the many
years of experience and strong body of knowledge that he had acquired over the years. He has an appetite for
continuous growth and encourages this in those around him.
Burton’s maturity and high level of emotional intelligence allowed him to acknowledge potential blind spots and
to seek and be receptive to feedback from others. He put together a detailed action plan to address areas within
the department and team that he was leading at the time. Burton also managed to execute thoroughly on the
plan, which resulted in a more engaged team, with team members willing to take accountability and ownership
for their actions.
Burton has very high standards and is somewhat of a perfectionist, and even though it must have been difficult
for him to let go of some of the more operational responsibilities, he realised that he needed to operate at a
strategic level in order to lead the department to perform optimally. In addition to this, he was mindful that
team members themselves can only develop when encouraged to take on more responsibilities. The changes
that Burton implemented at the time worked well, and allowed him to take on the opportunity of Country
Manager in Ghana and developing the operation in that country.
Burton is ambitious, committed, loyal and hard-working. He will tackle any opportunity and challenge with his
full attention and energy, always taking cognisance of the impact of his decisions and actions on those around
him, yet being able to take a decisive stance when the situation calls for it.
He is a true leader; I highly recommend him and wish him well on his leadership journey in Distell.
Yours sincerely,
Professional Associate