About Matt Rikus Wessels
A bit about me
Hi, I’m Mattheus Wessels (most people call me Rikus).
I spend my days helping people and organisations connect the dots between ideas, people, and what actually works in practice. Over the past 15+ years, I’ve worked across operations and project management, talent and recruitment, organisational development, learning and development, and education leadership, with experience spanning South Africa, South Korea, and Georgia. In short: I’ve spent a lot of time navigating complexity, change, and the beautifully human messiness that comes with both.
My academic roots are in International Studies and History from Stellenbosch University, with time spent studying in Belgium and Germany. I later completed a Master’s in International Human Resources Management through Rome Business School. This mix of global study and lived experience shaped a people-first approach to strategy, leadership, and organisational design. I care deeply about how systems affect real humans once the PowerPoint slides are gone.
Professionally, I specialise in building inclusive cultures, leading cross-cultural teams, designing learning and development programmes that don’t feel like box-ticking exercises, and supporting organisations with thoughtful, ethical talent and people strategies. I’m interested in growth that lasts, not growth that burns everyone out in the process.
I’m known for bringing structure and empathy to the table. I ask questions, listen carefully, and tend to believe that curiosity usually gets us further than certainty. I also care a lot about mental health, psychological safety, and creating environments where people are allowed to be human before they’re expected to be exceptional.
Outside of work, I’m a traveller at heart with an unhealthy interest in geopolitics, current affairs, and how cultures tell their stories. I write when I need to think, collect stories wherever I go, and enjoy discovering good wine in unfamiliar places (purely for research purposes, of course).
If you’re building something that values people, purpose, and clarity over noise, there’s a good chance we’ll get along.