In the talk I dwelled on in Benchtest 11.2025, Brand Pretorius distils a lifetime of leadership experience into one simple truth: leadership is a privilege of service, not a platform for power. He reminds us that authentic leaders derive authority not from title or position, but from moral credibility — the trust they earn by putting people first.

This message resonates far beyond the corporate world. It speaks directly to those who hold public office, supervisors, regulators, and enforcers of the law, whose mandates exist to protect and uplift the very stakeholders they regulate. In the pensions industry, this includes members, funds, trustees, and service providers, all of whom depend on a regulator that leads with integrity, empathy, and fairness.

Too often, however, public authorities lose sight of their founding purpose. Bureaucratic reflexes replace dialogue; procedure overshadows proportionality. When a regulator’s interactions are perceived as punitive rather than constructive, or when unilateral directives replace consultation, trust erodes. Oversight without service becomes oppression in disguise.

Pretorius’s notion of servant leadership offers a necessary corrective. Just as he believed a CEO should see his employees as partners in purpose, so too should regulators see their stakeholders not as subjects of control, but as collaborators in a shared mission — to safeguard retirement security and sustain confidence in the financial system.

The difference between serving authority and authoritative service lies not in function, but in attitude. A regulator that listens, explains, engages and yields to other views earns far more compliance than one that commands.

Parallels Between Corporate Leadership and Public Service.

 

“Leadership is about service, not status.” — Brand Pretorius, “In the Driving Seat”