Over the past eight years, Ms Watkins has been instrumental in advancing Korn Ferry’s Search Business in Sub-Saharan Africa, working more broadly across West and East Africa. Ms Watkins brings a commercial orientation, devotion to client experience, relentless curiosity, passion and finesse for people, drive, agility and ability to solve for complex business, succession and leadership challenges in Africa, having pioneered breakthrough solutions for Korn Ferry’s international and domestic clients across the continent. 

Her cumulative 21-year demonstrated career within Executive Search has propelled and positioned Ms Watkins as a robust generalist delivering an enhanced, diverse and active network across Sub-Saharan Africa. Ms Watkins brings vast experience advising and serving multinational, listed and private clients with broad experience gained consulting to clients across the Industrial, Financial Services, Consumer, Technology and Life Sciences Sectors (including all Sub-Sectors).

Before joining Korn Ferry, Ms Watkins served as Director for a boutique Executive Search and Leadership Advisory firm in South Africa.

Her formative career was earned within the strategy, media, and sponsorship sectors, where Ms Watkins managed global sponsors, with P&L accountability and assumed the role as  Head of Short Form Production & Brand Producer for BBC’s Production Partner in Africa.

Prior to this, Ms Watkins formed part of the core team to pioneer a multi-media platform in partnership with South Africa The Good News where she served as Producer and Director of a ground-breaking 26-week documentary celebrating corporate social responsibility, CSI, social development and sustainability initiatives across South Africa. As Producer & Director for several years, Ms Watkins  successfully managed the brand exposure for corporate sponsors where she interviewed and profiled “good corporate citizens” and hundreds of corporate executives from Blue Chip Companies within South Africa and Internationally.

Her earlier career was earnt within the RPO sector where Ms Watkins consulted across the Technology, Industrial and Consumer sectors serving multinational and JSE listed clients.

Ms. Watkins is fluent in English and Afrikaans, she holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Stellenbosch with three majors in industrial psychology, business management, and logistics. She is also recognized as a member of the Golden Key International honor society (a society by invitation only offered to the top fifteen percent of academics in recognition of academic excellence).