Few fields carry as much quiet consequence as compliance. It determines whether trust is protected or broken, whether institutions withstand pressure or collapse under it, and whether long-term promises made to people are ultimately honoured. When compliance fails, the cost is carried by people, not systems. This work demands judgment, courage, and the willingness to challenge power when responsibility is at stake.

That responsibility defines Carina Wessels. As Chief GRC Officer and Executive for Impact Advisory at Alexforbes, she ensures that compliance holds firm when scrutiny intensifies, and decisions carry lasting consequences. Her work is centred on protecting trust, reinforcing accountability, and ensuring that institutional power is exercised with care, integrity, and foresight.

When Values Outweigh Titles?

For Carina Wessels , leadership has never been about title or hierarchy. From the outset of her career, she was guided by a desire to leave people, places, and outcomes better than she found them. A defining moment came when she experienced the stark contrast between positional authority and purposeful leadership. During a strategic discussion, an executive leader aggressively dismissed her perspective. Rather than accept disrespect, Carina calmly asserted her values, made it clear that such behaviour was unacceptable, and resigned two days later. That experience, combined with the privilege of learning from servant leaders who elevate others, firmly anchored her belief that leadership must be rooted in integrity, meaning, and values rather than power.

Heritage as a Leadership Compass

Carina’s leadership philosophy has been deeply shaped by her Afrikaans heritage, which is known for its strong Calvinist work ethic grounded in reliability, commitment, and resilience. Her family set a powerful example. Her father spent nearly his entire career with one employer and was known for his uncompromising ethics and high standards. Her mother became the first woman to earn a PhD in mathematics from the University of Pretoria and went on to lead in information technology at a time when female representation was rare.

Her sister built an exceptional career as a paediatric cardiologist in Belgium and also completed a PhD. These legacies instilled in Carina a deep respect for education, perseverance, and ethical leadership, while also inspiring her own pursuit of excellence and continual growth, including her aspiration to earn a PhD.

Turning Vision into Daily Practice

While many leaders speak about vision, Carina believes its true power lies in daily action. She translates vision into reality by setting clear goals and measurable outcomes while ensuring her own behaviour consistently reflects the purpose she expects from others. By reinforcing actions that align with shared values and addressing those that do not, she ensures that vision remains active and present rather than aspirational rhetoric. For her, authenticity is what keeps vision alive within teams.

Values That Guide High Stakes Decisions

Integrity and authenticity form the core of Carina’s decision-making. Guided by the principle of being true to oneself, she applies what she calls the front page test. If a decision would not make her proud as a public headline or as part of a lasting legacy, then it is not the right decision. She carefully balances what is ethical, legal, and commercially sound, recognising that true leadership requires responsibility across all three dimensions.

Lessons Learned Through Empathy

One of Carina’s most formative leadership lessons came from an experience where empathy was lacking. Early in her career, a team member lost her husband unexpectedly. At the time, Carina’s focus on delivery and performance outweighed her understanding of human grief. That experience became a turning point. As personal challenges later deepened her own emotional awareness, she grew into a leader who recognises that compassion and empathy are not weaknesses but essential strengths that allow people to perform and heal simultaneously.

Resilience Shaped by Challenge

Carina Wessels’s journey as a woman in leadership has included challenges that refined her confidence and resilience. She has navigated inappropriate comments, gender bias, and the experience of being the only woman in the room. Her passion and confidence were sometimes misinterpreted as aggression, and balancing professional demands with family life brought its own complexities, including persistent feelings of guilt. These experiences, while difficult, shaped her leadership strength and reinforced her belief that growth often emerges from discomfort.

Ambition With Broader Responsibility

For Carina Wessels , ambition must extend beyond individual or organisational success. She believes it should be grounded in creating systems value that benefits people, society, and the environment alongside commercial prosperity. Leadership decisions, in her view, carry responsibility beyond boardrooms and balance sheets, impacting communities and future generations.

Creating Space for Women to Rise

Carina Wessels has been a passionate advocate for gender mainstreaming for many years. She has championed structural change, including Alexforbes becoming a signatory to the United Nations Women Empowerment Principles. Through this commitment, policies and practices evolved, and lessons were shared across communities of practice to support broader organisational transformation.

She has also served as a judge for the Gender Mainstreaming Awards after being recognised herself in 2020, helping showcase female leaders and entrepreneurs while building supportive networks. More recently, she has spoken openly about perimenopause and menopause, topics often misunderstood in the workplace. Alongside formal initiatives, she has provided personal support, mentorship, and advocacy for women navigating divorce, financial hardship, or career disruption. Today, her leadership team is predominantly female, reflecting her commitment to advancing women through opportunity rather than rhetoric.

Staying Grounded Under the Spotlight

In roles that demand constant visibility and performance, Carina remains anchored by her commitment to authenticity. Daily self-reflection ensures she acts with honesty, integrity, and pride. She believes in showing vulnerability, sharing failures alongside successes, and embracing humility. This openness keeps her connected to her values while navigating leadership pressures.

Leadership That Lifts Others

Mentorship plays a central role in Carina Wessels’s leadership philosophy. Having benefited from both formal and informal mentors, she views mentorship as a form of service. By guiding, supporting, and championing others, she contributes to building a culture of empowerment while continuing her own growth through reciprocal learning.

A Legacy for the Next Generation

Looking ahead, Carina hopes her leadership inspires African women to lead with courage, vision, and purpose. She wants her journey to demonstrate that leadership is about creating opportunity, challenging norms, and driving meaningful change rather than occupying positions of power. She also hopes that the work being done to encourage more sustainable retirement funds will form part of her collective legacy, helping create a future worth retiring into. Above all, she hopes to empower her daughter to become the best version of herself, recognising her journey into motherhood as a defining and deeply personal chapter of her life

Carina Wessels defines leadership as service. In her view, leadership is not about authority or hierarchy but about empowering others to reach their highest potential and creating lasting value that benefits everyone.

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“Leadership, for me, has never been about position. It has always been about leaving people, places, and outcomes better than I found them.”

“I learned early on that authority can be loud, but purpose is steady. The moment I chose my values over a title, my understanding of leadership became permanent.”

“My heritage taught me that excellence is not accidental. It is built through discipline, integrity, and a deep respect for education and ethics.”