Russell Curtis

Russell Curtis is Head of Invest Durban, the city’s investment advisory and facilitation authority. However, he wears other hats in various business, community, and faith-based structures.

Russell describes himself as a ‘son of the soil across this planet’. Born in Zambia, he grew up in Zimbabwe, spent over a decade in the United States (where he became a citizen), and had stints living and working in the United Kingdom and Europe. This experience has given him a global citizen perspective, but he remains deeply rooted in Africa ‘as a dyed-in-the- wool African’. He says, “All of us across the Rainbow nation, across this continent, proudly see ourselves as Africans, whether we came here by naturalisation 50 years ago or like my ancestors that came here over 300 years ago.”

The journey into work for Russell started at the young age of 13 doing weekend work in the US. His first full time job was at the age of 20 with a fund management company in the US called First Investors Corporation as a management trainee. “That’s progressed into financial services, investment advisory and various other aspects of Invest Durban,” he explained.

JOY IN PURPOSE
Reflecting on his life and career, Russell shares that he has found joy in his purpose. “One of the reasons I’ve been put on this planet is to source, accelerate, and leverage business growth for the benefit of all,” he explains. His vision is to do this in a “globally connected, sustainable, and flawless manner.” He fundamentally believes, “We can’t have islands of prosperity surrounded by seas of poverty.” For him, building nations through the function of work and investment is to build lasting relationships. “In doing so, you build the fabric of Shalom, and construct the nation together,” he explains.

When asked about his proudest accomplishment, Russell speaks first about his family. “My wife and I have been together for 35 years,” he says. “We battled to have children, so we made the conscious decision that if and when children came along, they would be our primary investment in life.” His pride in his family is clear: “My son is now 23, getting married later this year, and my daughter is in her second year at university. So, an accomplishment for me is that I’m still married, have two happy, healthy children, and a wonderful network of friends and family.”

On a professional level, Russell is proud of his work with Invest Durban. “We started off life as the Durban Investment Promotion Agency (DIPA) in the early 2000s, which was an unknown entity in South Africa,” he recalls. “Now, over these last 23-odd years, we’ve built it into something that Durban understands, and it’s woven into the fabric of other investment promotion authorities around the world. I’m happy to say we’ve leveraged that for Durban’s benefit into the global network.”

ATTITUDE VS ALTITUDE
Russell reflects that we all get peppered with good advice, “if we’re open to it and, more importantly, if we’re willing to implement it.” One piece of advice that stands out for him is that, “Your attitude determines your altitude”. He added that while he doesn’t always get things right, he uses his attitude to correct his course.

“For Russell, challenges are a constant in life. “Life is full of challenges, and I would say every day presents a challenge to us,” he notes. He doesn’t single out any specific challenge, acknowledging that “we’ve all gone through them, whether it be on a work, a family, or a health front.” To overcome challenges, Russell relies on two key strategies: keeping faith and hope alive, and persevering. “If you think about it, what were some of the forces that brought about change in our country? It was keeping faith and hope alive, while overcoming the challenges,” he explains.

He added, “The second strategy is more practical – perseverance. We may not be the smartest, richest, fastest, or best-networked, but if you try to out- persevere the situation, the detractors, and the challenge, you’ll end up being the last standing victor.”

Russell strives to motivate his team by leading with a compelling vision. “If you can craft a compelling vision and lead with that vision, then demonstrate your own personal commitment to it, that’s key,” he says. He emphasises the importance of 'proximity’ in overcoming team conflicts and challenges. “Where I find myself in conflict with someone or there’s an obstacle in our relationship, I intentionally go and sit myself next to them as often as I possibly can,” he explains. “Proximity breeds solidarity.”

A HIGHER CALLING
Russell draws inspiration from many sources, starting with his faith. “My faith in the Lord God Almighty absolutely inspires me and gives me a never-ending source of foundation and strength,” he says. He also mentions past bosses like Henk Leenstra, who ran the Nedbank group for KwaZulu- Natal, and global icons like Nelson Mandela. “One of the traits that run across these leaders, and even from my faith, is servant-hearted leadership,” Russell notes. “If we can think of others more highly than ourselves, if we can lead our lives self- sacrificially, there’s no higher calling.”

Looking to the future, Russell is optimistic about KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa as a whole. “I think we’ve entered into a new season, and I’m unashamedly optimistic,” he says. He sees a “fantastic paradigm shift into practical public-private partnerships” over the next five years. “We’re coming together again,” he explains, “and that’s what excites me, these stakeholder groups coming together, forgiving the past, realising that we hold a fiduciary responsibility to build our city and nation for our children and grandchildren, and doing it in very practical ways with combined resources.”

In conclusion, Russell’s motto, especially as it relates to his children, is simple: “Passion and enthusiasm. If we can engender it in ourselves and distribute it to others, then living with passion and enthusiasm becomes a habit,” he says. In a more personal family context, he adds, “Our little family motto is ‘Curtises are conquerors,’ but we do it in a very servant- hearted way.”