Introducing our director of operational delivery… Errol van Graan

Next up in our latest Q&A feature is Errol van Graan, our recently appointed Director of Operational Delivery in South Africa, covering our Diep River, Retreat, Mitchells Plain and Paarl offices in Western Cape.

We sat down with Errol to get to know him and his thoughts not only on his time so far here at Sigma Connected, but also about his experience, his ambition for his new role, and the changes he wants to implement over the coming months.

Q. Hi Errol. Let’s start by giving you a huge warm welcome to Sigma Connected. It’s been a few months now since you joined. How you are settling in, and what’s your early perceptions?

Thank you for having me, it’s great to have the opportunity to sit down and review where things are so early on. I’m settling in really well, and have been made to feel so welcome.

I think first and foremost it’s clear Sigma Connected is a phenomenal business which has gone through exceptional growth and success over the past decade, and because of that growth there are some improvement areas we need to focus on moving forward.

I have worked in many different organisations and counties over the past 25 years, but I have never experienced a company that is so obsessed with its people. Our values aren’t just words written on a wall, you feel them with every interaction. When you combine that culture which is already embedded in the DNA of this business with a strong operational environment that is obsessed around excellence, that formula will deliver something truly world class.

I have never worked directly within the BPO industry before, but my background has always been in operations and always client side. I am therefore looking at it through the lens of a client which I hope adds a different dimension and allows us to exceed client expectations. I know Sigma Connected already bring people in from an operational and technical background, which adds so much value to the business.

It’s clear to see Sigma Connected has a very caring culture where people look out for each other. There is a genuine passion for taking care of our people so you don’t see a high level of staff turnover. The site locations in areas you wouldn’t normally expect, such as Mitchells Plain and Paarl is also a massive plus and an innovative approach. It’s something which is really rare and has cut back transport and travel costs for all staff as well as helping the local economies.

Q. That’s great to hear about the culture you feel we have. But what actually made you choose to join Sigma Connected?

Would you believe me if I told you I semi-retired last year and was instead focusing on executive coaching.

Joining Sigma Connected actually came following an initial meeting with Group CEO Gary Gilburd and Chief Strategy Officer, Peter Doveren. I worked with Peter at Vodafone many years ago and he invited me to look around the offices in Cape Town. I was undecided but I grew up in Cape Town’s Diep River area, where many of the Sigma Connected team come from. I still have a strong association with the community and as a business we are investing in talent. So, together with meeting a young, talented and hungry leadership team, that really helped to make my mind up as the impact of employing and investing in people from communities like Diep River is huge.

Q. So how are you planning on making changes? What are the key things?

I am going to be very hands-on as I’m passionate about achieving excellence. We have grown rapidly in a short space of time and have said ‘yes’ to many things. This has meant so many positives, but has also seen challenges presenting themselves. We have learnt from these, so it’s important we ensure the basic principles are addressed and back to where they should be. This includes getting our foundation right, embedding lean principles into our operational environment, and building capability within our teams through both leadership and training.

Coaching is absolutely key in this and we’re embedding coaching practices into our leadership development, whilst also having the right infrastructure to support all individuals on their growth journeys.

Once the operation is stabilised, it’s then about how we start to drive more value for our clients – how we build data to be able to give value back to our clients in the form of insights to help drive efficiencies. You must have a solid foundation before you can even get there and it will allow for more valuable conversations with clients.

Q. You mention you are passionate about excellence, can you expand on that some more?

I basically mean I don’t compromise on excellence. There is a standard you have to operate at and I always ask team leaders, ‘what do you tolerate’ as what you tolerate sets a standard in a sense that people start to understand what is acceptable. As leaders if we are driven around excellence then there are certain things you should not tolerate and you need to call it out when you see it in your operation.

Sigma Connected is a world class organisation and to remain world class we must continue to deliver on excellent customer service. Clients who visit us also have to feel that its world class. You cannot be average and hope for world class results at the end – it starts right at the input stage. So, this is what I want the team to see what we need to be striving for.

Q. Can I dive a little deeper and ask more about you personally and what drives you?

As I mentioned I grew up in a community close to our Deep River office. Raised by my mum who was a widow and my two older siblings. Like most people in that community we struggled and my older brother and sister had to drop out of school quite young in order to earn an income to support the family. I was the only one to be given an opportunity to finish high school and the only one to go to university and psychologically that built something inside of me to succeed. I was given that opportunity and always felt compelled to my brother and sister and my community. Maybe that appreciation and resilience has driven me from a very young age.

My story is not unique and similar to many families from the same community. I started working at the age of 11 delivering newspapers. I have also worked as an usher and a packer. In fact, I have never stopped working since that age and maybe that’s why semi-retirement was so enticing.

I also love sport, especially cycling and I will ride when I get the chance. I recently took part in the Argus Cycle Tour for charity. I also love running, I did a half marathon many years ago but have committed to running a full marathon in 2026. Watch this space!!

Q. Thank you Errol, it’s been a really fascinating time with you. But one final question, do you have a phase or saying you stand by?

Funny you ask that as I actually do. It’s short and simple: ‘to inspire people to greatness’. And when I say ‘greatness’, I mean as great as they want to become.