About – Beyond Teams

Intuitive.

Proactive.

Tenacious.

Resourceful.

Personable.

Energetic.

Successful against any odds.

My first role as a Scrum Master was in 2016, when I took on a short contract to support the delivery of a software project for Wonga.com. At the same time I was studying a module on complexity theory and systems thinking as part of my Post Graduate Degree at Stellenbosch University on the political economics of sustainable development.

Everything about the fundamentals of agile ways of working made complete sense to me from the beginning – recognising that to get the best out of people, their needs to be a framework of working and culture that nurtures intrinsic motivation and sharing of ideas. This is especially true and needed for any team facing significant changes and/or a high degree of uncertainty.

The contract with Wonga.com was extended several times before Head Office in London asked me to join them on a permanent basis. I reveled being in one of the centres of Agile ways of working and thinking, and was a regular at agile events all over London, including one at Google where I had a debate with one of the creators of Scrum, Jeff Sutherland, on the role of psychological safety for agile to be successful. As an ex-army man, he puts more weight on following the rules perfectly. I am a proponent of using agile methods as a starting point and guidelines, and then leveraging the culture, mindset and toolbox to support teams to find ways of working best suited to the company, project and clients specific needs and context.

Since Wonga.com I continued working with a variety of teams, projects and companies and have proven consistently that my approach results in teams working more efficiently and effectively. Every team is different, every team has presented me with new challenges and every team reminds me again why I love coaching and training people to bring their best to their work.

I am back living in my home city of Johannesburg, South Africa, however it has been rewarding for me to work with, and learn from, people from all over the world and would love to continue to do so.

Testimonials

Blake Esra – COO at BasaltX (now Emphyre, SA and UK)

She is incredibly diligent and detail-oriented, ensuring that every task was executed flawlessly and every deadline met. Samantha excelled at managing both the team and the client, balancing expectations with exceptional communication and reporting. Her ability to navigate and resolve conflicts stood out – she handled difficult conversations with tact and clarity, always keeping the project’s best interests in focus.

Her leadership, combined with her strong organisational skills and dedication, made her an invaluable asset to our team. I would highly recommend Samantha for any project or role requiring a proactive, results-driven, and empathetic team leader.”

Gareth Cooper – Capability Centre Lead at Shell (London, UK)

What sets her apart is her ability to fearlessly tackle any challenge, no matter how daunting. She supported me through a period of intense growth in demand for Agile skills within our lines of business, and her contributions were invaluable. Samantha not only identified the best ways of working but also continuously refined our processes, leading to remarkable improvements with our KPI’s and aligned with our OKR’s.

Samantha’s diligence and expertise were particularly evident in our collaboration on a hiring strategy and guidance playbook. Her insights and guidance played a pivotal role in our success. What truly sets Samantha apart is her versatility; she effortlessly works at all levels of seniority, exuding confidence and the perfect amount of assertiveness.

Beyond her professional prowess, Samantha’s passion for sustainability and renewable energy is truly commendable. Her commitment to creating a better world through these endeavors is inspiring and speaks volumes about her character.

I wholeheartedly recommend Samantha as an exceptional professional and a wonderful colleague. Her blend of bravery, problem-solving skills, and commitment to a better world make her an invaluable asset to any team or organization.”

Eric Bezoen – Delivery Excellence Manager at Shell (The Hague, Netherlands)

“Sam is a real experienced agelist who knows what suits best by a team and individual team members to bring them to the next level. Sam is much more then just a scrum master. Based on the years of experience she has and the many different teams she worked with, she will help teams in the most efficient way to improve their productivity. More important, she understands that it is not only the team that is important, but also all the stakeholders to involve in the journey to change.
Her perseverance and will to lead the team to success is what sets her apart from most other Agelists. If I could work again with Sam, I would not hesitate for a second.”

Hanneke van Linge – Managing Director at NOSH Food Rescue (Johannesburg, South Africa)

“Samantha worked for Nosh Food rescue NPC during the worst part of lockdown in South Africa, and was pivotal to our non-profit organisation establishing the connections needed to receive the over 250 tonnes of fruit and vegetable donations salvaged from the Joburg Fresh Produce Market in that time. Samantha built amazing relationships with a wide variety of individuals – relationships which are still benefitting Nosh today. She showed remarkable fortitude in the face of continuous rejection and achieved great results, all the while being told it couldn’t be done – with tireless passion, compassion, motivation and people skills. Having known Samantha for a couple of years before her volunteering stint, I honestly think she can achieve anything that she puts her mind to. The contacts she made continue to bear fruit, turning Nosh into the largest beneficiary of salvaged produce and food donations from the Joburg Market. We miss her energy and hope to work with her again in the future.”

Jean-Paul du Toit – Network Security Engineer at Wonga.com (Cape Town, South Africa)

I would gladly recommend Sam for any role in any industry where, I believe, she would be an asset. She possesses an inherent ability to motivate, inspire and guide; traits which push teams to achieve and progress through project life-cycles and beyond.”

Bo Marcus-Win – Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Wonga.com (London, UK)

“Sam is a great team player, energetic, observant and always focused. As a scrum master she shines because she’s always looking for ways to improve the efficiency and quality of how things are working with an aim to prioritize and adapt, to achieve best results. Sam’s strengths in a methodical approach and knowledge of industry standards makes her a valuable commodity to any organization, not to mention she’s great fun to work with.”