Rhizomatic Thinker
How wonderful it would be
to just know.
To have a definitive answer to all our questions. Who am I? Why am I here? What am I meant to do? Or even more confusing: Who are we? Why are we here? What are we meant to do?
As a lifelong learner, rhizomatic thinker, constant questioner, frustrated artist and perpetual beginner; I collect questions, experiences, ideas, concepts and theories from life.
Hello
I’m Ilka and I don’t believe in straight lines, one size fits all, and a life without colour!
Unfortunately, unlike Douglas Adams’s (1989) science-fiction series The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, where 42 is the answer to “the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything” I don’t have a magical number and so spend my life hunting for answers to what it means to be human.
In a world that seeks to organize us into categories and constructs; nature teaches us that there are no straight lines and no fixed borders. I believe we create and recreate our identity in moments of ‘interbeing.’
Betwixt and between who we are now and what we are becoming, are those moments where we grow and mature as humans. We are forged through our toughest life changing experiences.
Thanks for visiting, I’m glad you’re here.
As Leonard Cohen says
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
What I Do
Systems Thinker | Seasoned Leadership Development Developer | Organizational Culture Designer | Executive and Systemic Team Coach | Speaker | Researcher | Commonwealth Study Conferences Global Alumni Chair
Working at the intersection of leadership, culture and strategy; I have always sought to bring together development, design, communication, and coaching to support human flourishing, particularly in service of building a better future for all.
As an identity scholar I work directly at the intersection of leadership, culture and strategy, blending personal identity, team identity and system dynamics.
I am an executive coach to leaders who wish to continue building their own self-awareness and personal power. Working individually, I bring together many different domains: I have many years of working with the personal identity, purpose and meaning work of Rabbi David Lapin and Lead by Greatness, I am an Aephoria Group Associate with experience in Enneagram and Leadership Maturity and am trained in the wellbeing science of Neurozone high performance coaching.
As a qualified Systemic Team Coach with the Academy of Executive Coaching and the European Coaching and Mentoring Council (EMCC), and as a Renewal Associate, I use Systemic Team Coaching to support leaders and leadership teams to find solutions to perplexing business problems.
Having worked with the Presencing Institute at MIT over many years and as a Presencing Foundations facilitator; I bring Systemic Team Coaching together with the best of Theory U and deep systems work.
As a seasoned leadership development, team development and organizational development and culture experience designer, facilitator, and communications partner; I seek to blend the best of experiential learning, with communications strategies and culture engagement activities that help businesses culturally connect their people to their business strategy.
Helping businesses to tell the story of where we are going and why in a way that is compelling while connecting individuals to who I am and how I count in this story. In this way I bring the best of human energy to business impact to create enduring results.
My Experience
Working at the intersection of leadership, culture and strategy, I have always sought to bring together development, design, communication, and coaching to support human flourishing, particularly in service of building a better future.
I founded Ad Infinitum Partners in early 2025. Ad Infinitum Partners brings together some of the best local and international leadership and organisational development modalities, providers and partners to provide bespoke solutions to leadership and organisational development needs. This ensures local context and flavour with international experience.
Accreditations
Academics
Fascinated by the intersections between all things I found my way over the years through a BA Dramatic Art Hons, an MEd and a PhD in Personal, Interpersonal and Professional Leadership.
I am currently an Associate Researcher with Henley SA and Henley UK and the Henley Centre for Leadership Africa.
Volunteering
I broadened my reach through mentoring NGO leaders with Business Arts South Africa and a 10-year board position with the South African Graduate Employers Association.
I am currently Co-Chair of the Commonwealth Study Conference Global Alumni Organisation and work to bring together diverse alumni from across the Commonwealth to do good.
Corporate experience
I started my career in a theatre company involved in drama and theatre in education before going on to set up and run the English and Drama Department for ORT-STEP (Organisation or Resources and Training – Science and Technology Education Programme) South Africa.
In 1997 I set up Actions Speak Educational Design and over 10-years wrote textbooks and educational film scripts, created online lessons for Guardian UK, Mindset and Learnthings, developed over 250 teachers and principals in rural schools, designed and delivered an NGO research programme for SAIH (Studentenes og Akademikernes Internasjonale Hjelpefond), and developed leaders in corporates. I also designed and hosted the South Africa Arts festival for YEAST (The Year of Education Art Science and Technology).
Starting at Rand Merchant Bank in 2006 I conceptualised and ran the Young Talent portfolio, the Learning Architecture team and the Leadership and Culture portfolio and initiated numerous Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging drives including the launch of the first Women’s programme and network. My work enabled me to work directly with senior leadership crafting our leadership and culture ecosystem and bolstering it through our leadership development initiatives, our leadership strategy engagement sessions, our employee communications strategy and our yearly conferences.
I was a member of the RMB Fund committee and designed the RMB NGO Leadership Network, an initiative to grow NGO leaders through CSI partnerships.
I joined FirstRand as the Group Lead for Organisational and Leadership Culture in 2021. In this role I brought together leadership, coaching, mentoring and mindfulness and focused on deepening systemic and ecosystem thinking while growing a culture of leadership across the group. I also supported leaders as an executive and systemic team coach.
My Publications
Men: Through the looking Glass
Everyone needs to fix gender bias at work
The Gradathlon: Sprints, hurdles and marathons
Graduate Identity Development in South Africa
Devising the Map: The Journey towards Arts and Culture Education in the Foundation Phase
Nothing else but to be a woman: The Poetics of Gender in Southern Africa
Devising the Map: The Journey towards Arts and Culture Education for Grades 1 to 3 in South African Schools
Leadership Identity Transitions
Speaking
Creating impactful transitional leadership development programmes: the role of identity
Salvo Global Talent Conference 2013
Sep 11, 2012
Mistaken identity: You think I’m this and I think you’re that! Why do we keep missing each other?
Misaligned warranting, its impact on identity and the role of the independent mediator
British Academy of Management: full paper presentation
Jan 1, 2013
Creating impactful transitional graduate development programmes: the role of identity?
Presentation delivered at the SAGRA Conference
Dec 1, 2013
Taking the edge off
How V-Gens use humorous images as identity statements to gain and maintain acceptance
Full paper presentation at BAM 2015
Sept, 9, 2015
Meet the Modern Learner
Presentation delivered at: KR Learning and Development Conference 2016
Sept 8, 2016
Business Models: Books and Theories to burn (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs)
Presentation at Gordon Institute for Business Science (GIBS)
Sept, 6, 2017
Leadership and Culture: A Journey
Keynote address delivered at Showcasing the Future - For today's and tomorrow's leaders in NHS Scotland
Nov 15, 2017
8 Leadership Lessons: Driving organisational culture and improving strategic focus
Keynote address presented to Masawara Group
Sept, 10, 2022
CSC Global Alumni Leadership Series with Australia's 27th Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Sept 28, 2023