Entrepreneur: CEO of WeChat Africa Brett Loubser
After a remarkable career of highs and lows, Brett Loubser has a plan to grow WeChat on the continent and, in doing so, challenge the dominance of WhatsApp, which has double the number of users.WeChat is probably the most important app in China right now. It’s a cross-platform instant messaging service developed by Tencent (34% owned by Naspers). More than a platform to chat, it allows users to play games, transfer money, order food, read the news and book appointments.Loubser has been CEO of WeChat Africa since 2013. Prior to that, he had a colourful career.Having gone through several rounds of retrenchments in various jobs over the years — the first when he sold clothes at Edgars in Bloemfontein — Loubser shows remarkable resilience. He has worked at a number of small businesses and trained as a draughtsman. He has also designed kitchens, and is well acquainted with computers: he built his first computer game at the age of 13."Resilience is probably the single most important chara...
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