Leoni Richards: A free spirit with a twist!

Being independent in every sense of the word is very important to the Managing Director of brand and communication company Black Martini. She pursued an intensive career in the corporate world before moving to Mauritius to set up her own agency.

Born in South Africa, 50-year-old Leoni Field-Richards spent most of her life in Johannesburg before setting up camp in Mauritius in search of a better quality of life, armed with considerable years of experience within high-profile corporate enterprises.

Her professional journey first starts in 1986 when after a Higher Diploma in Food and Clothing technology and a Diploma in Strategic Marketing she moves to Durban to integrate the Mr Price Group as a Fashion Buyer at Milady’s, where she is later promoted to Senior Fashion Buyer and then to Marketing Executive. She will end up spending 12 years within this group, acquiring valuable experience along the way.

This also meant travelling the world four to five times a year and often on short notice, but it was a very glamorous career for a young girl, says Leoni Richards. One of the most marking moments for her was when she was called upon to take up the position of her mentor in the marketing department, who passed away.

“It was sad and inspiring at the same time because I had big shoes to fill,” she states. The urge to found her own enterprise will however take over and in 1998, Leoni Richards opens her own consulting business, specialising in loyalty programmes before joining the JD Group as Group Marketing Executive.

While at JD, she was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of BoConcept UK, a retailer of Danish furniture with stores throughout the UK. “My role was to make sure that the different low to high-end brands the group never cannibalised each other. It was very tough but I liked it,” she declares. One of the toughest challenges as part of the JD Group, Leoni Richards recalls, was assisting the UK segment of the business which was in severe financial trouble. “It took me 18 months to wrap up the business, fill up some of the stores, close some of them and find new jobs for those who had been laid off. We were able to leave the UK with a very good reputation regardless of whether the business had survived. It was a good experience overall.”

In 2005, upon her return to South Africa, she is appointed Managing Director of Maravedi Financial Solutions, a joint venture between Absa Bank and Thebe Investments, where she s쳮ds in bringing about a return to profitability in six months’ time. From that point, Leoni Richards decides she has had enough of the corporate adventure and thus joins The Firehouse, an advertising agency in Johannesburg, as Managing Director of the African operations before being hit by an epiphany: this is not her long-term life goal.

“A third of our life is monopolised by studies, while the second third is spent building a career. What do you do with the last third?” questions Leoni Richards on a philosophical note. “I wanted to pursue something I passionately loved, through which I could put to use what I’ve learned from other people and I said to myself: ‘Why don’t I create my own agency?’ This is how Black Martini was born,” she recounts.

Where does Mauritius fit into this equation? Leoni Richards explains that she had visited the place a few times before and saw the potential for a brand and communication agency. The most important reason for moving here however, she pursues, was to get in touch with reality again. “Sometimes you can get drawn into a pretentious world and Johannesburg is a very easy place for that to happen. There is a beautiful life balance in Mauritius,” she admits.

Black Martini will celebrate its sixth anniversary in March and since its creation, has worked with big groups and companies such as CIEL and Alteo (Anahita), Indian Ocean Real Estate Company (Azuri), AfrAsia and Phoenix Beverages. Why the name Black Martini, one may ask? “There are several reasons”, Leoni Richards answers with a smile.

Firstly, she wanted a name she loved, which was memorable and fun as well. “My nickname when I was in the corporate business was ‘the silver bullet’, and it is also another appellation for a Martini. Its definition is that it is clear, potent and never misses the mark. The name ‘Black Martini’ was eventually chosen because of that and my love for the colour black,” she confides.

Outside of Black Martini, which is her major passion in life, Leoni Richards describes herself as quite an easy-going person who enjoys spending time with her friends and her husband, Mark. She also likes dinner parties, watching sunsets, being out on a boat or simply digging into a good book. “I was mad about diving until recently but I overdid it, so I’m taking a break from it right now and concentrating on getting my skipper’s license,” she adds. 

Does she not regret having trodden on the path of her dreams earlier? “There are times I wish I had done it earlier,” she replies. “Then again, I would not have had the knowledge I had six years ago when I founded my agency. There are lots of things that are watersheds in your life. I learned tremendously from my business experience in the UK, for example.”

Another marking moment in her life has been falling in love with and marrying her closest friend, which is the best thing that can happen to anybody, she says. “My husband and my family, back in Johannesburg, whom I visit regularly, are important to me. They are what keeps me stable,” she confides.

This free spirit thus intends to continue her journey guided by a motto quite befitting her personality: “Dream, because if you don’t dream, you have nothing to aspire to.”