Zaheer Ernest

Judge
DISC Type : Dc

Managing Director - Central & Southern Africa at Carvansons - Fragrance Creation

City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Overview

Zaheer is the Managing Director for Carvansons in Central & Southern Africa, drawing on 15 years of B2B sales experience in the chemical and fragrance industries. He focuses on driving strategic growth and building long-term client relationships across the region. He holds a BSc Honours from the University of Cape Town.

Passionate about fostering emerging talent, Zaheer volunteers as a Small Business Mentor with the MicroMentor NPO. He guides entrepreneurs in business development and innovation, drawing from his experience as a personal development advisor to help them achieve their goals.

He channels his extensive corporate expertise into a volunteer role, mentoring small business owners to help them navigate challenges and succeed.

Personality Overview

Quality Focused

Fast But Wary

Features Driven

More than the product, they care about the effectiveness of the product.  They are not focused on building rapport and relationships. They like to be in a position where they can control the conversation and terms.

Topics They Care About

Fragrance Innovation
As the head of a fragrance house, he frequently shares insights on the technical and creative aspects of scent creation, from molecular components to artistic expression.
African Market Growth
He advocates for investment in Africa's personal care value chain, viewing it as a critical step to unlock local innovation and strengthen the regional market.
Entrepreneurial Mentorship
Volunteers his time and expertise to guide small business owners, helping them with strategic growth, client relations, and innovation through the MicroMentor NPO.

Media Appearances

Zaheer has no verified media appearances

Work History

11-2025
Managing Director - Central & Southern Africa at Carvansons - Fragrance Creation
8-2024 - 11-2025
Sales & Business Development, Beauty & Home - Southern Africa at Transmare Chemie South Africa (pty) Ltd.
1-2024
Small Business Mentor at MicroMentor at Mercy Corps (NPO)
7-2022 - 7-2024
Sales Director, Fragrances - Sub-Sahara Africa at Symrise AG
2-2022 - 7-2022
Regional Sales Manager, Beauty & Home - Sub-Saharan Africa at The Lubrizol Corporation

Education

2006 - 2006
BSc Honours from University of Cape Town
2003 - 2005
Bachelor of Science (BSc) from University of the Witwatersrand

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 18 Location : City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Managing Director - Central & Southern Africa at Carvansons - Fragrance Creation
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Insights For Selling To Zaheer

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Speak about competitive differentiation that your product offers
  • Help them weigh the risks by sharing objective proof points without becoming too analytical
  • Make sure that you circle back fast on any action items, it wins their trust

DONT's

  • Don’t take too much time in sending them information if they ask for any
  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Do not back off when challenged, respond with a confident, objective answer instead

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Zaheer is

  • Conviction around the impact matters the most to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Zaheer

  • If they decide not to use your product, they will say no clearly.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Zaheer move?

  • They can take decisions very fast if you manage to convince them.
  • Can Zaheer take some risk or not?

  • The risks don’t matter much to them.

You And Zaheer

Personality Compatibility


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