Embrace constraints and drive impact
Meet Tumi
Entrepreneur, Recreational Endurance Athlete, Speaker, Board Member
Tumi is co-founder and a Lithium Ion Battery assembly plant and is Director and founder of a renewable energy project development company that she has founded.
Tumi is also recreational endurance athlete with keen interest in mountain sports and has completed many endurance events.
What she speaks about
Tumi thinks of her rich experiences as "Peaks" and although seemingly unrelated, they all have a common thread. Tumi demonstrates, through compelling experiences, the power that comes with looking and thinking purposefully of embracing constraints.
Mountaineer
Tumi has summitted three of the seven summits – Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus (Europe) and Mount Aconcagua (South America) and has summitted other mountain peaks of varying altitudes, including Mount Mulanje (Malawi), Machu Picchu (Peru) and Monte Bonete (Argentina). She has attempted the “9 Peak Challenge” and completed as the first ladies' team to attempt all summits. However, their attempt was not deemed a record on a technicality that they were not able to reach the exact coordinates on two of the peaks.
Recreational Endurance Athlete
Tumi also loves mountain biking and has completed a number of multiple stage endurance events, including the Transcape MTB, a gruelling 7-stage mountain biking event. She is an ultra-distance road and trail runner and has completed many ultra-marathons, including 9 Comrades Marathons (best time: 10:15) and 6 Two Oceans Ultra Marathons (best time 5:36).
Survivor of a rare artery disease
Years ago, when doctors could not figure out the cause of severe underperformance issues in her running and cycling activities, Tumi set out to find answers. She ended up acquiring detailed knowledge of artery abnormalities and self-diagnosed EIAE (External Iliac Artery Endofibrosis). Tumi speaks about her long and painful journey that took her to specialists overseas and how she was able to put her long ordeal behind her.
Entrepreneur
Tumi speaks about how she started two businesses from scratch in renewal energy that have, under three years surpassed combined turnover of R50m per annum. Her experienced setting up and managing these businesses provides deep insights for corporates and other entities that have interest in the development of small businesses as well as in their Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) activities.
Tumi speaks as a seasoned executive, highly experienced in the execution of complex projects and programmes. She is currently serving on a number of boards and is able to share her journey from the time she left home at 16 years of age to study in Cape Town and the corporate experiences that have shaped her outlook to this day.
Board and Corporate Leader
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Travel Enthusiast
Tumi has travelled extensively, many times as a solo traveller, and through many continents and geographies, including countries in Europe, rest of Africa, Asia, and North and South America, and including the Carribean islands. Her focus was mostly on roads less travelled and has picked up many insights and lessons that have contributed to her perspective and outlook to this day.
Some of her audiences
