Richard Burgess

Results-driven senior commercial leader with a track record of driving revenue growth, opening new markets, and managing cross-functional teams across diverse global regions. Proven ability to navigate complex enterprise sales in hospitality, energy, telematics, aviation MRO, and fintech. Known for translating technical solutions into compelling business cases, building lasting partner networks, and establishing commercial operations from the ground up in challenging markets.

Channel Partner - Guest360 (RevControl) - Cape Town, SA

(2024-06)

Secured exclusive distribution rights to resell RevControl, a leading SaaS revenue management platform, across Africa and the Middle East, establishing a new commercial channel in an underserved region.

• Built and leads all commercial sales and marketing activity for the territory, driving market entry, customer acquisition, and pipeline development from the ground up.
• Acts as a specialist consultant to hotel owners and operators, framing the strategic and financial ROI case for revenue management technology adoption.
• Developing a partner network of hospitality consultants and PMS providers to accelerate distribution across key African and Middle Eastern markets.

Business Development Manager - Balancell Energy - Cape Town, SA

(2021-08 - 2024-04)

Drove strategic business development and operational execution for a fast-growing lithium battery manufacturer, expanding into new verticals and scaling national distribution.

• Delivered R60.5M in revenue in FY2022, a pivotal result that validated the company's expansion into marine, residential, and commercial energy sectors.
• Designed and built a national B2C distributor network across South Africa, overseeing cross-functional coordination with manufacturing, engineering, logistics, and customer service teams.
• Secured and managed high-value OEM accounts, including a leading South African electric vehicle manufacturer and the country's first all-electric yacht builder.
• Implemented a structured customer helpdesk system that improved post-sale support, strengthened client retention, and reduced escalation rates.

Head of Sales & Partnerships - Crewed Charter Yacht Vacations - Cape Town, SA

(2016-05 - 2021-02)

Led the commercial operations for a luxury crewed charter yacht agency, directing sales across the US and Europe, and growing a high-performing remote team.

• Achieved an 18% average year-over-year revenue increase by implementing structured sales optimisation frameworks, KPI tracking, and targeted agent incentive programmes.
• Developed and managed a global partnership network of premium travel agencies, yacht charter brokers, insurers, car rental companies, and concierge services.
• Recruited, directed, and coached a remote sales team of six, establishing performance standards and a culture of accountability that ensured sustained growth.

Business Development Manager - PFK Electronics - Durban, SA

(2014-07 - 2015-11)

Managed a critical US strategic partner relationship, coordinating cross-functional compliance, logistics, finance, and engineering to support the sale of alcohol breathalyser systems into regulated US markets.

• Generated $1.2M in FY2015 revenue, achieving 140% of target through disciplined pipeline management and strong partner engagement.
• Steered new product innovation initiatives and led US regulatory approval processes across multiple states to enable significant market expansion.

Regional Head of Sales, Asia - Mix Telematics (now Powerfleet) - Cape Town, SA

(2012-07 - 2013-11)

Oversaw all commercial activity for advanced fleet telematics solutions across Southeast Asia, managing regional budgets, distributor relationships, and a team of three senior Business Development Managers.

• Revamped partner onboarding and operational frameworks, directly contributing to 40% of the FY2013 regional revenue target.
• Led complex enterprise tenders, proof-of-concept deployments, and joint go-to-market projects with global technical teams.

Sales Director - Rusada (now Veryon) - Dubai, UAE

(2010-06 - 2012-02)

Held full P&L accountability for the Middle East office, directing regional sales of aviation maintenance MRO software and managing technical and client support functions.

• Generated $1.8M in revenue, achieving 90% of the FY2011 budget in a new, high-complexity market.
• Built and managed a qualified pipeline of airline, MRO provider, and aviation authority prospects across the region.

Sales Director Middle East - Fundamo (acquired by Visa) - Dubai, UAE

(2007-02 - 2010-03)

Established the Fundamo Dubai Free Zone office from inception and developed an executive-level opportunity pipeline across the Middle East for mobile banking and payments solutions.

• Secured a landmark regional mobile money JV, generating $1.6M in revenue at 130% of target.
• Managed complex enterprise sales cycles involving government regulators, central banks, and tier-one financial institutions.

Enterprise Account Manager - Hewlett Packard - Boston, USA

(2002-06 - 2006-12)

Account Manager - FileNet (IBM) - Dammam, Saudi Arabia

(1998-03 - 2002-02)

Systems Engineer - FileNet (IBM) - Johannesburg, SA

(1993-01 - 1998-02)

Sales Executive - The Pro Shop (MoreCorp) - Durban, SA

(1989-06 - 1992-12)

Master of Yachts - Royal Yachting Association (2017 - 2017)

Business Administration Diploma - Damelin Management School (1988 - 1988)

Military Service - SA Marine Corps (1985 - 1986)

National Senior Certificate (Matric) - Pretoria Boys High School (1984 - 1984)