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Matt Rikus Wessels

@mattrikuswessels

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Global People Operations Leader in Talent Acquisition, Training & Organisational Development

South Africa

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What I'm looking for

Seeking a strategic role in global talent acquisition, leveraging expertise in digital innovation and cross-cultural leadership to drive organizational growth and engagement.

I build people and operating systems that help organisations work better as they grow. Over more than 15 years, I have moved from teaching and academic programme coordination into international recruitment, people operations, organisational development and multi-site operations.

At Son’s Edu in South Korea, I established the organisation’s first international HR and recruitment function, supported more than 100 international educators and staff, and advised senior leaders as the group expanded across 11 campuses. I also moved recruitment in-house, with reported annual savings of KRW 72 million (about USD 53,700), and coordinated the move to online learning for more than 1,000 students and 40 educators within 72 hours, when the government declared COVID-19 as a national emergency.

My experience includes operations management, workforce planning, talent acquisition, employee support, contracts, visa documentation, manager development and change delivery. I now run Talent Atlas, advising businesses and coaching people through career decisions. I welcome conversations about in-person opportunities in organisational development, operations and people management, in South Africa or internationally.

I’m especially interested in work that connects people, ideas and opportunities across countries and cultures. Outside work, I’m usually looking at maps, reading geo-fiction or collecting flags. There are worse ways to spend

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

People, Brand & Ops Strategist

Current

Talent Atlas

Jul 2025 - Present (1 year 4 months)

I advise businesses and professional practices in South Africa, the US, South Korea and New Zealand on brand positioning and operations. I lead website, brochure and marketing projects from brief to delivery. I coach professionals on career direction, CVs and interviews, and developed the Talent Atlas Human Performance Index to guide conversations about strengths, development needs and role fit.

Market Research Resume Writing Recruitment Brand Management Business Development Market Research and Analysis Digital Marketing Digital Transformation LinkedIn Branding Document Design Web Design

Project Manager & Managing Editor

Son's Edu

Oct 2024 - Apr 2025 (6 months)

Delivered four learner workbooks in five months for EngFlip E-Learning Reading Adventures, a flipped-learning English series. Managed a KRW 10 million budget and led a distributed team of editors, designers and reviewers from content planning through editing, quality review and production.

Market Research Resume Writing Recruitment Edtech Copywriting AI Project Management

Associate Director

Son’s Edu

Jan 2022 - Oct 2024 (2 years 9 months)

Partnered with the CEO on people strategy and organisational development across six divisions. Supported group growth from about 5,000 to over 11,000 students across 11 campuses and from about 11 to over 100 international employees. Mentored five Campus Directors and five Head Teachers. Led people strategy for 20 educators during the BeTop Kids integration and served as its interim Vice-Principal.

Organizational Development Web Design Talent Acquisition Corporate Communications Workforce Planning Social Media Management SEO Optimization Employer Branding Leadership Development People Management Training and Development Training

Global People Ops & Comms Manager

Cognitio et Veritas

Jan 2020 - Apr 2024 (4 years 3 months)

Managed global recruitment and corporate communications for an international outsourcing firm. Successfully placed professionals across various sectors while enhancing employer branding and engagement through strategic digital initiatives.

Social Media Strategy Website Optimization Stakeholder Engagement Process Optimization Communications Strategy Outsourcing Recruitment Communication Management Digital Marketing

Global People Strategy & Ops Manager

Son’s Edu: Son’s English Academy

Jan 2016 - Jan 2022 (6 years)

Built the group’s first international HR and recruitment function. Recruited and onboarded over 100 international educators and operations staff, negotiated over 100 employment contracts and brought recruitment in-house, with reported annual savings of KRW 72 million. Coordinated the move to online learning for over 1,000 students and 40 educators within 72 hours.

Recruitment Training and Development Social Media Management Intercultural Communication Crisis Management Leadership Student Engagement

Academic Program & Talent Lead

Son's Edu

Nov 2013 - Nov 2016 (3 years)

Recruited, onboarded and mentored teachers across three campuses through classroom observation, feedback and shared lesson planning. Designed and taught advanced English communication programmes for school learners. Created a teacher rotation to cover absences internally, with reported savings of KRW 8 million per semester.

Project Management Teaching ESL

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Rome Business School

Master's, International Human Resources Management

2020 - 2021

Grade: 3.5

Completed a Master's in International Human Resources Management with a capstone project focused on attracting and retaining young talent in a post-COVID era.