Success through unity
At Lithon Project Consultants its staff is its greatest asset.
Lithon Project Consultants managing director Frikkie Holtzhausen spoke to Careers about how he keeps a level head at this growing company.
“Lithon Project Consultants is very fortunate in the sense that the partners have a unique supportive relationship, whilst at the same time keeping each other accountable and it thus does not depend on a single person,” says Holtzhausen.
After finishing high school, he went straight into pursuing his civil engineering career with a bursary from the then Department of Water Affairs in 1976 and attended Technikon Pretoria.
He then went on to obtain his MBA at Maastricht University in the Netherlands in 2003.
Holtzhausen joined the City of Windhoek until he accepted employment at the Swakopmund Municipality in 1993, where he worked as a town engineer for 15 years.
“After 15 years at Swakopmund Municipality, I was exposed to internal politics and decided to pursue something else,” he said.
In 2008 he bought into Lithon Project Consultants and became a shareholder. Holtzhausen took up the post of managing director in July 2014 - a position he holds to this day.
“Being a part of Lithon is a much bigger picture than I anticipated, and the passion keeps growing. Lithon has a calling and we walk in that calling daily,” says Holtzhausen.
“We have to make a difference in people's lives, through our foundation that drives us; we can facilitate different growing ventures.”
Having established the coastal branch, Holtzhausen was first stationed in Swakopmund and recently moved to the Windhoek headquarters.
“Our staff is our greatest asset, seeing that the company started with only five people and has grown immensely since,” says Holtzhausen.
He says the company runs fully on teamwork and never on individual effort, in order to grow.
They strive to deliver services that is always of the best quality. Holtzhausen and his team also work well together to meet all the expectations of their clients.
“Having faith and completely trusting in God, not only during the current testing times, but by living it,” he adds.
Holtzhausen does not let anything get in the way of the services the company delivers.
Apart from being a businessman, he is also a family man and uses every available opportunity to spend time with his loved ones.
He is inspired by living testimonies of change. Holtzhausen sits at the forefront of seeing people grow from strength to strength and finds pleasure in seeing success.
“Humility is key and integrity is what should drive any man.”
“Building relationships, personally as well as business-wise, is crucial in Namibia, with it being such a small country,” he says.
When Holtzhausen takes a break from the corporate world, he loves spending time with his family, as well as exercising. He also collects art pieces, which are mostly painted by his wife Monika.
He is a lover of all things nature and enjoys the adrenaline of being outdoors and taking some well-deserved free time.
He has a green finger and enjoys doing woodwork and making things he can later look at and be proud of.
All in all, Holtzhausen has built a solid foundation and looks forward to impacting lives further, through serving.
Fact Box
Maastricht University, where Frikkie Holtzhausen obtained his MBA, enrolled 16 861 students in 2016
Holtzhausen has three daughters and the youngest are twins
He enjoys reading autobiographies
Technikon Pretoria is now called Tshwane University of Technology. Three technicons merged to form this new institution.
Holtzhausen worked at the Swakopmund Municipality as a town engineer for 15 years
He is a previous president of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Namibia
“Lithon Project Consultants is very fortunate in the sense that the partners have a unique supportive relationship, whilst at the same time keeping each other accountable and it thus does not depend on a single person,” says Holtzhausen.
After finishing high school, he went straight into pursuing his civil engineering career with a bursary from the then Department of Water Affairs in 1976 and attended Technikon Pretoria.
He then went on to obtain his MBA at Maastricht University in the Netherlands in 2003.
Holtzhausen joined the City of Windhoek until he accepted employment at the Swakopmund Municipality in 1993, where he worked as a town engineer for 15 years.
“After 15 years at Swakopmund Municipality, I was exposed to internal politics and decided to pursue something else,” he said.
In 2008 he bought into Lithon Project Consultants and became a shareholder. Holtzhausen took up the post of managing director in July 2014 - a position he holds to this day.
“Being a part of Lithon is a much bigger picture than I anticipated, and the passion keeps growing. Lithon has a calling and we walk in that calling daily,” says Holtzhausen.
“We have to make a difference in people's lives, through our foundation that drives us; we can facilitate different growing ventures.”
Having established the coastal branch, Holtzhausen was first stationed in Swakopmund and recently moved to the Windhoek headquarters.
“Our staff is our greatest asset, seeing that the company started with only five people and has grown immensely since,” says Holtzhausen.
He says the company runs fully on teamwork and never on individual effort, in order to grow.
They strive to deliver services that is always of the best quality. Holtzhausen and his team also work well together to meet all the expectations of their clients.
“Having faith and completely trusting in God, not only during the current testing times, but by living it,” he adds.
Holtzhausen does not let anything get in the way of the services the company delivers.
Apart from being a businessman, he is also a family man and uses every available opportunity to spend time with his loved ones.
He is inspired by living testimonies of change. Holtzhausen sits at the forefront of seeing people grow from strength to strength and finds pleasure in seeing success.
“Humility is key and integrity is what should drive any man.”
“Building relationships, personally as well as business-wise, is crucial in Namibia, with it being such a small country,” he says.
When Holtzhausen takes a break from the corporate world, he loves spending time with his family, as well as exercising. He also collects art pieces, which are mostly painted by his wife Monika.
He is a lover of all things nature and enjoys the adrenaline of being outdoors and taking some well-deserved free time.
He has a green finger and enjoys doing woodwork and making things he can later look at and be proud of.
All in all, Holtzhausen has built a solid foundation and looks forward to impacting lives further, through serving.
Fact Box
Maastricht University, where Frikkie Holtzhausen obtained his MBA, enrolled 16 861 students in 2016
Holtzhausen has three daughters and the youngest are twins
He enjoys reading autobiographies
Technikon Pretoria is now called Tshwane University of Technology. Three technicons merged to form this new institution.
Holtzhausen worked at the Swakopmund Municipality as a town engineer for 15 years
He is a previous president of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Namibia
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