Dr Rica Viljoen
International Organisational Development Scholar, Facilitator and Executive Advisor
Dr Rica Viljoen is an international organisational development scholar, systems practitioner and executive advisor with more than 25 years’ experience partnering with organisations across 53 countries. She works at the intersection of organisational development, leadership, culture, strategy and human systems, helping organisations navigate complexity, transformation and sustainable growth.
An internationally recognised author and editor, Rica has published extensively on organisational development, inclusivity, leadership, sustainability and values-based transformation. Her work is distinguished by integrating systems thinking, organisational systems psychodynamics, African knowledge systems, Ubuntu as a living relational ontology, and contemporary organisational development practice to cultivate organisations that are both high-performing and deeply human.
Alongside her academic work, Rica serves as a trusted strategic advisor to boards, CEOs and executive leadership teams. She is regularly invited to step into interim senior HR and organisational development executive roles during periods of organisational transition, providing executive stewardship while enabling sustainable organisational capability. She also coaches and mentors C-suite leaders and leadership teams as they navigate strategic change, organisational culture and leadership complexity.
Rica has advised organisations across the mining, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, public and professional services sectors, working with executive teams to strengthen organisational capability, leadership effectiveness, culture and sustainable organisational performance.
She is the editor and author of several books, including Inclusive Organisational Transformation, Organisational Change and Development: A Systems Approach, Organisational Growth and Sustainability, African Leadership: The Time Is Now (co-editor), and co-editor of Spiral Dynamics in Action.
Her keynote presentations challenge conventional organisational thinking by asking deeper questions about the human conditions that enable trust, adaptability, innovation and sustainable organisational agility. She is particularly interested in how organisations cultivate the relational capability required to thrive in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.