Who am I when I leave the Company? The Story of Nakeeta Janse van Rensburg

In this episode of iGaming Leader, host Leo Judkins sits down with Nakeeta Janse van Rensburg, former Group CEO of the MEGA Group, co-founder of StratEdge Group, and UK ambassador for Women in Gaming Africa.

Nakeeta shares her extraordinary journey through 17 years in iGaming leadership, culminating in her transition to entrepreneurship.

The conversation explores leadership, burnout, servant leadership, emotional intelligence, and cultural challenges in corporate environments, offering powerful insights and hard-earned advice for executives navigating rapid growth, health challenges, and the personal cost of high performance in the gaming industry.

Guest Bio

Nakeeta has been in the iGaming industry for over 17 years. With her roots in VIP, CRM and customer retention she has worked in almost every department in the B2C and B2B space.

After 6 years of running the Ellipse Entertainment/MEGA Group she recently exited and has now co-founded StratEdge Group Inc which offers consulting services for new market entry worldwide, helping businesses navigate the entry without the unnecessary financial burn.
Nakeeta serves as the UK Ambassador for women in iGaming Africa and pioneered the 3 pillars of leadership to build strong teams of leaders serving each other.

Key Topics Discussed

00:00 – When "We're a family" culture becomes toxic

02:54 – Building a confident, empowered, global team

06:20 – The cost of career growth: imposter syndrome and overwork

10:08 – The risks of not setting boundaries from the beginning

14:05 – The most important thing you can do for yourself

17:04 – Redefining relationships after stepping into leadership

20:00 – Coping with isolation at the top

23:00 – Sacrifices behind the scenes

27:43 – The power and traps of servant leadership

38:00 – Finding identity beyond the job title

46:15 Launching StratEdge agency and rediscovering purpose

Memorable Quotes

"Some businesses actually do expect the team to die for the business — and will even use that language."

"You have made work non-negotiable, and everything else is negotiable."

"Servant leadership isn’t about doing what everyone says — it’s about being courageous for the whole."

"I was the job. I wasn't even so much my title — I was the company."

"Fear is just a trigger warning system. How you deal with fear is a completely different thing."

Important Links

• Follow Nakeeta Janse van Rensburg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nakeeta-janse-van-rensburg-mbm-063173195
• Follow Women in iGaming in Africa on LInkedIn to learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-gaming-africa-org

• Follow Leo Judkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-judkins/
• Subscribe to the iGaming Leader newsletter: https://www.igamingleader.com/signup
• Join the iGaming Leader Mastermind: https://www.igamingleader.com/