HOSCHTON, GA, November 03, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ryan Pieters has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Mr. Pieters has established a distinguished career defined by strategic leadership, operational excellence, and a commitment to values-driven transformation. Since 2024, he has served as Chief Operating Officer in the home improvement and installation industry, leading operational teams and driving end-to-end business performance. In this capacity, Mr. Pieters oversees financial and commercial strategy and operational execution, ensuring alignment between performance, people, and purpose, with the customer at the center of every decision. His emphasis on accountability and sustainable performance continues to position his organizations for success in an evolving market.

Also in 2025, Mr. Pieters founded The Glidepath Pieters Group, where he serves as Chief Executive Officer. Through this venture, he advises and supports leaders and organizations in achieving operational excellence and strategic clarity. He helps businesses navigate transformation by driving clarity in purpose, aligning leadership behaviors, and strengthening performance systems, all guided by the HAIR ethos: Humility, Authenticity, Integrity, and Respect. His work focuses on fostering belief within teams, empowering self-management, and inspiring individuals to become better than yesterday.

In addition to his executive roles, Mr. Pieters serves as a strategic advisor and leadership mentor to emerging founders and operational leaders. His work centers on transformation, performance alignment, and values-based leadership development.

From 2023 to 2024, Mr. Pieters served as Head of Sales at Heineken Beverages International, where he played a pivotal role in managing operations across 33 countries during the merger of Heineken and Distell, a leading global producer of spirits, wine, and beer. His leadership encompassed the development of go-to-market strategies, revenue and margin growth initiatives, supply and demand planning, and trade marketing execution. He also oversaw strategic projects designed to enhance performance visibility and operational alignment across international markets. Leading a multifunctional, multicultural team, he fostered collaboration and engagement to create shared ownership and sustainable growth.

Between 2020 and 2023, Mr. Pieters held the position of Head of Sales and Distribution Africa at Distell. During his seven-year tenure with the company in various leadership roles, including Regional General Manager from 2018 to 2020 and Head of Strategy, Planning, and Route to Market Africa from 2018 to 2019, he built an international structure from the ground up alongside his team. Their efforts were marked by a hands-on leadership approach and a commitment to excellence, reflecting their dedication to growing the company's presence through genuine engagement and accountability.

Before his time at Distell, Mr. Pieters spent over a decade with The South African Breweries. From 2014 to 2017, he served as District Manager, overseeing sales and distribution across approximately 13,000 square kilometers in South Africa. As National Operations Excellence Officer from 2012 to 2014, he focused on optimizing logistics for both primary and secondary distribution networks. His earlier years at The South African Breweries, from From 2001 to 2012, his career was dedicated to various sales, distribution, and logistics roles that laid the foundation for his expertise in commercial and operational optimization.

Throughout his career, Mr. Pieters has been recognized for his exceptional leadership and impact across industries. He was a semi-finalist in the South African Rising Star Awards, a program that celebrates young professionals whose influence, innovation, and integrity contribute meaningfully to the nation's future. He is also the recipient of the Managing Director's Award for Leadership at Distell, underscoring his ability to elevate team performance and organizational growth. Additional honors include the National Sales & Distribution Excellence Award from The South African Breweries in 2015, the National Managing Director's Award for Distribution Excellence in 2014, the National Distribution Excellence Silver Awards in 2008 and 2009, the National Distribution Excellence Gold Awards in 2005 and 2006, the Beyond the Call of Duty Award for Innovation in 2003, and the National Sales Excellence Silver Awards in 2002 and 2003. Early in his career, he also received a full bursary to attend the Damelin Leadership Development Program.

Mr. Pieters is also recognized as the creator of the HAIR Leadership Ethos, a values-based framework that guides leadership behavior, decision-making, and organizational culture. He continues to develop thought-leadership content focused on business transformation and leadership growth.

His professional affiliations reflect both international leadership and advisory influence, including service as a Board Member for African Distillers, and as Director and Board Member for Distell Mozambique, Distell Zambia, and Distell Spirits and Wines Tanzania Limited. He also serves as Founder of the Glidepath Pieters Group, where he provides executive advisory and leadership guidance.

Academically, Mr. Pieters earned a Diploma in Marketing and Business Management from Damelin in Johannesburg in 1998—a credential that provided him with foundational knowledge critical to his later achievements in sales strategy and business development. He further enhanced his expertise through completion of the Accelerated Leadership Program at GIBS Business School (Gordon Institute of Business Science) and the Management Development Program at the University of Cape Town. These certifications have equipped him with advanced skills in leadership development and strategic management.

Mr. Pieters attributes much of his success to formative life experiences that instilled resilience, adaptability, and determination. Growing up under challenging circumstances, he developed an early understanding of discipline and perseverance. As a student, he negotiated with his school principal to cover his tuition based on academic and athletic performance, a defining moment that reflected both ambition and accountability. His first job as a cinema manager, working night shifts while pursuing his studies, further strengthened his maturity, resourcefulness, and work ethic, setting the foundation for a leadership style rooted in humility and relentless drive.

A strong advocate for teaching as a means of learning, Mr. Pieters has spent many years coaching and mentoring others, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in relationships built over time. He believes that persistence and discipline are essential for overcoming challenges and achieving long-term objectives. Beyond his professional endeavors, Mr. Pieters remains committed to mentoring emerging leaders and fostering values-based leadership within his networks. He often shares insights on resilience, authenticity, and performance alignment with peers and young professionals, using his business experience as a platform to inspire purposeful growth and self-leadership.

In his personal life, Mr. Pieters enjoys spending time with his family, embracing every opportunity to support and encourage both his wife's and daughter's individual journeys. He takes pride in watching his daughter excel academically and athletically while pursuing programs such as DECA, and values time spent together as a family, whether traveling, golfing, running, or simply enjoying time outdoors.

Looking ahead, Mr. Pieters remains committed to achieving meaningful personal and professional goals while continuing his lifelong pursuit of learning and growth. He aspires to broaden his executive influence by driving strategic initiatives that empower individuals, strengthen organizational performance, and create long-term value across industries. Guided by an ambitious vision for sustainable expansion and purposeful leadership, he is dedicated to fostering opportunity, building capacity, and ensuring positive outcomes for the people and communities connected to his work.

Mr. Pieters' legacy is defined by more than two decades of building resilient organizations across multiple industries, developing leaders who thrive through accountability, and fostering environments where belief, trust, and growth coexist.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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