What is Springbok icon Bryan Habana doing now?

Bryan Habana’s career spanned over a decade at the international level, where he donned the Springbok jersey a staggering 124 times, becoming renowned as one of the most talented wingers of all time.

Habana announced himself on the world stage with a try-on debut against England in 2004, and he would go on to feature prominently for the Springboks for well over the next decade, racking up a host of accolades during this period.

Besides an illustrious Test career that also included a British & Irish Lions series win, he also became a domestic cult hero at the Bulls, Stormers and Toulon.

Bryan Habana has been successful away from rugby

Since retiring in 2018, Bryan has taken on various ambassadorial, punditry and broadcast roles as well as doing a variety of speaking engagements around the world.

His philanthropic drive and desire to continue giving back also led to the formation of the Bryan Habana Foundation.

Habana also made an effective into the business world, and he is the cofounder and chief commercial officer at fintech firm Paymenow.

In basic terms, its technology facilitates employers to allow their staff to get access to a percentage of already earned wages.

The platform also “financially upskills” its users who start on a certain tier but move up as they complete various training exercises to gain more access to cash. The business got off the ground in 2020 and has shown highly impressive growth ever since.

“Most people know me for my speed, intercepts and try-scoring ability,” his LinkedIn profile reads.

“I am referring to my pursuits as a former Professional ruby player for South Africa and Toulon, which allowed me to participate in multiple World Cup tournaments and be honoured with the 2007 IRB Rugby player of the year award.

“I am known for my energetic work ethic in business development, sales, marketing and connecting people to opportunities.

“As the Co-Founder and CCO at Paymenow, we launched our first-to-market Earned Wage Access solution at one of the most challenging times possible – as the pandemic was getting into its stride. This tool is to help people gain financial health through being educated on and managing their finances. Launching at this time meant we could aid people at one of the most financially strained times our economy was experiencing.

“Since the launch, we have seen the realisation of assisting Corporate Companies to ease their accounts department’s work processes with compatible software and aided the labour force to learn about financial wellness through gamification. The workforce is learning to end their debt cycle by managing their liquidity effectively with Paymenow.

“Most of my role consists of relationship management internally and with clients in business development, which I thoroughly enjoy. As an extrovert, I am naturally drawn to building networks, linking people to opportunities, sales and marketing. I work with Company values and strategy to define the actions of various departments in carrying out the mandate to provide a well-supported, easy operation of the product supplied to our customers.

Multi-faceted endeavours

Habana and his team at the award-winning creative sporting agency Retroactive have also been celebrated for creating a mobile tech platform that aims to reinvent the way athletes – of every tier and discipline – monetise their careers.

The launch of MatchKit serves as an innovative platform aiming to equip athletes to grow their commercial brands. This includes a DIY website builder that can be delivered in a matter of minutes to help showcase their athletes’ sporting and personal brand pedigree to their fans and interested parties.

At the launch, Habana spoke about the “importance of athletes maximising their opportunity, especially in a fragmented digital world. We need to give fans, sponsors and potential sponsors a single home to find you”.

MatchKit.co has also been used as a vehicle for crowdfunding for athletes in need, such as previously powering the SA field hockey team to the Olympics.

Notably, Heavy Chef named MatchKit a top 5 startup at the end of 2020, and it has continued to go from strength to strength.

He has also served as a director at BH11 Media Limited, and Procurement and Investment Company Procura SA.

All in all, Springbok icon Bryan Habana has achieved great success after retiring, mirroring the intense commitment he showcased as a player.

Family life

Habana and his wife Janine recently celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary. They welcomed their first son, Timothy, in 2014, and their youngest, Gabriel, was born in 2018.

“I relish spending family time with my wife and children and keeping busy with outdoor activities. If I am not there, you can find me keeping fit, working with my Foundation and watching my favourite sports teams on the playing field – the Springboks and Toulon playing rugby and Manchester United winning at football,” he commented.

“My core value is living with integrity and respect. I believe in living my life – work and outside of work – with sincerity and humility.”

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST MEMORIES FROM HIS CAREER?

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