About
Where We Started
Emerse was founded in 2017 by Morné Smit.
Morné is a sales leader with over 25 years of experience in running high-performance sales teams.
The team he has assembled at Emerse leads sales development and coaching programs for businesses in 50+ industries across 3 continents.
In 2022, Morné was named as the successor for internationally renowned speaker & author Jack Daly, and now travels the world speaking on the topics of sales culture, sales management and driving sales excellence through leveraging sales playbooks.
Our Values
Be a good human
Connect with others. Act out your word and do the right thing.
Think around Corners.
Plan ahead. Be agile enough to change the present for a better future.
Speak to Hearts and Minds.
Communicate clearly and authentically. Take people with you on the journey.
Make an Impact.
Be resourceful. Take action to get the best results.
Raise the Bar.
Set the highest standard for yourself and others. Be steadfast in your convictions.
MORNÉ SMIT
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
Morné has over 25 years of C-suite experience in sales, marketing and management across six different industries. He has owned, built and sold two businesses successfully, as well as learnt some valuable lessons from failure.
Drawing on his experience, Morné set up Emerse in 2017 to teach clients how to succeed at sales. He is passionate about helping like-minded business people achieve sales mastery. Since inception, typical Emerse client revenue gains are 30-130% year on year.
When asked what it is about a product or service that he’s passionate about, Morné always says the same thing: ‘It’s not really about the product or service, it’s about the process and the people’.
OLIVER TUFFNEY
Chief Solutions Officer
Ollie’s sales success started when he was just 13, buying KitKats by the thousand and selling them at school with a 63% margin.
He began his career working in international sales and marketing positions across China and Kenya, before entering the FMCG world at the bluechip company, KP Snacks.
A true entrepreneur, Ollie joined Emerse as the first full-time employee back in 2017 and is now the Engagement Director. His role in a nutshell? Turning sales problems into programmes, to make sure that numbers go up and to the right!
Operations and Support Team
NUNO BASTOS
Operations Manager
Nuno heads up the operations management at Emerse, successfully managing all the moving parts of the business operations. He enjoys the challenge of creating new processes and keeps everything ticking over like clockwork.
A believer in the power of fine-tuning processes, Nuno ensures that clear feedback is looped to continually improve and optimise performance.
Kenisha Lloyd
Executive Support Specialist
Kenisha is a seasoned professional, serving as the Executive Assistant to Morne. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for facilitating seamless operations, in her role, Kenisha oversees Morne’s day-to-day operations and manages all logistics pertaining to his travels and accommodations, ensuring both comfort and reliability despite his demanding schedule. Her dedication to excellence and proactive approach makes her a joy to work with and a valuable team member.
Michaela reynolds
Engagement Coordinator
With over 5 years of experience in providing high-level administrative support to senior executives, I bring a strong background in administration and a proven track record of managing complex calendars, coordinating international travel, and facilitating seamless communication between executives and key stakeholders. My attention to detail and proactive problem-solving skills have consistently streamlined processes and enhanced overall efficiency within executive offices.
EMEA/APAC Coaches
NEIL HUNTER
CERTIFIED COACHES (UK)
With over three decades of sales leadership experience across various sectors, including financial services and healthcare, Neil has dedicated his career to helping organisations build sustainable sales and client retention programs.
Neil is passionate about developing sales professionals at all levels. He executes programs to achieve sustainable growth for clients, helping them to develop strategy, grow and improve their sales function.
Russell Fisher
CERTIFIED COACHES (UK)
Russell is an established and successful business leader with an excellent track record built of 30 years of consistently delivering results.
As an accomplished facilitator and qualified International Coaching Federation (ICF) Executive & Organisational Coach, Russell delivers development, training, mentoring, and coaching programs including, Sales, Leadership, Mindset, Coaching as a Culture and Personal Effectiveness.
He has run his own consulting and coaching business and worked with a diverse range of organisations across the globe including TVNZ, Vodafone, Yellow, Mars, and Verizon.
AMERICAS Coaches
Adam Ort
CERTIFIED COACHES (US)
Calling upon his more than 25 years experience of developing, mentoring and leading sales teams, Adam has dedicated his professional career to helping companies grow revenue while empowering their sales team. With a deep understanding of the sales process, Adam has provided guidance and training to salespeople at all levels.
Adam’s expertise lies in developing effective sales strategies, enhancing communication skills, and building strong relationships with customers. Having led national sales teams in the past, Adam has helped professionals identify their strengths while improving on their opportunites for growth.
Being a South Floridian, Adam enjoys family time, playing golf (although never enough), and loves using his 3 different types of grills on the weekends!!
Jim Soss
CERTIFIED COACHES (US)
With more than two decades of hands-on, operator experience as CRO and CEO, Jim is a seasoned revenue leader with a proven track record of driving growth. He has secured over $1B in career bookings and managed revenue organization from 20 to 500 employees, and P&L’s from $5M to $400M. He has led multiple companies to rapid growth (3X, 4X, 6X) and eventually to significant acquisition exits.
Today, Jim derives immense satisfaction from imparting his expertise to others, driving impactful business outcomes through mentorship and knowledge sharing. A key hallmark of Jim’s skill set is his innate ability to assess complex strategy and execution situations, and subsequently craft highly relevant and impactful solutions. Jim embodies the spirit of a lifelong “student of the game,” exhibiting an insatiable curiosity and passion for studying all facets of go-to-market strategies, sales, marketing, and customer success.
Michelle Hunter
CERTIFIED COACHES (US)
Michelle Hunter brings over 25 years of frontline experience in B2B and B2C sales, organizational training, and business development to Emerse Sales Academy. With a track record of success in building and expanding regions, developing staffing hierarchies, and creating process and systems, Michelle has consistently shattered company targets. Her expertise in sales coaching, account management, and executive training, coupled with her strong virtual and phone skills honed over a decade of remote work, make her a valuable asset to the team. Outside of work, Michelle cherishes family time and indulges her creative side as an Internationally Certified Natural Henna Artist.
Sales Growth Strategists and Business Development Team
Rachel Richardson-Smith
sales growth consultant
It is Rachel’s responsibility to support our coaches to ensure Emerse is delivering engagements in line with client expectations.
She also serves to support our Engagement Director with identifying new opportunities & solutions development.
Amy stemmet
Business development
Starting her career at 15 as a waitress, Amy has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence in every role. As a former beauty pageant princess, she combines grace with determination. Within three months in the insurance industry, she broke company records and developed innovative strategies and processes that have been widely adopted. Known for being forward and honest, Amy excels in problem-solving and learning new things quickly. Currently studying part-time law, she holds a strong belief in justice and the principle that what goes around comes around. Amy remains dedicated to excelling in every company she joins and is on a mission to become a formidable presence in both the corporate and speaking arenas.
Brandon Mahoney
SALES GROWTH SPECIALIST
Drawing on over two decades of sales leadership, including organizational building, Brandon Mahoney excels in driving revenue growth. He specializes in forming top-tier sales teams, implementing strategic initiatives, and fostering professional development. Consistently surpassing revenue targets, he streamlines operations, optimizes technology, and leverages data for performance boosts. With a deep understanding of the sales cycle and adept relationship-building, he empowers sales teams. Brandon’s experience, strategic prowess, and commitment position him to help grow Emerse to new heights.
Andy is an inspiring professional speaker, trainer and coach who delivers memorable material on topics ranging from business relationships, leadership and sales, to self-awareness, understanding others and teams.
As an accredited behavioural psychologist, Andy runs workshops and coaching sessions in the UK, Europe, USA and the Middle East.
Andy has a unique and effective approach to leadership training – identifying the link between world class leadership and delighted customers. His books, “LEADERSH*T” and “WHY CAN’T PEOPLE BE MORE LIKE ME!?”, have been well received by thousands of readers on Amazon and beyond.