She has big shoes to fill, but 33-year-old Charlotte Serwadi is excited about taking over the reins as Northerns Cricket Union Cricket Operations Manager from Namibia-bound Johan Muller.

“NCU has been ranked and awarded the number one Affiliate in the country for the past five years, which makes it more challenging for me. I have the responsibility to maintain the status and keep the winning momentum,” said Serwardi

Serwadi is steeped in cricket, having represented her province from under-13 level, through under-16, under-19, the Academy and the Senior Women’s ranks.

The Mamelodi-born Serwadi first joined the administrative team helping with players’ statistics, before working her way through the department.

“Working in a male dominated industry has always been challenging, as there is always tremendous pressure to work hard just to keep up,” she said of her evolving role.

But, her predecessor was an excellent mentor and Serwadi feels that she has all the tools to make a real success of it.

“Johan played a huge role in my career development. He was and still is my mentor,” she saluted.

“I have learned that leadership doesn’t mean being the loudest voice or having the highest title. He showed me how to shine from the sidelines. Most of the lessons I have learned from him weren’t formal, but were observational. Just seeing how Johan approached a problem, formulated a solution and implemented it was better than any class I ever took,” added the well learned scholar, who has several post-graduate qualifications to her name.

She is very keen to hit the ground running, but she also knows that she can count on many within the organisation for guidance.

“We are very proud of Charlotte, and we have no doubt that she will bring her unique style and infectious energy to this role,” Titans Cricket CEO Dr Jacques Faul commented.

“She is familiar with our structures, and worked very closely with Johan. It is always exciting to see people grow within this Northerns and Titans family.”

Serwadi has plans to make an impact immediately, as she looks to build on an excellent foundation from her mentor.

“I am very nervous and excited at the same time, to take over such a big role,” she admitted.

“But I believe I am well trained to keep this wheel going. I am very fortunate that NCU programmes are well-oiled machines and are led by excellent programme leaders.”