Smart Money - Ian Fuhr on Scaling Sorbet, Building Culture, and Driving Change Through Leadership

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:51:34 +0000

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In this Smart Money with Alishia Seckam interview, Sorbet Group Founder Ian Fuhr discusses his latest business venture, The Hatch Institute.

He is a serial entrepreneur with a career spanning almost five decades. This extensive experience has equipped him with the expertise to specialise in leadership, people development, race relations, and the building of corporate culture.

Fuhr dropped out of university to pursue business. He initially worked in the music industry before joining forces with his brother Rodney to bring the popular department chain store Kmart to South Africa in the 1970s.

He later left the business to start a highly successful record company, and then founded a race relations consultancy called Labour Link in 1991.

In 2005, Fuhr founded the beauty salon chain Sorbet, which went on to include Sorbet Dry Bar, Sorbet Man, and Candi and Co.

With Fuhr as CEO, Sorbet quickly became the largest salon chain in Africa.

After almost 15 years at the helm, Fuhr left Sorbet to begin a new venture – The Hatch Institute.

A business and life coaching organisation, The Hatch Institute transforms mindsets to build exceptional workplace cultures.

Fuhr has also authored several books and is a seasoned keynote speaker.

n this interview, Fuhr highlights the biggest things he learned from starting Kmart in South Africa.

He talks about several of his other business ventures, including Labour Link and Sorbet.

Fuhr explains what motivated him to enter the beauty industry with Sorbet and how he grew the brand into a national giant.

He also discusses his latest business venture, The Hatch Institute, and unpacks what it offers to the South African market.

Finally, Fuhr talks about the “Cultureneering” philosophy he has created at The Hatch Institute.

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