The Long Game: Dori Moreno on Career, Culture and Reinvention

Dori Moreno is a growth strategist, facilitator and entrepreneur who partners with leaders, teams and organisations to “strengthen culture, build resilience and lead with greater clarity and confidence”. She spent nearly 20 years at Investec across two periods between 1986 and 2006, before reinventing herself as a professional photographer and supplier of tattoo and make-up products, prior to her current role — experiences that continue to inform her work today.

1. Please can you unpack your current role and the company you work for?

I am currently self-employed and work as a growth strategist. My work sits at the intersection of strategy and the human element of business. I facilitate strategy conversations, culture workshops, leadership development sessions and personal growth work. A lot of what I do is about helping people listen better, connect more authentically, communicate more clearly and take ownership of the next stage of their growth. So, although I work independently, I see myself as a strategic partner to businesses and individuals who are ready to move forward with more purpose, confidence and direction.

2. What are you enjoying most about this stage of your career?

Being able to consolidate more than 40 years of work experience across different roles, industries and businesses. I feel very fortunate to have had a strong corporate foundation, particularly through Investec, as well as many years of entrepreneurial experience — starting businesses, building them, pivoting, learning and sometimes having to reinvent myself completely. At this stage of my career, I am able to bring all of that together. I am not working from theory alone. I am drawing from lived experience, business experience, leadership experience and personal experience. That feels very meaningful to me.

3. Looking back, what have been two or three defining milestones in your journey?

The first was definitely my time at Investec. I joined in 1986 in the very early days of the business and was staff member 198. At the time, it wasn’t the employer of choice it is today — it was simply a job opportunity that I happened to stumble into at exactly the right time in my life. Looking back, I realise how fortunate I was to land in an organisation with such vision and momentum. Later, one of the most defining pivots in my career was leaving Investec and becoming a professional photographer. I had no creative background whatsoever — I often joke that I draw stick figures — but after taking a photography course, I completely fell in love with the process and decided to throw myself into something entirely new. For the first time, I had to figure out who I was without the Investec brand behind my name. That was both humbling and liberating.

 The third milestone was pivoting again and building a tattoo and permanent make-up product supply business. It was an industry I knew nothing about, so I had to learn everything from scratch. That experience taught me that you can enter a completely unfamiliar space, build knowledge, serve a market well and create something valuable. It reminded me that growth often happens when you are willing to step into the unknown.

4. You were at Investec between 1986 to 1992 and then again from 1994 to 2006. How would you describe that period?

I really consider Investec the best ‘university’ I could have attended. I joined at such a formative stage in my life — young, energetic and eager to learn — and I absorbed everything around me. It was demanding and incredibly hard work, but it was also exciting and deeply stimulating. What made Investec special for me wasn’t only the work itself, but the culture, the people and the environment. The founders had extraordinary vision, and there was a genuine sense that anything was possible. As the organisation grew, I became increasingly interested in the people and culture side of the business — leadership, organisational development and the way environments shape people. Looking back, those interests clearly influenced the work I do today. My time at Investec also taught me about excellence, pace, client service, accountability and possibility. Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my career.

5. How did your experience at Investec influence your next steps?

Leaving Investec wasn’t an overnight decision. It was probably a two or three-year process of asking myself what the next chapter of my life might look like. After nearly 20 years there, I started questioning whether the next 20 years would feel as meaningful and exciting as the first. I couldn’t quite picture myself staying until retirement and I realised I wanted to challenge myself in completely different ways. Investec had taught me to reinvent myself constantly, and in many ways, leaving was an extension of that mindset. Investec gave me very solid business foundations. It gave me the confidence to try different things after I left, because I knew how to work hard, learn quickly, solve problems and deliver excellent service. That combination gave me the courage to back myself in completely new environments. It also taught me that business is ultimately about people — relationships, trust, service, leadership and culture. That understanding sits at the heart of the work I do today.

6. Was there a key moment or challenge — at Investec or beyond — that shaped you as a leader?

I can’t point to one single moment. For me, it was more the cumulative effect of being in an environment where leadership was visible every day. I learnt by watching people lead, by being trusted with responsibility, by attending courses and talks, and by working on complex and stressful projects that demanded resilience, focus and teamwork. Over time, those experiences shaped how I lead and facilitate today. I learnt that leadership is not only about having the answer. It is about creating clarity, staying calm under pressure, listening properly, making decisions and bringing people with you.

7. What is one decision or risk that fundamentally changed your career path?

People often assume leaving Investec was the biggest risk I took, but interestingly, I sometimes think staying might have been the bigger risk. Investec was evolving rapidly, becoming larger, more structured and increasingly demanding. I think there’s always a risk in staying too long in one environment and allowing it to outgrow you or define you completely. I often compare it to sportspeople leaving at the top of their game rather than waiting until they no longer have choices available to them. So, I had to go out on my own and figure out who I was, what I could offer, and how to build a life and career beyond the structure and identity I had known for so long. That decision fundamentally changed me. It forced me to back myself, to learn new skills, to become more entrepreneurial, and to keep evolving.

8. What skills, values, or relationships from Investec still influence how you lead today?

So much of what I learnt at Investec still influences me today. The client-first mindset, the importance of excellence, the courage to challenge, the belief that people can do more than they think they can, and the ability to move between strategy and action — all of that still informs how I work. When I facilitate strategy sessions or culture conversations, I often realise how much of my approach was shaped by those years. The emphasis on ownership, accountability, relationships and high standards is still very present in the way I lead and the way I help others lead.

9. What advice would you give to ambitious professionals building a meaningful career?

Be patient and be willing to do the work. Don’t become too distracted by what everyone else is doing or how quickly they seem to be moving. Focus on building your own foundations. Work hard, stay curious, keep learning and say yes to opportunities that stretch you. I would also say: trust yourself, but don’t expect the path to be perfectly clear from the start. Careers are built through commitment, relationships, resilience and the willingness to keep showing up. And finally, don’t underestimate the importance of service. If you consistently add value, build trust and do excellent work, opportunities tend to follow.

10. What are your thoughts on the Investec Alumni platform, and have you engaged with it in a business capacity?

I think it’s a wonderful initiative because there is something very powerful about the shared experience of having worked at Investec. Even years later, there is a common language, a shared set of values and a sense of connection between people who were part of that environment. I have not yet engaged with the platform in a formal business capacity, but I would certainly like to. I think there is real value in reconnecting with alumni, exploring collaboration, and continuing to contribute to a network that played such an important role in my own journey.