Smart Money – KAL Group CEO Sean Walsh on tech in agriculture and the future of the industry

In this Smart Money with Alishia Seckam interview, outgoing KAL Group CEO Sean Walsh discusses the rise of technology in agriculture and the future of the industry in South Africa.

Walsh holds a Bachelor of Economics with Honours in Transport Economy from the University of Stellenbosch.

He began his career in 1990 at SA Breweries, where he climbed the ranks to ultimately become the National Operations Manager.

A decade later, Walsh became the General Manager at Sefalana Holdings Company before joining Derek Brink Holdings as the Operational Director.

He also worked in several other General Manager positions, including at SBV Services and at GWK.

Walsh joined KAL Group in 2008 as the Operations Director. It was known as Kaap Agri at the time.

He then became Group CEO in 2011, and held this role for 15 years, before announcing his retirement earlier this month.

Walsh will leave his post on 1 March 2026, and will be replaced by Johann le Roux, who is the former CEO of Zeder Investments and a current non-executive director at KAL Group.

KAL Group is a JSE-listed South African specialist retail business with origins tracing back to 1912 in the Swartland region of the Western Cape.

It started out as a small group of farmers banding together to buy bulk guano, and has now grown into a nationwide footprint operating out of 268 locations and employing over 6,700 people.

The interview

In this interview, Walsh begins by highlighting the biggest technological shifts he has witnessed in the agricultural sector in recent years, and explains how KAL Group is embracing these innovations to remain competitive.

Walsh then talks about sustainable and regenerative agriculture, as well as alternative farming.

He also unpacks the growth of e-commerce and digital platforms in the industry, including the launch of the Agrimark app.

Walsh shifts gears to KAL Group’s PEG segment, explaining its strategy and how the model works.

Watch the full interview with Sean Walsh below.