The former Springbok captain who started an outdoor advertising company and signed an exclusive deal with Golden Arrow buses

Cornelius Petrus Johannes “Corné” Krige is known for being an enforcer on the rugby field, but he is now also a highly successful businessman. 

Krige’s ventures include his CK Advertising company, which owns billboards across South Africa and has exclusive rights to advertising on all Golden Arrow buses in Cape Town. 

The former Springbok is also a popular keynote speaker and leadership consultant, where he leverages his experiences as a captain for the Stormers and the national team. 

This is a far cry from the young boy who was born in Lusaka, Zambia, on his parents’ farm. Because he was born to South African parents, Krige was a citizen at birth. 

Krige did not spend many years in Zambia, as he was sent with his brothers to attend Paarl Boys Primary at the age of four.

Despite living near his grandparents, Krige was placed in boarding and had to find his feet quickly, as he was two years younger than most boys in his grade. 

“I turned five in my grade one year, which means that I was two years young for my grade. I think that actually helped me,” Krige told the Coach G show. 

“Not having parents to guide me or protect me at that taught me to be independent and lead. It made it really tough, only seeing them every six months.”

“But all that moulded me into a tough individual. Emotionally tough, but also physically tough. I always wanted to be the fittest despite other boys being older than me.”

Krige was a natural athlete, being good at rugby in his youth alongside athletics and swimming before focusing on Paarl Boys’ High School’s dominant sport. 

After flourishing at one of South Africa’s premier rugby schools, Krige moved on to play for the Western Province in 1996. 

He quickly became a key part of the team and Western Province’s captain. Krige led the team to consecutive Currie Cup titles in 2000 and 2001. 

Krige also quickly became known for his aggressive style of play at Province and the Stormers, which ultimately earned him his Test debut in 1999. 

On his debut, Krige was the Springbok captain, earning an accolade that very few can match. 

Krige’s career was unfortunately plagued by injury, with the star player missing out on the 1999 World Cup due to a knee injury. 

At the end of his career, Krige had picked up 39 Test caps for South Africa and captained his country 18 times in total. 

From playing rugby to having billboards across South Africa

After his retirement in 2004, Krige began looking at jobs and businesses where he could make a difference and earn a living. 

As a born leader, Krige started his own business, CK Outdoor, in 2007, an advertising company specialising in billboard media. 

“Our initial focus was on he formal market and large format billboards. In 2009, we identified the need for first-class advertising in the informal market,” Krige says on his family website.

Krige’s company focused on advertising in the areas around taverns in South Africa, near taxi ranks, and in other high-foot-traffic areas. 

“I like the advertising business. It is quite a nice business because you meet a lot of people and it is all about relationships. I also like the creativity around it,” Krige said. 

CK Advertising’s big break would come with a deal between it and Golden Arrow Bus Services in Cape Town. 

Golden Arrow is one of the largest transport companies in South Africa, operating 1,200 buses on a daily basis with an average number of 65 passengers. 

In the early 2010s, CK Advertising secured exclusive rights to advertising on all Golden Arrow buses in Cape Town. 

This gave the company enviable, movable real estate that it could sell to clients, and it did not have to invest in building billboards and securing infrastructure. 

“In 2012, we added a new dimension to our company when we decided to start a promotional department to provide services to corporates,” Krige said. 

This made CK Advertising a vertically integrated business, offering the creativity behind ads and the real estate to serve them. 

The other major business venture Krige has developed is keynote speaking and consulting, where he leverages the experience gained through his rugby career. 

Krige uses his keynote addresses to focus on helping businesses build resilience, teamwork, and operate in high-pressure environments. 

“This began as a passion project. In the middle of Covid, I realised I had five weeks to do nothing, so I did a course around public speaking and invested time into being better as a public speaker,” Krige said. 

Krige has also published an autobiography titled The Right Place at the Wrong Time, which focused on South African rugby in the early 2000s and the behind-the-scenes challenges of his captaincy. 

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Corné Krige photos

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