Cape Town-based, working with clients worldwide.

Strategy and delivery,
without the gap in between.

33 South is a strategy and delivery practice founded to turn ambitious plans into delivered outcomes.

Start a conversation See how we work
Approach

From intention to installed.

33 South exists for the gap between good intentions and chaotic execution — the moment a well-meaning plan needs someone to install the operational backbone that actually gets it delivered. Every engagement starts with the same approach: get to know the team and culture, identify the key challenges and opportunities, get hands-on where it matters, and leave behind something that works without us.

Advisory retainer

Ongoing strategic counsel for founders and leadership teams — a standing sounding board through quarterly or monthly cycles.

Project sprint

A defined scope, a fixed timeline, a clear deliverable. Best for market entries, strategic reviews, or a specific programme that needs to land.

Fractional leadership

Embedded, part-time leadership — country lead, interim director, or programme head — for organisations that need senior capacity without a full-time hire.

Board & advisory seat

Longer-term governance and strategic input as a board or advisory committee member, for organisations building for scale.

Services

Four capabilities, one delivery discipline.

Each service draws on the same 20 years of cross-functional delivery — from adidas' Emerging Markets business to AI SaaS go-to-market in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Business development

Market entry and exit strategy, partnership building, and commercial groundwork for organisations expanding into new or complex markets.

Project management

Cross-functional programme delivery and governance — turning many stakeholders and moving parts into milestones that actually land.

Strategy advisory

Strategic planning frameworks, digital and OKR integration, and the operating structure to carry a strategy from board slide to daily practice.

AI advisory

Practical guidance on AI product go-to-market, adoption strategy, and organisational readiness — grounded in hands-on scale-up experience, not hype.

About

About 33 South

33 South is founded and led by Lucie Martin, built on 20+ years of institutional experience, which means every engagement gets direct, senior attention from the first conversation to final delivery. As the practice grows, that same standard will extend to a small, trusted network of collaborators.

Portrait of Lucie Martin, founder of 33 South LUCIE MARTIN — FOUNDER

Lucie Martin is a strategic, delivery-oriented business leader with 20+ years of global experience spanning investment management, strategy, and business development, with deep roots in the sporting goods industry.

She spent 13 years at adidas, most recently as Senior Director, Business Development for the Emerging Markets region, leading strategic planning and cross-functional project delivery — including market entries, exits, and brand divestitures. Earlier in her adidas career, she held senior roles in Global Digital Strategy and Big Data & Sales Strategy, driving change management, OKR integration, and analytics-led decision-making at global scale.

Since 2025, Lucie has worked as an independent consultant, advising organisations including an AI SaaS voice-tech scale-up and an emotional intelligence training company on commercial development, strategy, and go-to-market execution. She holds board and advisory roles with The CoolPlay Trust and La French Tech South Africa.

33 South brings a proven ability to build high-trust partnerships and translate complex programmes into measurable impact — combining strategic rigour with hands-on delivery experience. It's built as a practice first, with the intention of growing into a small collective of specialists who share the same standard of delivery.

Contact

Tell us what you're building.

Whether it's a single sprint or an ongoing retainer, the first step is a conversation. Send a short note and we'll come back to you within two business days.

Direct

lucie.martin@33south.ai

Building an extended network

33 South regularly partners with independent consultants, coaches, and specialists across strategy, delivery, and AI. If you're an affiliate or potential partner rather than a prospective client, select that below — we'd genuinely like to hear from you.