46 minute read
Cape Town Summit looks at a future-fit HR function
THE MAKINGS OF A FUTURE-FIT HR FUNCTION REVEALED
Fifty of South Africa’s leading HR professionals joined author and strategist Abdullah Verachia in the Mother City for the first ever CHRO Cape Town Summit, to discuss disruption and the makings of a future-fit HR function.
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BY CAYLYNNE FOURIE
On 23 June, leading HR professionals in Cape Town gathered at 180Lounger to talk about sourcing talent, keeping it and letting it go during the war for talent. The first ever CHRO Cape Town Summit kicked off with a keynote from author and strategist Abdullah Verachia who focused on how people priorities have shifted and how CHROs can equip themselves and their organisations to be future ready.
He started by presenting some daunting statistics about the reality of South Africa’s population, and explained how crisis events affect how they show up to work.
As a result, there has been a cognitive rewiring of human behaviour. People are yearning for workspaces that provide deeper elements of purpose and alignment in terms of what they do and how they do it.
“This means we have to think about the workplace ecosystem and how we can create spaces that give people the opportunity to bring their best selves to work,” he said. “The only way to do that is to deepen the observation in the organisation, to use that observation to have a better understanding, to use that understanding to increase awareness, and to then transform what we do,” he added.
Abdullah explained that at the heart of all of this are the organisation’s people.
Talent, talent, talent
After a refreshing networking break, CHROs tackled the contemporary topics of the great resignation and the war for talent from three different angles, sourcing talent, rewarding talent and talent mobility.
“Africa has talent. We have to believe that, on a continent that is home to one billion people, there is a lot more potential,” said Maersk HR head Mechell Chetty.
Capitec HR executive Rizwana Butler added, “We’re all looking for ready ‘now talent’, particularly in technology and digital fields. But we’re all fishing in the same pond and stealing from each other, which is only pushing up the price of the talent, not increasing the supply thereof. So we have to think differently.”
“We have to tap into our existing talent pool and their potential, and train for the skill we’re looking for,” she added.
Rectron chief of people Kutlwano Rawana, however, believes that the skills gap is not at a tertiary level, but at the very beginning. “We can’t leave it to the government and tertiary institutions, we have to find a way to start developing these skills that we need sooner,” she said.
Sanlam group HR director Jeanett Modise agreed that HR needs to talk about developing skills, not just attracting it. “It’s important to partner with people and organisations in your ecosystem to become stronger. Competitors can work together to grow their industries respectively.”
Potential
Rizwana explained that South Africa is spending R10 billion on international skills because there aren’t enough in the country. However, that money could be used to develop the potential talent that exists instead. Floatpays chief people officer Andisa Liba agreed. “Perhaps in setting up the structures at the point of entry in our organisations, we haven’t done it right. We’re making it impossible for youth to get into the corporate world, that’s why other countries are picking them up and creating superstars out of our talent.”
Echoing the theme of the evening, Sanlam head of group reward Julia Fourie said: “If you don’t grow your own timber, then all you’re doing is creating a prized ox. We have to put holistic programmes in place across our organisations to not only reward young upcoming minds, but to give them the security that they will have career paths, mentoring and visibility in the workplace.”
At the end of the evening, attendees were taken through an interactive session with leadership and transition coach Graham Fehrsen, during which they explained they’ve had to “learn, relearn and unlearn” in the last two years.
The CHRO Cape Town Summit was made possible by Executive Partners Mercer, Sanlam, ServiceNow, and Workday, as well as Associate Partners Floatpays, SkillsTown and The Strategist.
MEET IN THE MIDDLE
Lockdown forced organisations to transition to WFH models, and now many employees are hesitant to return to the office full-time. This makes optimising hybrid working models and spaces a priority for many businesses.
BY ATLEHANG RAMATHESELE
In the midst of lockdown-induced adjustments, many companies are relooking their office spaces and working models to maximise comfort and find a happy compromise between employer and employee work preferences. According to Palesa Ntoagae, director of Human Resources at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), flexibility is now not a luxury, “it’s a ticket to the game”.
While South Africa’s extremely high unemployment rate might not lead to brazen quitting when remote-working is denied, Lettie-Basani Phume,
Group Human Capital executive at Momentum
Metropolitan Holdings, notes that there has been an increase in resignations of this nature in specific skilled industries in the country. It is therefore important for businesses to take heed of the changing nature of the way we work.
“Employers need to be understanding, empathetic and avoid pressuring employees into returning to a work environment they may no longer be comfortable with. This could negatively impact individual performance, productivity and wellbeing, but will also have an effect on the overall company culture – particularly for organisations that pride themselves on creating and maintaining a culture of transparency, collaboration and trust,” she says.
She suggests shifting the emphasis to how face-toface reconnection and collaboration add value.
Palesa says a highlight of the hybrid model is seeing how it has resulted in growing participation from generally introverted employees as the mix of remote-working and in-person interaction offers them a safety net. “We have this evolving landscape of everything ‘diversity, inclusion, belonging’ and I have really just marvelled at how I have come to know my team so much better in such a different way because I’ve seen all the people who are shy and reclusive speak up more. It has been wonderful to hear those voices,” she says.
Optimising the hybrid model
As a locally-based organisation that operates in a global network, the JSE was one of the first employers to put together a business continuity management plan for people to work remotely. “We banked some principles around relooking at the infrastructure; the bucket of work focused around the facility, technology and culture,” she says. The JSE has since re-designed and re-modelled its office space with collaboration in mind. The revamped building encourages a hybrid way of work. “Our technology is world class, it allows for people to connect whether they are in South Africa or dialling from another area”, she says. The office also allows teams to craft manifestos of how they want to use it, encouraging team collaboration and spirit. “We want to prioritise safety, improve on the work space, ensure that it is actually meaningful when people come into the office and maintain productivity,” she adds. Momentum Metropolitan updated both their Centurion and Cape Town offices to create an effective hybrid-working environment. Opened in May, these new spaces feature everything from hot desks to stimulating meeting spaces that facilitate interaction. The ground floor of the Centurion offices are now a “mall-like” open space where people can catch up and have meetings. “Meeting pods, booths and shared workspaces break down the former siloed divisions while the latest technology enable staff to work from anywhere in the building – from hot desks to outside-in landscaped gardens, to quiet rooms for focus time or private conversations, or even prayers and meditation,” says Lettie-Basani.
Flexibility first
For Palesa, the idea of hybrid working is to maintain flexibility and ensure employee satisfaction, hence not instituting a minimum number of days, “We do trust our staff and know that they get the job done so
Lettie-Basani Phume
it’s not about bringing them to the office to monitor their work, it’s about driving collaboration,” she says. “At the time we approved hybrid, we didn’t want to be prescriptive. We wanted teams to determine how often they would come into the office but we have found that certain teams aren’t coming into the office at all, while others are,” she adds.
They are trying to nudge more people to come in consistently, particularly because new staff members can’t settle in as effectively or connect productively with the network of the organisation. “When you come here, you are going to rely on the people you find here to teach you and show you the ropes. We don’t have training academy for exchanges in the country, unlike the banks, so you rely on the networks you create [within the organisation] and that’s becoming an issue for us and what we’re trying to solve,” she says. While there have been some teams that aren’t particularly keen on the notion of returning to the office, general employee response has been favourable. The JSE has spearheaded this by encouraging inter-divisional collaboration, get-togethers and becoming more intentional about how they use the building, “We ensure that there is a fun activity every month and we have noted that the numbers have gone up each month,” she says. “When people came back to the office, they realised how much they missed seeing people. The basement is getting increasingly full, so we can definitely see foot flow going up,” she says.
Here to stay
Palesa believes organisations need to accept that hybrid working is not going anywhere and that businesses that require premium skills should be wary of bearing down on full Monday-Friday office occupancy as it will invariably affect employee retention negatively. “Employees have agency to vote for who they want to work for. Even though the economy has contracted, skilled knowledge workers with skills that are scarce are always going to have choice in the market,” she says. While South Africa is plagued with specific issues like loadshedding and petrol price hikes, Palesa cautions organisations from taking full responsibility for government/country-specific issues and to be acutely aware of when some employees are trying their luck. She suggests more supportive measures instead. “Where corporates can assist to buffer, we certainly must. For example, we offer staff loans to buy UPS solutions,” she says. Lettie-Basani suggests that co-creating work environments by listening to what employees need is key for modern companies. “Exploring new workspaces – even if it is simply a different desk with a different view – can help stimulate employees by allowing them to find a space that motivates and inspires them. It also breaks down the silo mentality that characterised many traditional buildings of the past,” she says.
The new look JSE office
The JSE's re-designed and re-modelled office space has a number of new features to encourage a hybrid way of work. These include: • A pod to do quiet work. • Closed rooms and private areas for teams that want to get together. • Sections where anyone can book desk space (driving different behaviour where required). • Space for stand-up meetings. • Demarcated telephone booths to ensure private conversation in an open space. The ground floor is usually leased out for events while the first floor is formal with boardrooms and a concierge service. The rest of the building has hot desking elements and a variety of different working nodes powered by an app that allows people to book space. The app also has health screening, a layout of the floor space and an overview of who is using which space. “That helps you to plan your week because you can book the space you need depending on the types of meetings and conversations you’ll be having. It also allows the facilities team to know how many people to expect at the office on which days, which is also helpful from an evacuation perspective. So it is also a great security tool,” Palesa says.
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PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST
CHRO SA managing editor Nomahlubi Sonjica spoke to John Skelton, chief people officer at The Capital Hotels and Apartments, about his journey in HR.
Putting employees at the centre of The Capital Hotels and Apartments is what John Skelton, chief people officer, is most passionate about. John knew early on in his life that he wanted to be in the business of people. He majored in Organisational Psychology and Information Systems (IS) at Rhodes University and then went on to complete a generalist postgraduate in
Enterprise Management.
Upon moving to Gauteng he began his career in project management but moved on when an opportunity presented itself to become an HR consultant at a private consulting company in Bryanston. This allowed him to go to different businesses and serve a range of clients. “I really benefited from this during my time as a consultant. I got to spend time with people across the various businesses I worked in, and received a solid grounding in IR [Industrial Relations]”.
In 2008 he was headhunted for a position with Nando's
SA, as a national HR consultant. He travelled around the country, visiting every Nando's in South Africa, from
Alberton to Queenstown.
The concept that “it’s not about the chicken, it’s all about the people” has stayed with John ever since. “I was involved with all things people, including exciting initiatives such as EVP master griller competitions, Nandocas staff soccer days,sending off the Kingsley Holgate
Foundation from the Lesedi Cultural Village, opening the domestic Nando's restaurant and standing in freezers doing audits in Hazyview.”
In January 2011, Dimension Data came knocking. “I had learnt about Dimension Data [in my studies], and I was offered an opportunity to work for this incredible South African company,” he recalls.
Amazing journey
John was with Dimension Data for six years. He says it was an amazing journey with a company that is a Top Employer of Choice. John supported over 800 employees in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) service Integration and shared services business. He was responsible for creating a winning culture for the business through talent management programmes aimed at improving retention and the development of staff. He partnered with HR centres of excellence to ensure that the business received a seamless experience. John completed his Management Development Programme [MDP] through GIBS, where his syndicate finished top of their class. In 2016, John was approached by The Capital Hotels and Apartments, with the prospect of moving into an executive role later on. When he joined the company they had just 199 employees. “When I joined, there was no focus on employee training and employee engagement and I was determined to change the culture of the business. The growth and shift in HR since then has been exponential.” In its early days, the company’s HR department was run manually. “If you wanted someone’s file, you would have to go to the payroll manager and ask for it – like a library book,” John recalls. Since then, a new values programme, based on the acronym H.O.M.E, was introduced, which focused the culture towards a more inclusive approach.
“We designed and introduced training programmes that allowed staff to develop key business skills that would support the future growth of the business. Employee-of-the-Month initiatives were introduced to improve morale in the group, where the winning staff member each month sits down with the CEO for breakfast to discuss the business face-to-face.”
The company also introduced a new employee self-service system called Roubler, where staff shifts, payslips, policies and leave were all available on a custom application.
Transactional and transformational
John is proud that The Capital Hotels and Apartments now has a structured HR department that uses a transactional and transformational approach. “The transactional is the training, the payroll, the engaging side and the recruitment and transformational involves talent management, performance management and organisational design, which is all underpinned through this change management process which I have taken the group through,” he explains. The company, John says, is one of the fastest growing hotel groups in South Africa. “We open around two hotels a year, the most recent being The Capital Mbombela, The Capital Zimbali [Durban] and The Capital 15 on Orange [Cape Town].” The company now employs over 1,000 permanent employees. The company is, however, not spared from the big challenge of skills shortages that a lot of companies are currently facing. “Even though we have a very low staff attrition rate of below two percent per annum, we have incredible staff who are approached to run hotels around the world. I can’t always compete with the dollars and pounds, but this also shows the calibre of the talent that we have in the hospitality industry,” says John. Like most companies, The Capital suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic as its occupancy rate slumped initially. It dropped from 73 percent to seven percent across their then nine hotels overnight. While some hotel groups closed their doors during that period, John says they decided to stay open and that changed the group forever. “On the 27th of March there were a couple of planes that landed at OR Tambo [International Airport] and people were stuck in limbo on the tarmac. In true Capital entrepreneurial style, we opened our doors and managed to accommodate the stranded travellers, who were caught in the Covid cross-fire of travel restrictions and uncertainty. Everything was new and different during those first few days. We asked staff whether they wanted to stay in hotels and assist with the repatriation flights. There was an overwhelming positive response from all the staff, and we had a business that was operating with close to 100 percent occupancy levels again. Because of this we were able keep staff on full salaries,” John recalls.
People first
John highlights his passion for people and recalls a memory that speaks to how passionate he is about people: “One of the low moments in my career was walking through a closed Zimbali Hotel and I realised that a building without people simply has no soul. The people are without a doubt the drive and the reason for what I do. Seeing them develop and grow is what makes me happy.” In the end, the pandemic allowed the group to benefit from the chaos and The Capital acquired properties that were not previously available to them.
The next chapter involves growing the Hotel Academy (by The Capital). “The academy allows our staff and outside individuals to train and obtain hospitality qualifications which are aligned with The Capital way of thinking, which will develop future leaders in our industry.” John is also proud that the company’s managing director and exco are aligned with the thinking of people first. “It’s not about the hotels, it’s all about the people.” During his free time, John enjoys mountain biking, tennis and a round of golf. Family time is the most important to him. John is a very proud father. He has a daughter and a son born in 2014 and 2016, respectively. John likes to give his family a taste of what the hospitality industry is about by taking them to new places around the country during their school holidays. It’s always people (and family) first in John’s world!
THE ERA OF SELF-AWARENESS: FIVE AREAS FOR HR TO EMBRACE DEVELOPMENT
Research from Workday gives HR leaders data to stem the great resignation – and retain talent.
BY RONDA NAIDU
One in two employees are likely currently looking for a new employer, according to research commissioned by Workday which focused on understanding employee sentiment across Europe and South Africa during Covid-19.
Kiveshen Moodley, country manager South Africa, Workday, says, “The data shows that 53 percent of employees will be looking for new employment. We need to look at the motivations for people wanting to leave. Employers assume that pay would be significant and it is. Other reasons include growth and better training and development. The research looks at this within the South African context.”
The pandemic and economic downturn have certainly elevated the role of the CHRO to help CEOs manage employees during a time of crisis and chart a course for the future.
“The perfect storm of cultural upheaval, employee stress, business challenges, and opportunity has created a critical moment for businesses, and if they don’t meet it, they risk alienating employees falling behind technologically, and missing opportunities to retain, engage and develop their workforce,” he says. “In terms of the companies with which I consult, it is clearly beneficial to get employees to be part of the decision-making process and have a high level of engagement which leads to productivity and helps the business realise its strategy,” he adds. The research, which was undertaken by Yonder Consulting, comprised 17,054 online surveys, across nine European countries and South Africa, from employees below director level. Respondents work at organisations with more than 250 employees. “Europe and SA are regions and we commissioned the survey to understand the cultural and working practices in these regions and ensure relevancy. Surveys like this also allow us to take a global view and consider different lines of thinking from leadership,” he said. Kiveshen notes that HR leaders in South Africa can now look at the data points and decide on the steps to take to retain top talent.
A sense of ubuntu
The research shows that while workplaces have seen major economic, social, environmental, and technological changes recently, the pandemic accelerated trends including remote working, shifting employees’ expectations, learning and development, purpose and belonging at work, and employee wellbeing. In South Africa, Yonder found that:
• 80 percent of employees worked from home, but 96 percent experienced connectivity issues; • Leaders viewed as honest, trustworthy, caring, supportive, approachable, inspiring and competent are perceived to have performed better; • 53 percent of employees struggled to motivate themselves; and
• 58 percent believe their leaders are not prioritising health and wellbeing.
“There is a sense of ubuntu in the research, which shows the culture and nature of who we are as a people. This stands out. The research also showed that senior managers in South Africa were more likely to demonstrate a clear vision during the pandemic,” he said. Looking ahead, Kiveshen notes that the new era will be all about self-awareness and connecting with employees taking the hybrid ways of working into account. “The reality is that it always starts from an HR perspective. Understand what people are going through with empathy and engagement as well as the challenges and working together as a team to understand how we move forward. This needs to come from the leaders. So, we need to understand the data and take action,” he says.
Five focus areas
Kiveshen says that the last year has dramatically accelerated the urgency and importance of organisations embracing development in five key areas: • Inclusion and belonging: Organisations investing in diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity are reaping substantial bottom-line benefits and outperforming competitors. • Digital acceleration: Digital transformation takes centre stage and is the top priority for business leaders. Employee support and services will need to be delivered virtually and digitally. • Enabling experiences: Creating compelling employee experiences that connect, support, empower, inspire and engage workers in the new, more flexible workplace. • Agile organisation: Automating and augmenting work to enhance, elevate, and extend employees’ expertise, enabling leaders to effectively manage, mitigate, minimise disruption and redirect resources. • Skills imperative: Building critical skills and competencies for the organisation.
The CHRO Awards celebrate excellence in HR and recognise individual leaders who have done outstanding work.
CHROs have over the past year become chief empathy officers, chief advisors, chief technicians and brand ambassadors. They have learnt how to pivot, be resilient, show vulnerability, keep a close eye on the wellbeing of employees and balance that with the sustainability of the business.
There is little doubt that CHROs have been tested and come out stronger on the other side.
Most of them have proven both the tangible and intangible value of HR during this critical time, and this year's nominees certainly deserve the recognition for the exceptional work they have been doing within their companies. Nominees have undergone intensive interviews and a rigorous judging process, and the winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony on 17 November 2022 during an exclusive gala dinner.
The award categories are:
• CHRO of the Year • Young CHRO of the Year • Strategy and Leadership Award • Transformation and Empowerment Award • HR and Technology Award • Learning and Development Award • Talent Management Award • Employee Value Proposition Award
Judges
The judges for the CHRO Awards are extremely experienced in the field of human resources and are highly regarded by the CHRO community. The panel consists of industry leaders working for South Africa's leading companies. They are: • Caryn Baird: Independent Advisor & Executive Coach. Joined the panel in 2021. • Dr Rozett (Roze) Phillips: NED, Faculty and African Futurist GIBS Business School Joined the panel in 2022. • James Ramakau: Manager Talent Management and Learning, Anglo American and Chairperson, SABPP. Joined the panel in 2022. • Jane Waters: COO Allen & Overy. Joined the panel in 2019. • Moula Mokhobo-Amegashie: Managing Partner Drayton Glendower & Mokhobo. Joined the panel in 2019. • Paul Norman: CHRO MTN Group. 2019 CHRO of The Year. Joined the panel in 2020. • Raisibe Morathi: Group CFO Vodacom. Joined the panel in 2019. • Richard Sutton: Global Stress Resilience Expert. Joined the panel in 2019. • Shirley Zinn: Non-executive director. Joined the panel in 2019. • Tswelo Kodisang: Group Chief People Officer, FirstRand. Joined the panel in 2022. • Tumelo Seaketso: Director of Organisation Transformation, Deloitte Consulting. Joined the panel in 2022. • Vukani Mngxati: CEO Accenture Africa. Joined the panel in 2019. • Xolile Sizani: Executive Director, Nzuri Management Consultancy & Investment. Joined the panel in 2020.
Antoinette Roberts
Group executive Human Capital and Transformation, Blu Label Telecoms.
Antoinette started in accounting before moving into IT, becoming part of a team that set up the first data warehouse in the FMCG industry, in the role of sales development manager at Clover SA. She later changed careers and moved into sales. After eight years in sales development and capability building, and now also with an MBL and PhD under her belt, Antoinette started her own business. After four years of running that business, she joined Blu Label Telecoms.
Bongani Phakathi
Human resources executive, Assore
Bongani has more than 20 years of experience in HR. He joined Assore in 2018. He got his professional start at Tiger Brands as a trainee HR Manager and has held various positions in HR, including HR Manager at Distell, HR Consultant at SABMiller and Director Human Resources at the HSRC. Bongani completed a BCom, holds an industrial relations degree from UKZN, and has also completed a Senior Managers Strategic Insights programme at the University of the Witwatersrand Business School.
Desereé Van Den Berg
Head of human capital, Risk Benefit Solutions
Desereé has more than 15 years’ experience in HR and learning and development, and is passionate about people and culture. She has extensive experience as a ‘gets the job done’ executive with strong expertise across the entire HR value chain, operations and strategy execution. She started her HR career at Metropolitan Retail as a learning and development specialist and moved up the ranks into management. Desereé holds an MBA specialising in executive management, and a BCom in industrial and organisational psychology.
Dineo Sekwele
Group HR executive, Transaction Capital Risk Services
Dineo has successfully developed an HR strategy for the group and designed robust human resources programmes and initiatives which are aimed at motivating and developing teams. She is in the process of establishing TCRS Group Learning Academy, as well as a relocation journey through a change management process, and serves on five different boards (within the TCRS Group) as a director. She holds several qualifications including a master’s degree (cum laude) in management and innovation from Wits University.
Enid Lizamore
Group executive head of HR, Santam Insurance
Enid is an experienced HR executive with a demonstrated history of working in the insurance industry. She has held executive HR positions in various industries, including technology and banking, and has been integral to Santam’s transformational talent management agenda. Enid was instrumental in ensuring Top Employer certification for the company. She is skilled in labour relations, succession planning, organisational development, recruiting, and human resources, and has a postgraduate qualification in management studies from the University of Cape Town, which focused on organisational behaviour and labour relations.
HR executive, Vuma
Fifi’s career highlights include a key role in changing company culture to support the key pillars of the business strategy by creating an amazing employee experience. She has relaunched company values, and introduced initiatives to support business such as talent management. She has also set up corporate and investment banking operations client service centres from start to finish, including consulting with unions – for Barclays Africa and other projects. Fifi has several qualifications, including a BTech in human resources management from the University of Johannesburg.
John Skelton
Chief people officer, The Capital
John joined The Capital in 2016 to bring about a complete 180 degree shift in the culture of the organisation. He has extensive knowledge of entrepreneurial cultures in South African businesses where he has gained experience of organisational design and change management through the positions he previously held at Dimension Data and Nando’s. He completed his formal education at Rhodes University in the field of industrial psychology and completed a postgraduate in enterprise management. He also completed the Management Development Programme at GIBS.
Khanya Magudulela
HR director, Hyundai Automotive South Africa
Khanya is an experienced human resources director with a demonstrated history of working across a range of industries, including automotive, FMCG, staffing, construction, consulting, agriculture and recruitment. Prior to joining Hyundai, she was the HR director at LSC Staffing Solutions. She is skilled in the entire human resources portfolio, ranging from talent management and sourcing to consulting and performance management. She holds a BA (Hons) in psychology from University of South Africa, and has completed the Executive Development Programme at Gibs.
Kim McCallum
Chief capability officer, Vantage Data
Kim has more than 10 years' experience within human resources specialising in global executive search, talent management, and HR operations, within the pharmaceutical, retail and data analytics industries. Prior to joining Vantage Data, she worked for companies such as Gilead Sciences and MassDiscounters. Kim started as a commercial negotiator at Mortimers Cooper in the UK, before taking on the role of senior executive search consultant at SynerGem Europe. She holds a BCom in human resources, marketing, and supply chain management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Lee-Ann Samuel
Group executive: People, Implats
Lee-Ann has been in the HR space for more than 17 years. She has previously worked at Goldfields, providing strategic direction for the human resource discipline, including overall planning, direction and guidance to ensure an employee-oriented, high performance culture with an emphasis on empowerment, quality, productivity and standards, goal attainment, and the recruitment, ongoing development and retention of a high performing workforce. Lee-Ann has also held key HR roles at Telkom Media, Absa and Nedbank. She holds an Honours in Political Science and a BA in Psychology from the University of Johannesburg.
Marlize Kriel
HR director, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics – Africa
Marlize, who has more than 20 years of experience in HR, is a well versed strategic human resource professional with a passion for working closely with people at all levels in the organisation. Marlize has previously held the role of HR executive consultant at 21st Century, and has held HR roles in both the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan. She has several qualifications including a master’s degree in strategic human resources management and a BTech degree in human resources management. 30
Chief people officer, Motus Corporation
Michele has held strategic senior management and executive positions in human resources, both locally and internationally at several organisations, including Eskom, Productivity SA, ArcelorMittal and General Electric. She joined Imperial Holdings as the human resources director for the Imperial Vehicle Retail, Rental and Aftermarket Parts division (which subsequently rebranded as Motus) in August 2016. She holds a BSocSci from the University of Cape Town and is currently registered for an MBL 3 at the University of South Africa School of Business Leadership.
Mpho Mazibuko
Head of HR, Mediamark
Mpho is a seasoned HR professional with over two decades of experience in the HR environment. She has a wide range of experience dealing with HR planning, strategy, performance management, organisational development, labour relations, retention strategies and skills development. Furthermore, she has a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry. She is a graduate of Wits Business School and has completed programmes at both the University of the Witwatersrand and Rand Afrikaans University.
Nina Sternberg
Chief HR and Service officer, Home of Living Brands
Nina has been working for Home of Living Brands for 10 years, and has held various positions within the company, both as human resources general manager and human resources business partner. She began her career at the company in 2012. Prior to joining Home of Living Brands, Nina was an HR business partner at IBM. She holds an Honours in Industrial Organisational Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Njabulo Mashigo
Executive head of HR, Vodacom
Njabulo is an international HR leader with a track record of partnering with CEOs, management teams and board members to drive business performance and transformation, and is passionate about people and organisational development. Her career began at 19, after she completed her studies at Rhodes University. She is a non-executive director and remuneration committee chairman of Mezzanine and Xlink. Njabulo holds an MBA from GIBS and has completed Heineken's Global Talent development programme through INSEAD Business School.
Phil Tshikotshi
Vice president and country HR head, Startek
Phil, who joined Startek in 2017, has extensive experience in human resource management, customer services, and as team leader, operations. He holds a postgraduate diploma in business management from Regent Business School and MAP Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services from Wits Business School. His previous roles include being the senior manager of human resources at Aegis Outsourcing South Africa, customer service manager of Operations at Aegis (CCN/South Africa), and team leader of Operations at AOL Dimension Data.
Portia Thokoane
Group CHRO, Dark Fibre Africa
Portia has a passion to drive transformation and initiate programmes that improve humanity and business results. She strives for self development and improvement, and is passionate about developing leaders to unleash their potential and achieve personal and business success. She has several qualifications under her belt, including a Master of Philosophy in leadership coaching from Stellenbosch Business School and an MBA from the University of South Africa. Portia is also a mentor with the National Mentorship Movement and has previ31ously served as a non-executive member on a number of boards.
Pumeza Bam
HR director, Liberty Group
Over the past 25 years, Pumeza has demonstrated expertise in organisational effectiveness, strategic human resources, change management, business strategy, and financial management. She has successfully shaped high-performing cultures with progressive technical resources and robust development programmes that positively impact revenue growth. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry and Psychology from UKZN, and a board leadership qualification from the GIBS. She has previously held leadership roles at EOH and SAP Africa. Pumeza is also a certified member of the Institute of Directors.
Renske Coetzee
Group HR manager, Redefine Properties
Renske is an experienced business and human resources professional who has led the human resources and people management functions of companies across various industries, including retail, telecommunication and real estate. Prior to joining Redefine Properties, Renske was the head of HR at iBurst. She holds several qualifications including an MCom in Industrial and Organisational Psychology from North-West University. She has completed various other professional courses and is also a registered psychologist.
Riani Meyer
CHRO, Bitco
Riani is an experienced HR professional who began her career as a media assistant. She started her career in HR as a junior human capital practitioner and soon moved to more senior positions. She joined BitCo as an HR manager in 2015 and, three years later, was promoted to head of HR. Riani has been involved in recruitment, payroll admin, employment equity and BBBEE. In her current role, she looks after the entire strategic HR module and strives to build and develop an effective HR model.
Verna Robson
Group HR director, Sun International
Verna moved into the HR environment as she wanted to ensure that the labour laws are interpreted in a simple manner, for both employees and employers to understand their rights and obligations. She has been an HR executive since 2008 when she became the HR business partner at Absa Wealth. She was and was the employee relations manager at Sun international for six-and-a-half years before taking on her current role in 2015. Verna holds a BProc in Law from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Vinolia Singh
Chief people officer, Adcorp Group
Vinolia is an accomplished human capital business executive with a demonstrated record of improving the human capital function in order to transform business performance and revenue. Her career highlights include being chosen as one of MultiChoice’s Top 5 Senior Women Managers and profiled in the Mail & Guardian SA’s book of Top Women in Leadership (2011). She holds an executive MBA from GIBS, a BSc in Computer Software Engineering from Unisa and a postgraduate qualification in ICT.
An unexpected journey into the people space
Avanthi Parboosing’s two decades of experience in the governance space paved the way for her chief people officer position at Life Healthcare.
BY NOMAHLUBI SONJICA
When Avanthi Parboosing took on the role of chief people officer (CPO) at Life Healthcare two years ago, her change in career was met with some surprise. But the experienced executive blocked out the noise and focused on the expectation of the role and what needed to be immediately done to entrench herself into her new set of responsibilities. “I took every concern and discomfort and turned it into an opportunity to learn.” Avanthi’s journey into the people space was unexpected as she had, for the past 20 years, been an executive within the governance and ethics space, having served as a group secretary for a number of listed entities, including Impala Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore. In December 2020, the chief executive of Life Healthcare, Peter Wharton-Hood, told her that she had outgrown the governance role and needed to take on a bigger challenge. Avanthi was cautious and needed some convincing. “By my own observation, I was a good company secretary. I liked operating in a comfortable but challenging space and doing what I know best. I enjoyed the breadth and depth of the company secretary role and was nervous about letting that go.” Peter, she says, was patient. He had a particular vision for the company, and closer to home, a specific plan for her career. That was reassuring.
Strong team
“He re-focused my attention and diluted my discomfort around the ability to execute and influence in the CPO role. I can honestly say that there is a deep trust within the current group executive, and we work well as a team, supporting each other in our various areas of responsibility,” she said. “Leadership’s collective belief is that one of the crucial ways to drive this organisation forward from a strategic perspective is to ensure that we look after our people, and having this collective view from my colleagues and from the business at large, certainly makes the role easier to execute,” she added.
Without any formal human resources background or training, Avanthi quickly learnt that the role needed a strong technical team, both in South Africa and internationally. “Life Healthcare directly employs circa 17,000 people across its southern African and international operations. It’s a big company with a global footprint. Fortunately for me, there is an exceptionally strong technical HR team, both in the international and South African operating environments, who I work closely with to deliver on key objectives. The technical aspect of HR is absolutely key, but I have the right people, in the right roles, at the right time. The team is phenomenal.” Avanthi’s role manages more than just the people portfolio. She also holds executive responsibility for diversity and inclusion, communications and reputation management, sustainability (ESG) and stakeholder engagement. Although not a typical collection of portfolios, Avanthi says it works. “We understand that for our business to grow sustainably, we have a duty to develop our people, while enhancing stakeholder value and minimising the impact of our operations on the environment. We are aware that it is critical in today’s world to identify, understand, and manage material ESG impacts, and the HR portfolio is key to contributing in this space. It’s interesting to observe how critical HR has become to almost every aspect of business – especially today – where the focus on ESG has become completely entrenched in every investor’s mind.”
A safe space
As challenging as her job is, Avanthi is delighted to have taken on the challenge. There are no regrets. “It’s been a tough few years for the healthcare industry in general and certainly a tough two years for Life Healthcare. A focus on critical elements of a progressive people function is integral to the company’s sustained performance during difficult times, and the executive team continues to work tirelessly to respond to the challenges brought on by the pandemic.” Difficult decisions also needed to be taken, and Avanthi played a key role in assisting with the rollout of the company’s mandatory vaccination process. “We needed to deliver on the promise of always putting our people first and making Life Healthcare a safe space. It was one of the most difficult processes to go through, but we got it right. We managed it with respect and care, and we got to where we wanted.”
There has also been some real traction in the diversity space, a key component of the CPO role and one for which Avanthi has real passion. Together with the CEO, she created and led the company’s very successful Women-in-Life Programme, and as the responsible executive for inclusion and diversity, paid personal attention to hiring processes, taking deliberate stances on all the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. Avanthi admits that the handling of extremely complex people matters takes up a large portion of her time. “There is a certain level of dexterity required in managing people matters. There is a need for sensitivity and compassion – sometimes managing issues with an iron fist in a velvet glove. This is the part of the HR role that requires the most attention – doing
what’s right for our people, while taking care of the organisation as a whole. I’m trying to master that art.”
Great minds
Having been in the governance space for more than 20 years, Avanthi says she did not realise how much that journey had prepared her for her current role as CPO.
“Some decisions in my current role often have to be taken care of quickly, but in a measured manner, because taking a decision about an employee in an organisation can often impact that person’s entire life.”
Her interaction with various listed boards during her career as a group secretary has also helped her in her new role. “I fostered incredible connections during my governance career, observing some of the best corporate leaders within the boardroom space, and learning from them. I have also worked with phenomenal executive teams. Without sounding sentimental, the most rewarding part of my career thus far has been the ability to engage with great minds – and soaking up lessons along the way.” After Impala and Kumba, Avanthi took a two-year hiatus to focus on her children. “After a very short while, I realised that the kids didn’t quite need me as much as I thought they would. These were little humans with their own lives – and I fitted into their universe only after the end of the school day. What was I to do the rest of the day?” Avanthi then created and managed her own strategic governance consultancy, The Good Practice, working with companies such as FirstRand, Woolworths, UNISA, and Anglo American on strategic governance. “Ironically, some of my key projects as a consultant were squarely within the people space, including assisting with the re-organisation of departments and managing labour-related issues.”
Defining moment
Avanthi spends long hours and some of her weekends ensuring that she is on top of remuneration-related issues and trends.
“Succession planning and talent management have been an easier adjustment for me because I’ve been exposed to these areas during HR and remuneration committee discussions over the years. The real focus for me has been getting to grips with the acutely technical issues linked to rewards structures. This is where the real work begins – understanding how remuneration philosophy drives the entire continuum of the recruitment and retention circle – from start to finish,” she says. Avanthi does not believe in micro-management, but in having the right people in the right positions, at the right time delivering what is expected of them. Working during the “chaos” of the Covid-19 pandemic was hard for Avanthi, but it was also a defining moment. “If I was going to fail, it would have been at that point in time, but the teams I work with were incredibly supportive and astute – we work well under pressure and there is a level of resilience that surfaces when the going gets tough.” Her aspiration is to create a workforce that does not want to leave Life Healthcare. She also feels strongly about bringing talented people into the organisation who are a “culture-add” as opposed to a “culture fit”. “Our people are the foundation of our success and our sustainability. To achieve our vision of being a people-centred organisation, I need to ensure that we continuously focus on creating an empowered and inclusive workforce and environment. When our people feel valued, they organically contribute to exceptional business performance and operational outcomes. That’s where the magic lies.”
About
Avanthi is a mother of two children. Her eldest son is studying towards a BSc degree at the University of Toronto. Her daughter is in Grade 12 and will be moving to Canada next year to hopefully study a degree in life sciences. Personally, Avanthi is passionate about animal welfare and education. She also provides pro-bono advisory on governance issues, when needed. “I have three rescue dogs who take up a lot of my time, and a wonderful husband who supports me – while growing flowers on a farm he owns with other shareholders. A CPO and a farmer. It’s a good combination! We both have to nurture and grow that which has been entrusted to us!”
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS ARE KEY TO TRANSFORMATION
Transformation is not just about a B-BBEE scorecard; inclusion at every level is crucial to build an economy that’s accessible to all.
BY ANG LLOYD
To truly foster a company’s transformation imperatives, CHROs need to get more granular. That’s according to Xolisa Dhlamini, managing executive for distribution at Sanlam Corporate, who highlights how the group’s emphasis on holistic employee benefits is playing a key role in generating shared value.
Financial inclusion is essential to South Africa’s economic growth, particularly for those who were (and continue to be) marginalised. But for Xolisa, greater empowerment must happen on a micro-level, where individuals have equal access to financial services and the know-how that comes with it. And, he says, this extends to health- and self-care, because a truly empowered person has the autonomy and confidence to make informed decisions about all aspects of their lives – not just their money. The 2022 Sanlam Benchmark Survey – which includes feedback from individual members and not only employers or consultants – revealed there is a growing demand for integrated employee benefits that address health, wealth, and self-care needs. The past two years of Covid-19 have undoubtedly impacted employees: 66 percent of respondents said they were kept awake at night worrying about being able to weather an emergency. However, 49 percent of employer funds and 53 percent of umbrella funds now believe that an integrated health and wellness programme delivers higher productivity and staff happiness. “We've moved on from employees only wanting a retirement fund,” says Xolisa. “People now want broader solutions and benefits, like free medical consultations, will-drafting, budgeting tools, and access to counsellors. They want to be holistically well, beyond a medical aid benefit.” For Xolisa, holistic employee benefits are an integral part of a corporate's sustainability efforts – employee benefits need to be more than an expense; they need to contribute to transformation. The challenge, he says, is how to get corporates – and HR practitioners – to think differently about the employee benefits they offer, and to realise that these benefits are an integral part of transforming the economy.
Transformation is a journey, not a tick-box exercise
“Transformation is a means to an end – the end being that all South Africans participate meaningfully in the economy,” says Xolisa. And access to financial services and growing wealth is part of this because transformation is underpinned by giving individuals in the economy the ability to participate meaningfully in it. “Sanlam Corporate provides the digital infrastructure and guidance to do this through advisors. We give employees the access and the tools, but we also provide insights and support to help them make the right decisions. That way, they become more active in the economy and drive truly broad-based economic empowerment. But we don’t make decisions for them; we give them the flexibility of choice,” he says. Xolisa believes that delivering on these evolving employee benefits contributes directly to transformation by enabling broad-based economic empowerment – and this can only happen through the participation of individual members. A one-sizefits-all approach no longer works, and for employees to be empowered, they need flexibility.
Employees now require holistic value propositions including group risk, investments, healthcare, retirement savings, corporate wellness offerings, rewards programmes, and more. Through the Sanlam app, an employee can engage with their employee benefits digitally and be empowered to decide their levels of risk cover, or switch investment portfolios where member choice is permitted.
“Sanlam Corporate, as a provider of employee benefits solutions to corporates, views its value proposition as an enabler for transformation at an individual level,” says Xolisa. “It’s about shifting people from being simply included in the economy through financial services and employee benefits to being actively involved, so they can be empowered to make decisions with confidence.”
A sustainable and more diverse economic system
Xolisa notes that employers and HR practitioners are beginning to recognise and respond to these challenges as employees are communicating their evolving needs to employers, or performance is being impacted. “The latest benchmark survey found that 53 percent of employers utilising umbrella funds now believe that an integrated health and financial wellness programme delivers higher productivity and staff happiness; only three percent don’t believe there’s a causal link between employee health and overall staff productivity levels,” adds Xolisa. “People also seem to be placing more value on the role their employee benefits play in their lives, and the industry is responding by introducing more innovative and holistic offerings – like Sanlam.” Xolisa highlights that transformation has its foundation in social sustainability, and inclusion and diversity are pivotal to bringing about lasting and meaningful change. “Companies like Sanlam are contributing to a sustainable and more diverse economic system, where individuals – through their employee benefits – are becoming more active in the economy, and they are being empowered to do more,” adds Xolisa.
“Employee benefits that are holistic, integrated, and allow flexibility of choice create an impact on a micro-level. And it’s at this level that real, lasting change takes place,” concludes Xolisa. “This is what true inclusion means for the individual; arguably, it’s the linchpin of the transformation journey.”
