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Issue 09
WINTER 2020
G U E ST CO LU M N
Working TOGETHER
T
Viv McMenamin, CEO of Mondi South Africa, takes a look at leadership in unprecedented times
he Covid pandemic has presented extraordinary challenges across the globe. For businesses in South Africa, it became clear quite early on, that this was going to be a period that would be testing for all and that we would need to work together through unchartered territory. In times like these, leadership, values and collaboration matter. I have been able to draw upon my own leadership learning and experience and have reflected deeply on the values that anchor me. I am especially grateful to have had the opportunity to work closely with Nelson Mandela early on in my leadership journey. There are two clear things I learnt under his iconic leadership on how to handle a crisis. The first is, when things get tough, your messages need to be clear and simple. The second is, no matter how tough it is for us, we need to reach out and support others. His call of, “It is in your hands to make our world a better one for all� has been an inspiration to me and has influenced my leadership thinking. At Mondi, we recognise the need for strong, focused, inclusive and caring
leadership, and we have used this as a basis for our extensive Covid response across Mondi South Africa. Our top priority is to safeguard our employees and the communities in which we operate. We continue to implement best practice Covid-19 health and safety protocols throughout our operations and have a responsibility to provide an ongoing supply of materials to our customers, many of
