Sharmila Govind was appointed Head of HR for BASF for Market Area Africa in September 2017.
BASF head of HR for Africa Sharmila Govind has been nominated for the CHRO Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2020 at Inanda Club in Johannesburg.
Sharmila is responsible for driving the People Agenda across Africa, covering countries from Morocco to South Africa. She plays a critical role in consulting and supporting management regarding all HR topics and especially in Change Management processes. Additionally, she is responsible for supporting growth especially for Africa and translate business requirements in specific HR concepts to support this growth for entire Africa. She also currently sits on the Boards of the CHIETA, BASF Holdings (South Africa) and the Endangered Wildlife Trust in various committees.
Her credentials are strongly grounded in more than 20 years of HR Experience.
As an ever-intrepid female voice in the financial sector, Sharmila has held a variety of roles, including a secondment to the HQ for the Dutch Bank ABN AMRO to the Netherlands, thereafter, becoming a Director for Business Management for EMEA and sitting on the capital allocation committee. Sharmila then joined Citi Bank in 2010 as their Head of HR where she was instrumental in developing go-to procedures on ethics-related issues within the bank that would later be adopted as the blueprint for ethics globally within the ranks of Citibank.
After 17 years in banking and a sabbatical, Sharmila forged a new path in the chemical sector when she joined BASF as the Head of HR for Market Area Africa in 2017.
“At BASF, I have developed a full appreciation of the way the chemical sector impacts people’s lives in literally everything they do, creating products and solutions that improve our day-to-day experiences,” says Sharmila. “What I enjoy most about working for BASF is seeing the huge impact the company has across the continent, particularly where sustainability is concerned.”
Sharmila graduated from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal in 1993 with BA Social Science Degree. She then went on to complete her Honours degree. In 2004, she completed her MBA on Leadership through the University of Wales. In 2006, she completed an International Executive Development programme with the Toronto Financial Services in Canada. She additionally completed courses like Strategy, Values and Ethics and Financial Risk Management at prestigious universities like the University of York and Rothmans Business School.
The CHRO Awards will give HR directors and CHROs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions alike an opportunity to be recognised and rewarded for their exceptional performance and leadership.
