Hope Lukoto, CHRO at Openserve, shares how her first few months have been a mix of listening, learning and plotting the path forward.
Having spent seven years at BCX as CHRO prior to this, Hope Lukoto steps into the office with the sense that this is not just another role, but a place where her actions can shape how people connect across the country.
She explains how the first months have been spent tuning into the currents of the organisation, tracing the invisible cables that link people, processes and performance.
“Openserve is not just another business unit. It is the engine room of the Telkom Group’s future. What attracted me to Openserve was not only the scale of the opportunity, but the honesty of the moment. This is a business with deep capability and an experienced workforce, yet it is at a point where transformation is no longer optional. The opportunity is to move beyond maintaining stability towards building a high-performing, future-fit organisation,” she says.
“At a time when connectivity underpins economic participation, inclusion and growth, the role that Openserve plays is both strategic and consequential. But beyond its infrastructure and technical capability, the real question is whether the organisation can evolve at the pace the market demands. That is where the people’s agenda becomes critical.”
“My role is about enabling performance at scale, shaping a workforce that’s ready for the future, building leaders who operate at an enterprise level, and creating a culture that moves from comfort to execution. It’s about turning potential into performance,” she adds.
Being deliberate
From her previous roles, she says she has noticed early on that strategy alone does not move a business forward, and brings that observation to Openserve. “Too often organisations talk about growth, technology, or transformation as if people will naturally follow. My view is the opposite. If the people system is not intentionally designed, the strategy will stall,” Hope explains.
“We need to be deliberate about the leaders we build, the behaviours we reward and the capabilities we invest in. Openserve has a real chance to show what it looks like when a business moves with clarity, speed, and accountability.”
Hope’s focus is on moving Openserve’s HR agenda and organisation at large from being well-run to being high-performing. She believes organisations do not just drift into high performance, but are designed into it. “It’s about shifting from activity to outcomes, from tenure-based credibility to capability-based credibility, and from alignment conversations to execution discipline. We reset leadership expectations, strengthen accountability, and build a workforce strategy anchored in future capability.“
“At Openserve, we have a choice. We can optimise what we have, or we can intentionally build what we need for the future. That requires courage. Courage to be honest about capability gaps. Courage to let go of ways of working that no longer serve us. Courage to hold ourselves to a higher standard of execution. It is also an opportunity to show what One Telkom looks like in practice, not just alignment, but shared accountability for outcomes.”
She reflects on how the early months have been a process of scanning the network for strong signals and weak links, identifying where energy and talent could be routed more efficiently.
“I engaged with leaders, employees and stakeholders. I wanted to understand what’s working and where we need to evolve more decisively. What stood out was a strong and experienced workforce that needs future-ready capability, committed leadership that is not always aligned at an enterprise level and an HR function with enormous potential ready to step into a more strategic role.”
Doing what matters
She says turning these insights into action is her next step. “We are clarifying how Openserve operates within the Telkom Group, building confidence and clarity in the HR team, and resetting the narrative from supporting the business to enabling performance. It is less about doing more and more about doing what matters with precision.”
“What makes this moment truly compelling is not just the transformation itself, but the impact it can have beyond the organisation. Openserve sits at the heart of connectivity in South Africa. Every improvement in how we perform, how we lead, and how we execute translates into real-world impact – enabling businesses to grow, communities to access opportunities, and individuals to participate meaningfully in the digital economy. There is something deeply motivating about being part of a team that is building infrastructure that connects people, powers possibility, and supports progress.”
Looking forward, Hope sees the organisation at the central hub of connection succeeding even more in linking talent, leadership, and creating impact across every part of the business.
“The challenge ahead is significant but so is the opportunity. To build leaders who think beyond silos. To create a culture where accountability is owned, not assigned. To shape a workforce that is not only capable but confident in its ability to deliver. If we approach this with clarity, intent and belief, we have the opportunity to do more than transform Openserve. We can set a benchmark for what modern, purpose-driven performance looks like.”
“If we get this right at Openserve, we don’t just strengthen a business unit – we help define what ‘One Telkom’ looks like in action: aligned, accountable, and built to deliver on its promise to customers and to the country.”
