To mark the end of international women’s month, CHRO South Africa revisits conversations with four women CHROs who gave us the unfiltered truth about climbing, leading and thriving in the world of HR.
As HR continues to evolve under the influence of women leaders, they share insights into their careers, leadership styles, and the experiences that have shaped how they lead and nurture organisations today.
Thembi Kumalo
In an industry built on sweetness, Thembi Kumalo is making sure that sweetness extends well beyond the cane fields. As group HR executive at the South African Sugar Association (SASA), Thembi shares how she is focused on creating a supportive and people-centred workplace, ensuring that the sweetness of the industry is reflected in its culture.
“SASA is committed to developing women leaders and ensuring opportunities are within reach for all. Our succession planning is guided by performance and potential, but in a rapidly evolving industry, we go further by intentionally investing in women leaders, empowering them to grow, excel and shape the future,” she shares. Read more on her journey here.
Salwa Albertyn
After 26 years with Empact Group, Salwa Albertyn reflects on rising from intern to group HR executive, becoming a cornerstone of the organisation and a driving force behind its people strategy. Her journey, shaped by persistence, mentorship and overcoming early challenges in a post-apartheid workplace, reflects resilience and dedication.
“If you know me, you’ll see I’m small in stature. At the beginning of my career, I had to work extra hard to prove I could do the job. People didn’t believe I could be a manager. When I started out, apartheid was still fresh so people would question whether a coloured girl could really do this. It was hard at the beginning to constantly prove that you can move to another level but I overcame it and my work spoke for itself.” Read Salwa’s full interview here.
Menushka van der Westhuizen
As HR director at Saint-Gobain, Menushka van der Westhuizen shares how she has gone from compensation and benefits specialist to the woman reshaping what people leadership looks like in one of the world’s most male-dominated sectors, while emphasising that HR’s impact reaches beyond the office to employees’ families and communities.
“Two years back on International Women’s Day, Saint-Gobain launched a Women’s Committee, which is a vibrant and active committee of women colleagues in the company. One of the biggest projects we completed as a committee was introducing nursing rooms across our various sites in sub-Saharan Africa,” she says. Learn more about Menushka’s journey here.
Angela Munger
Angela Munger, head of HR for the Middle East & Africa at Centurion Systems, reflects on taking an 11-year career pause to raise her children, a decision she says enriched her perspective on leadership and the workplace. Returning to HR, she transformed a fragmented function into a fully established regional department, designing fair processes, pay structures and wellness initiatives that support employees as whole people.
“Many motivational models argue that salary alone doesn’t sustain long-term engagement factors like purpose, recognition, growth and autonomy. However, fair and transparent pay is a baseline need. If employees feel underpaid or treated unfairly, dissatisfaction grows regardless of other motivators.” Click here for Angela’s full interview.
