Duke Mgaga has been nominated for the CHRO Awards 2026 for his role as chief people officer at the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.
He joins a cohort of HR leaders competing across nine award categories, including the headline CHRO of the Year title.
Duke stepped into his current role at Parliament in 2024, following leadership roles at Pareto, where he served as culture change and wellness executive after working as HR executive.
Before this, he worked as an independent HR consultant at Swela Consulting.
His earlier experience includes serving as southern Africa HR director at Alstom and HR operations director at Shell. His foundation in HR began as a regional HR manager at Metropolitan Health Group.
Duke holds an MBA from Business School Netherlands, a degree in HR management from the Durban University of Technology, and a certificate of directorship from the Institute of Directors South Africa.
Dubbed the “Oscars of HR”, the CHRO Awards continues to celebrate leaders who raise the bar for people leadership in South Africa across listed companies, large corporates and government institutions.
The 2026 nominees will be celebrated at a gala event on 24 November, where winners across multiple categories, including the CHRO of the Year title, will be announced.
