Kgomotso joined Massmart as vice president: people partner for Massmart’s wholesale business.
Massmart's journey of transformation and growth is a massive undertaking, but, one that attracted Kgomotso Molobye to the organisation. Formerly the CHRO for Telkom’s Openserve business, Kgomotso joined Massmart as the vice president: people partner for Massmart's wholesale business in November 2020.
Massmart operates more than 423 stores in South Africa and 12 in other sub-Saharan countries. It is the second-largest distributor of consumer goods in Africa, the leading retailer of general merchandise, liquor and home improvement equipment and supplies, and the leading wholesaler of basic foods.
The transformation and growth journey that the Group is on will see increased back-end synergy within the various banners and brands in the Group in a bid to ensure heightened consumer experience levels.
The Walmart acquisition of Massmart a few years ago is common knowledge in the business landscape – the audacious goals Massmart has now set in motion are part of this long-term journey and will leverage existing scale within the Group.
Having leadership that is clear on the vision and is quite deliberate on actioning such is one of the key factors that made Massmart an attractive organisation for Kgomotso as she sees opportunities for her to make a difference – opportunities to further influence the culture and contribute to creating an enriched employee value proposition (employee growth and development opportunities) such that these result in similar experiences across the various brands and banners.
"It's an ambitious strategy, to say the least, and I have to admit I am a bit of a glutton for punishment when it comes to this type of heavy lifting but I really am looking forward to the challenge."
Now almost two months into her new role, Kgomotso has hit the ground running. She says, "It’s been hectic but extremely productive." Her first impressions about the business is the enabling culture that already exists in the business, which provides a solid foundation for this journey.
"The agile culture is a huge plus. At Massmart, we are doers. We make well thought decisions swiftly with the full understanding that speed is of the essence in implementation. Quick to think, decide and act”.
