Nosipho Kunene, HR director for sub-Saharan Africa at Kimberly-Clark may not have made it to med school, but her role has seen her shaping the HR strategy across different regions for the multi-national personal care corporation.
“I didn't studied HR as my primary qualification. I studied for a BSc in microbiology and biochemistry at UKZN because at that time I wanted to go to medical school,” shares Nosipho.
“Back in my day – not that I’m relatively that old – if you were academic and doing well in school, you were told to either become a doctor, a lawyer or an accountant. I was good at science, so I was certain I was going to become a doctor. When I didn’t make it into medical school, the fallback was a BSc.”
For Nosipho, that devastating end to a dream was the beginning of something entirely different. During university, she gravitated towards student council, campus radio, and what she calls humanity-type things. She didn’t have the language for it then, but she was already passionate about people.
“I had realised back then that engagement is something that I enjoy. I enjoyed sociable things and solving people's problems.”
Still unsure about her next steps after graduating, she took a short course in supply chain through Unisa. That led to an internship opportunity that would change her life.
Science degree, people heart
“They were looking for people with a BCom. I didn’t have one, but I applied, nevertheless. I went to the interview with my BSc, and although I didn’t meet the criteria, the lady called me afterwards and said there’s something about me and offered me the internship,” she says.
“The foundation of my career in HR started with learning and development. It was a chance meeting with someone who believed in me, and that’s a philosophy I carry to this day when hiring. I look for hunger and drive because sometimes it’s not about the qualification, but about the spark.”
Her big break came when she landed a role at Unilever, a company she’d admired since her student days. She started first as a learning manager, then as an HR business partner. Though she had no formal experience in HR at the time, her manager saw her potential and advocated for her promotion.
“That was my first big HR generalist role. It was not something I studied, but once it clicked, I realised this is where I want to be. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I loved that my roles were always project-based, with real business impact. Getting those opportunities at a relatively young age really catapulted my career.”
Eventually, the chance to join Danone came knocking. “I’d done amazing work at Unilever, but it had mostly been in the supply chain space. I wanted a commercial experience, and Danone gave me that.”
That blend of experience made her a perfect fit when Kimberly-Clark came calling.
Leading beyond borders
“Kimberly-Clark is an organisation that manufactures everyday essential goods, and we believe we are making a difference to the consumers that need them. Our slogan is ‘Better care for a better world’, and we want to do that in a sustainable way,” she adds.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity to be part of a young exco team and leading the people agenda, not just executing it. Knowing that your decisions are positively impacting people and navigating the business with a people perspective is something I don’t take for granted. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Now it’s about how we take our people forward in how we embed transformation, and how we make this the best place to be.”
She shares two initiatives she champions: Culture Connect days and Proximity Wednesdays.
“Culture Connect is one day each month dedicated to talking about our culture. It’s where we discuss people practices, whether it’s transformation, engagement, or development. It’s a space to realign, grow and have fun together.”
Proximity Wednesdays, on the other hand, are about togetherness in a hybrid world. “We work hybrid, but every Wednesday we come in. There’s a barista, popcorn and the vibe is amazing. You can lose people in a hybrid setup, but when we come together physically, we get those spontaneous moments you can’t schedule on Teams.”
Another shift she has spearheaded is how Kimberly-Clark South Africa measures success.
“We’ve moved away from being fixed on how many KPIs you hit out of five, now we reward based on impact. The impact your work did and what change it drove – that’s how we define performance. We chose this method because if you’re not boxed in, you’re more likely to bring your authentic self. You can do things your way, as long as you drive impact.”
However, Nosipho notes that managing a unified company culture across diverse regions is no small feat, especially when overseeing teams spread across countries such as South Africa and Kenya.
“It’s been one of the things that have been a challenge. But we have town halls where we dial them in and have our head of our export business going there as well, making sure that whatever programmes we are implementing here are also implemented in Kenya,” she explains.
“The unions in the environment are not our biggest challenge. One thing we’ve done quite well there is building a good rapport with our national shopsteward. We are fortunate enough to have a full-time shop that we engage with once a month to check in on people issues. We’re proactive about keeping that relationship healthy and getting those issues upfront.”
The bigger challenge, she acknowledges, is centred on talent growth and retention.
“The war on talent is a big challenge. We have a beautiful culture, people want to stay, but the market has become very aggressive in attracting good talent. As businesses transform and structures become leaner, the challenge is how we give people experiences that are not necessarily upward moves, but lateral moves and different experiences.”
Talent over titles
According to her, this mindset shift is critical for new talent. “When we grew up, you always had the notion that you had to get a fancy title, but now it’s about how we should retrain our employees or change the mindset that roles are not titles. It's about how we give people different experiences, maybe still within their title.”
Interestingly, the appetite for this change isn’t coming from where you’d expect. “The youth, especially Gen Z, they’re more intentional about experiences than titles.”
Nosipho herself has had to evolve alongside the changing work landscape. Though she didn’t initially come from a traditional HR background, she later completed a degree in industrial psychology. “That helped me understand how to better meet today’s challenges because traditional HR doesn’t prepare you for how the younger generation thinks.”
She believes HR leaders should be open-minded and look beyond traditional qualifications, focusing on willingness, agility, grit and learning aptitude.
“Talent is no longer drawn to the old approaches. A lot of people are studying other things but doing different roles.”
Due to these changes, as part of their Youth Day celebrations this year, Nosipho shares that her team is partnering with an organisation called Next Up to host an inspiring initiative aimed at matriculants.
“The idea is to expose them to careers that aren’t necessarily the traditional ones usually spoken about at school. They’ll get to meet some of our incredible talent and be introduced to a different side of the working world. It’s a fun, meaningful way of giving back.”
“I think sometimes we forget about the matriculants. The focus is often just on graduates, but by the time you’ve graduated, it can feel too late, although it never really is. Still, if we can help young people make more informed choices earlier and avoid some of the mistakes we might have made, it could give them a much quicker and clearer path toward the right career.”
Reflecting on what set her apart in her early career when hiring managers kept saying something stood out about her, she believes it comes down to authenticity and self-awareness.
“It’s the ability to be able to connect with people and be authentic. I don’t try to be someone I’m not. Sometimes, we try to shy away from sharing what we don’t know, but that vulnerability and showing that you’re aware of your limitations and your strengths is what attracts people to you.”
After working hours, Nosipho says her home life revolves around her three young children aged eight, five, and nearly three. “There’s no after five for me. My kids are my primary hobby. If it’s not a playdate, it’s taking them to sports or running around for something at school. You barely have time for church at the rate they keep you busy.”
In the busyness of motherhood, personal hobbies often get sidelined. When she can steal a moment, she gravitates toward simple joys such as reading a good book or squeezing in some exercise.
“I would love to say I watch TV, but TV time usually means CocoMelon or Bluey, whatever the kids are into.”
On top of motherhood, she’s also a dedicated learner and is eyeing an MBA next.
Despite the beautiful chaos, she knows the importance of carving out “me time” where she finds time to enjoy an occasional spa day.
