Cebile is a no-nonsense HR executive who strongly believes in the principles of Ubuntu.
Mondelez International HR Director for South & Central East Africa Cebile Xulu has been nominated for the inaugural CHRO Awards, which will be taking place on 27 November 2019. The prestigious awards will give HR directors and CHROs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions alike an opportunity to be recognised and rewarded for their exceptional performance and leadership.
Cebile’s vast experience as an HR leader has been acquired from working with multinational and local private entities, within South African borders, as well as parastatal and government institutions in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. She has previously worked in Amsterdam at the headquarters of Heineken International, where she was the Leadership and Capability Development Manager for Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Before that, she had been at Masonite Africa, Sara Lee HBC, the A-Cubed Institute and Tongaat Hulett.
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She is passionate about woman empowerment and transformation and does not shy away from having frank discussions around these issues. When she was appointed to her current role, she stated that she strongly subscribed to the principle of Ubuntu and that, throughout her career, she had seen the power of empathetic leadership especially in a racially-diverse workplace. In her opinion piece on the truth about transformation, Cecile wrote:
“A further concern is that women are checking out of formal employment in some critical areas due to some very hostile corporate cultures. The environment is still largely unwilling to accept black women. Without making sweeping generalisations – because there are certainly examples of great leadership in this country – many corporate boardrooms are still beacons of white supremacy presided over by resistant white men.”
Mondel?z International is one of the world's largest snacking companies. With more than 100 000 employees around the world, the company makes some of the best-known snacks brands around the globe. It’s 15 global power brands are among biscuits (Oreo; Chips Ahoy!; TUC; belVita; Club Social and Barni), chocolate (Milka, Lacta, Toblerone, and Cadbury Dairy Milk) and gum & candy (Trident, Chiclets, Halls, Stride and Cadbury Dairy Milk Eclairs) brands.
