Nomaxabiso Teyise says her mission is to make diversity and inclusion part of Takealot’s DNA.
Nomaxabiso Teyise has been appointed head of diversity, transformation and inclusion at the Takealot Group. Having joined the e-commerce giant in January, she has been tasked with creating strategies and driving programmes that increase diversity, empower and create access to opportunities for those who are still excluded from meaningful participation in the main economy.
Driving diversity in a booming industry
As online retail grows, Nomaxabiso says it's important that South Africans from previously disadvantaged communities be part of and benefit from this expansion. The role aligns with her personal mission of making sure that people from disadvantaged backgrounds, especially women and young people, can be participants in emerging opportunities.
Nomaxabiso grew up in Zwide, a township in Port Elizabeth, and says that coming from a community that suffers from high unemployment, where economic prospects are few, has made her passionate about supporting those trying to get a foothold in business.
“South Africa still hasn’t got a very inclusive economy with a vast proportion of the population still earning less than minimum wage, most of whom are black and women. My mission is to break down barriers to access so that when people pursue their aspirations, they can participate with as few obstacles as possible,” she says.
The benefits of cumulative experience
Previously Group HR, Transformation and CSI executive at Oceana Group until March 2019, she was also an independent consultant for over a year prior to joining Takealot. Before that, she fulfilled various roles at Nedbank including executive head HR, divisional executive and organisational development consultant.
What she brings to Takealot is a keen sense of how to drive the agenda of diversity and transformation while realising business value and meaningful and positive societal impact.
Her previous roles at Nedbank and Oceana prepared her for her new position, she says. Nedbank was ranked as a leader in transformation space, and she saw the steps required to instil a culture of transformation. “I learned about the compliance and legislative requirements, but also saw how to approach diversity not as a tick-box or compliance exercise, but as a real priority in the business.”
At Oceana, which is in the manufacturing sector, she further honed her expertise on how a large entity can incorporate the various legislative components of the transformation agenda into a cohesive strategy that delivers measurable social outcomes and gives the business solid returns.
She says the leadership team at Takealot is committed to being truly customer-centric and reflecting the demographics of South Africa, from its internal structures, to suppliers and customers. “The CEO recognises that growing requires evolving with our society, which means collaborating with the widest range of players in the economy, be it driver-owned operators operating in townships or new businesses wanting to join the marketplace, of which the Takealot platform is a fantastic way to do that.”
Nomaxabiso is looking forward to playing a part in creating opportunities for empowerment and lending her talents to building a more inclusive ecosystem, where more people can be economically uplifted while creating thriving businesses and serving their community.
