For Ntsiki Williams, group HR executive at Bachique Investments, HR is more than just a career, it is a calling – a dynamic vehicle for social upliftment and tangible impact. As a self-described simple township girl, it's the blue-collar workers that remind her that a career path in human capital was the right call.
Ntsiki Williams has spent close to two decades in the HR space, cutting her teeth with the Financial Intelligence Centre (“FIC”) as an HR assistant. She has always had a passion for growing and developing people and seeing them flourish.
“It’s for this reason that I’m not so fond of industrial relations (IR) because of its hard approach,” says Ntsiki. “Talk to me about building a great culture, people development, their psychological safety and wellness, and you’ll have my attention.”
Ntsiki quickly ascended the ranks to the position of HR officer during her tenure at the FIC, a place she credits with shaping much of her foundational HR expertise. “At FIC, I operated as a generalist. I have always been drawn to the human side of HR, but I knew that to be an effective and influential HR specialist and leader, I needed to master the hard parts as well. Strengthening my IR knowledge was therefore essential,” she explains.
To strengthen her IR expertise, Ntsiki joined Protea Chemicals, a division of the Omnia Group, where she gained experience in union engagements, Section 189 processes, wage negotiations and strikes management. “At the time, Protea was centralising some of its operations, including their support service departments under the ‘One Protea’ project. I was involved in implementing that strategy. It was a challenging journey, but an invaluable learning experience,” she reflects.
A deep dive into IR
While the experience at Protea Chemicals was a good learning curve, she described it as a heart-wrenching one.
“I spent much of my time engaging with white-collar employees at Protea, so I often felt somewhat removed from the people on the ground and wanted the opportunity to work more closely with blue-collar workers. I felt a stronger connection with them, given my own background, growing up in Umlazi,” she explains.
“My passion to uplift people from a background similar to mine never really left me, I needed to nurture that calling,” she reflects. With that in mind, Ntsiki moved to the mining sector and joined Imerys Refractory Minerals.
This was a completely different arena, one that demanded a thick skin and the understanding that a robust and sometimes heated discussion in the boardroom was never personal, but an effort to understand what people needed. “It was also an incredible opportunity to work with NUM, travel to different parts of the country and engage directly with communities.” It was at this stage that Ntsiki’s focus shifted from simply learning about IR to actively making a meaningful impact on people’s lives.
Ntsiki’s role extended to serving as a trustee on the mine’s employee benefits fund. a role with significant governance oversight. This involved ensuring that, when an employee passed away, the fund’s processes were followed to identify any dependents and distribute benefits appropriately.
“It’s rewarding to know that when a modestly earning employee passes, the fund can provide financial support, including access to an education plan that enables the employee’s children to complete their studies up to an undergraduate degree,” she comments.
Largely fulfilling
Another opportunity arose when Ntsiki was invited by Omnia Fertilizer, to return to the group by joining their Sasolburg plant as HR manager. “It was an exciting move professionally, so I packed up our belongings and relocated to Sasolburg with my six-year-old son,” she recalls.
Sasolburg wasn’t unfamiliar territory; mine workers and manufacturing plant workers often share similar struggles, which HR can solve. For Ntsiki, however, developing employees and exposing them to education brings her joy. “The most rewarding part of my work is when an employee walks into my office to share that they’ve completed their studies, or that their child is about to graduate (because of financial support offered),” she smiles. “I am not motivated by accolades; that’s the real reward for me!”
Ntsiki had a great time with Omnia, the dream project aimed at business process improvement was one of the most exciting projects she worked on there. The constantly evolving business landscape demanded new challenges, and her phone buzzed once more, this time, the call came from Ascendis Health, who invited her to join their team as a divisional HR manager for the Phyto-Vet Division. It was back to fast-paced city life of Bryanston and a change of pace from a laid-back Sasolburg.
Shaping strategies
Ntsiki’s time at Ascendis was a short stint, as the company divested some of its businesses in 2019. This transition led to the creation of Bachique Investments, a private equity firm that acquired the divested operations, where Ntsiki continues to work today.
“Today, I play a significant role in shaping strategies that influence the wider group of companies," she explains. “But I don’t simply delegate, when the need arises, I roll up my sleeves and get involved.” She enjoys engaging in both the strategic and operational aspects of the business. “The best part is that I remain connected to my true passion of making a difference in people’s lives, something that operational involvement enables me to do,” she adds.
Ntsiki is highly ethical and deliberate in the businesses with which she chooses to collaborate, firmly believing that businesses should act as responsible corporate citizens.
In addition to her expertise in driving transformation, Ntsiki leverages the knowledge of long-serving employees to empower the younger generation especially within their agricultural division.
“From a corporate social responsibility perspective, the group of companies run initiatives that bring people together to do beach clean-ups, giving back to the environment,” she explains. “We also grow our own timber, through bursaries and internal training programmes, evident in the number of promotions that come through each year, and for employees of the group.” Ntsiki has also partnered with a private school, where employees are not burdened by expensive school fees for their kids.
But, what does a group HR exec do when she’s not saving people and the planet? Ntsiki gracefully transitions from the books to the tennis court and all the way to the 18th hole, and doesn’t shy away from indulging in watching stand-up comedy.
