Palesa Matoli, the executive head of human capital and transformation at Bidvest Bank, who recently took home both the 2024 Transformation & Empowerment Award and the Young CHRO of the Year Award, shares her approach and leadership style.
2024 Young CHRO of the Year and Bidvest Bank’s head of human capital Palesa Matoli says the cornerstone to her approach as a human resources practitioner is prioritising people while aligning HR strategies with the business’s core objectives.
“I believe in fostering a culture of collaboration and inclusion, where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to the organisation’s success. For me, it’s about driving transformation through proactive engagement – understanding the unique needs of our workforce, embracing diversity, and championing continuous learning and development. Additionally, I place a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making to ensure our initiatives deliver measurable impact and align with the organisation’s strategic goals.”
For Palesa, there are three key attributes that distinguish an exceptional CHRO in the workplace: strategic thinking – aligning HR strategies with organisational goals to drive long term success; change leadership – expertise in navigating and driving organisational transformation and data-driven decision-making – leveraging HR analytics to inform decisions and measure the impact of initiatives. “Organisations are rapidly evolving, and we need to help in navigating this change or in some instances, lead the change.”
She credits two transformative initiatives that she has been a part of, which have played a pivotal role in driving the organisation forward.
“The first is our culture transformation journey, which centred on creating a culture that not only aligns with our strategic objectives but also drives high performance, fosters meaningful collaboration, and encourages a mindset of continuous learning. By focusing on these aspects, we have been able to create an environment where employees feel empowered to deliver and grow alongside the organisation. We have seen the direct impact of the change in culture on the bank’s bottom line.”
The second initiative, she says, was a strategic review of the company’s employee value proposition (EVP). “This process involved critically evaluating the EVP’s effectiveness in attracting the right talent and ensuring it remains compelling enough to retain top performers. By aligning our EVP with the evolving expectations of today’s workforce, we’ve strengthened our ability to build and sustain a competitive talent pipeline.”
When asked about the evolving role of CHROs over the next five years, and what advice she would give to aspiring HR leaders aiming for this level of impact, she had the following to say.
“Our roles are expected to evolve significantly over the next few years, influenced by various factors including technological advancements such as AI and changing workforce dynamics. I believe we will be expected to lead HR through digital transformation, leveraging technology to make our functions more efficient. We will be expected to play a significant role in ESG, align our goals with our organisational sustainability goals and embrace the world of data and analytics. We are data rich and should use the access we have to people data to improve employee experience.”
