Prior to joining the JSE, she was the regional HR Partner at Standard Bank.
Palesa Ntoagae has been appointed as the HR director at the JSE effective 10 January 2022. Palesa is taking over from Donald Khumalo, who resigned late last year to join FNB.
Prior to joining the JSE, she was the regional HR Partner at Standard Bank with accountability for the HR function for Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Palesa says she is excited about the opportunity to lead the HR agenda for such an iconic and important institution in the country’s economy, but at the same time, “I’m very nervous as the growth means broader and bigger accountability – the buck starts and ends with me whereas in previous roles I had a leader who had a leader, etc…
“Having said that, it also presents as an opportunity for me to connect with other Industry peers to share learnings fast, and various approaches on issues where required.”
Palesa adds that from the previous roles she has assumed, she is still learning to silence an invisible little girl who tends to sit on her left shoulder when she feels unsure. “Her pseudonym is ‘self-limiting belief’ and a few times she would speak so loud – louder than my thoughts in an attempt to discourage me from making bold decisions; airing bold views or to allow unpleasant but constructive feedback to stay longer than it needed to in my heart and mind.”
She concludes that she is excited about learning a different organisation altogether, and “partnering with an incredible HR and leadership team I’ve admired from a distance.”
