2023 CHRO Awards nominee Tshidi Anya takes the helm as CHRO for ISN Medical, a medical diagnostic solutions company based in Lagos, Nigeria.
Tshidi Anya has been appointed as the CHRO at ISN Medical, a medical diagnostic solutions company based in Lagos, Nigeria.
Tshidi, who was the former regional HR director at Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East, has had to relocate to the West African country.
Speaking exclusively to CHRO South Africa, Tshidi said, “This is not the first time for me to pack up and move countries. While working for Sasol, I had a four-year international assignment to Lagos, so I am familiar with the city and its nuances.”
Speaking on the career move, Tshidi explains that the most invigorating part is the opportunity to shape and drive the strategic people agenda across Africa. “People make the company; products and services are important, but ultimately it is the people within an organisation who shapes its success.”
According to Tshidi, the most notable challenge that she will be tackling with immediacy will be to come up with innovative talent retention solutions because of the recent and excessive talent migration challenges faced by some West African countries, including Nigeria.
From home to the world
With 24 years of experience and having worked in senior HR roles in government institutions such as the CCMA and National Treasury and multinational companies such as Sasol, Ecolab and British American Tobacco, Tshidi confesses that she grew up with a global perspective and has always looked out for roles that expose her to the interconnected global world.
“My mom pursued her master’s degree in Toronto, Canada, in the 1990s and she spent three years studying and living in Canada. Therefore, this close-to-home international exposure opened my eyes to the world outside of South Africa at a young age and this exposure helped me to better understand and collaborate with colleagues in different countries.”
Tshidi says her driving force is the desire to make a difference, inspire a positive outlook in others and create positive employee experiences.
“I often hear people say they are leaving corporate jobs to pursue their passions or dreams. For me, I genuinely believe that I am living my dream as a corporate HR professional because I can live out my life’s purpose through my job.”
According to Tshidi, she always ensures that she is a compass of moral, and ethical leadership. “I make every effort to be an authentic, caring, kind-hearted, and highly principled leader and colleague. In my view, the world needs leaders who embody kindness. Kindness, however, should not be mistaken for mediocrity, or seen as something that leaders should not have.”
Tshidi holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial psychology from the University of the North, advanced diploma in labour law from the former Rand Afrikaans Universiteit, a master’s of management degree in business and executive coaching from the University of Witwatersrand and a postgraduate diploma in business studies from Gordon Institute of Business Science. She is also a John Maxwell certified coach, trainer and speaker.
“This move to Lagos is going to be yet another exciting and rewarding career adventure for me and I look forward to the journey. Over and above my HR corporate career, I also work part-time at various business schools across South Africa as an executive coach. As a proud South African with strong family ties in South Africa, I will always find time to visit South Africa.”
