We take a look at some of the interesting adventures HR leaders took part in, in 2022, and who has captivating hobbies.
This year, we spoke to a number of CHROs and we asked them to tell us how they unwind and what their interests and hobbies are outside of their profession.
Palesa Ntoagae, HR director at the JSE shared that she successfully summited Uhuru Peak, Kilimanjaro. She participated in the all-female, Super Women summit as part of the Trek4Mandela Expedition, which seeks to raise awareness and funds to provide sanitary pads for girls in school. They started trekking in August 2022 and summited on Women’s Day.
“This journey started as a sponsorship wearing an employer citizen hat. However, along the way, my reason for doing this evolved so many times and became deeply personal. I still care about keeping the girl child at school and doing what I can to eliminate period poverty –but I learnt so much more about myself. My resilience, staying power, the power of my mind,” she said. Desereé van den Berg, Risk Benefits Solutions’ executive head of human capital completed the Tankwa Camino, a 10-day, 256km hike from Calvinia to Ceres. She shared the life lessons she learnt along the way.
“The Tankwa Karoo captured a part of my heart and soul during a short holiday in 2019 and when I heard about the Tankwa Camino in 2020, I was immediately curious. I started nagging my sister to join me for ‘a modern-day Great Trek’ which will take participants through one of the most starkly beautiful areas of our country, the Tankwa Karoo. Inner strength and a strong mind will keep you on track, but your emotions need to be as educated as your intellect,” Deseree shared.
We also learnt that Reshmili Lutchman, group executive: corporate services at the Water Research Commission (WRC) flies drones for pleasure.
She shared that she obtained her remote pilot’s licence, which allows her to fly drones commercially. “This was also another achievement of mine, as I went into a field that generally does not see a lot of females, and it was an experience acquiring the skill as the older you are, the more your dexterity decreases,” Reshmili said in an interview with CHRO South Africa.
