As Old Mutual’s Director of Group Strategy and Group Human Capital, Celiwe Ross is accustomed to working with people with diverse backgrounds, aspirations and capabilities.

However, few people know that her interpersonal skills were forged in an unorthodox environment – a coal mine in Steelpoort, Limpopo.

'As a mining engineer, I worked underground with men my father’s age who hadn’t studied beyond Grade 5,' she recalls. 'I learnt to see the world through their eyes, which taught me to work with people who don’t look or think like me, or have the same qualifications.'

Ross, who has been in her current position as Human Capital Director for almost five years, did not plan a career in human resource management. 'Nothing in my qualifications suggested I would be doing this, and it wasn’t an outright area of passion. In fact, if you told me six years ago I’d be in the position, I may have laughed.’

However, she says no executive can claim to be well-rounded if they haven’t worked in Human Capital. ‘You gain an understanding of people as a whole – what drives them when they perform at their best, and how to mediate conflict, or implement consequence management should they underperform.’

A former mining engineer and Master of Business Administration graduate, and also head of Standard Bank’s mining, energy and infrastructure finance for many years, Ross joined Old Mutual as Executive Assistant to the Chairman and CEO in 2017, a role that can be likened to being Old Mutual's 'Chief of Staff'. When the position of Human Capital Director became available, she realised she could combine her problem-solving and relationship-building capabilities into one role.

‘The company was looking for someone with a commercial mindset to challenge some of the more established practices in the business,’ she says, adding that the position is about managing stakeholders as much as it is about managing talent – especially at a time when shareholders are apt to scrutinise everything from investment to remuneration.

Lessons in diversity from Ghana

Her work at Standard Bank took her to Ghana as a mining, energy and infrastructure executive. Returning to South Africa made her realise that her home country was lagging in terms of transformation.

‘In Ghana, I was just another senior Black woman in the bank. To achieve that begins with strong leadership. Diversity matters. It’s the right thing to do and it delivers the best outcome for a company – but it also matters to employees that their differences are recognised and respected. Working for an organisation that values diversity became a key priority for me, which is why I found my way to Old Mutual, we value diversity and allows different voices to be heard,’ she says.

‘Ultimately, what’s important is an ability to embrace difference, to accommodate other people’s views even if you don’t necessarily share them. Just listening to people’s perspectives allows us to understand them better.’

New demands on corporate leaders

The fact that she is managing Human Capital and Strategy in a country and a world in crisis is not lost on Ross.

‘We’re in a polycrisis and the ability to deal with constant uncertainty is a sought-after leadership skill,’ she says. ‘Leaders have been in over their heads, especially during the pandemic – they can’t provide certainty in a complex environment, but they can provide clarity and inspiration,’ she says.

‘I believe leadership is the next frontier in the 2020s.’

Guiding and coaching employees can be rewarding, and Ross especially enjoys growing talent. However, she acknowledges that employees are multidimensional and can challenge the status quo.

A paternalistic culture no longer works, she says. ‘In the past, companies have told employees when and how to save for retirement, but these days we can only attempt to motivate and influence them through financial education, and let them make their own decisions.'

‘The pandemic has also changed the way we relate to one another. Employees don’t leave their troubles at home – they are whole beings for whom holistic wellbeing, beyond physical health, has become a priority in a post-Covid world.’

Ross predicts that leaders who ‘haven’t realised how far their cheese has been moved’ are in trouble.

‘I believe one of the biggest jobs for a leader is to provide clarity, inspire, energise and deliver results,’ she says. ‘You can’t drag people along on a journey, but you can at least be clear about the speed and direction of the bus. If this doesn’t resonate with them, chances are they’re not on the right team.’

Curious to know what will shape the workplace this decade? Listen to ‘The Great Resignation’s Impact on South African Employers and HR Managers’, an episode in our Big Business Insights podcast series.

Still setting the pace after 177 years in business

Ross says Old Mutual continues to grow and challenge itself as an organisation – a remarkable achievement for a 177-year-old institution.

‘Long-tenured companies are often comfortable with how they’ve always done things, and what they perceive success to be. We’re forward-looking, preparing our people to continue to deliver a compelling offering to our clients now and in the future,’ she points out.

Part of this is driving technological transformation – Old Mutual was the first company to move fully onto the cloud – and part is helping to resolve some of society’s most pressing issues, like education and shaping the workforce of the future.

‘The private sector needs to play a role in what South Africa will become in the future,’ Ross says firmly. ‘We have the muscle for it; look what we achieved during the pandemic.'

‘If we’re creative, we can truly help to create a better country.'

Old Mutual Corporate’s biannual Remchannel Salary and Wage Survey covers salary trends as well as staff turnover and why employees are rethinking work’s place in their lives. If you’d like to participate, contact surveys@remchannel.com