As one of the youngest black female financial directors on the JSE, Harmony Gold CFO Boipelo Lekubo has had to deal with prejudice. ‘There is frequently an unconscious bias in the workplace. Even if people may not say it out loud, you would sense it,’ she says.
‘But I think given my track record, it is clear that I am not a token appointment. My experience speaks for itself and in my dealings with people, they quickly come to the realisation that I know what I am talking about. I hasten to add that at Harmony, transformation is a board agenda, so it is driven from the very top which has made it easier for me to settle into my role knowing that I am supported by the highest organ of the Group.’
It is also not easy being the Financial Director of a top JSE-listed company while at the same time doing your best to be a mother to a pre-teen daughter. Thankfully Boipelo has a lot of domestic support which is helpful during busy periods and when she has to travel.
‘We make the most of the time that we are together, and she is now at an age where she understands mommy may not be able to pick her from school every single day.’
Asked how she would describe her management style, Boipelo calls it ‘situational and inclusive’. ‘I don’t believe you can lead or manage in a blanket approach because people are different,’ she says.
‘You must be able to read people. On one day you sense an employee is emotionally down and so you assign an outstanding task to someone else who can cope with it that day. In addition, you need to bring your people along with you; they need to understand what the end goal is. If they understand where you are going, managing them becomes much easier.’
In November 2020, Boipelo was listed as one of the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining by volunteer non-profit organisation Women in Mining UK. Receiving the award, was a humbling experience, she says, but also one of the proudest moments in her career thus far.
This article is an extract from the Masters of Money book by KC Rottok Chesaina (JONATHAN BALL PUBLISHERS)
