If you ask Govender to single out one person who has made an indelible impact on her life, she will immediately reference her maternal aunt, who she calls ‘grandmother’. ‘She always had a smile on her face and kind words of comfort, no matter how difficult the circumstances,’ she recalls. ‘She was well respected in the family and community, and always gave more than she received. She was ahead of her time, supporting her daughters and grandchildren by motivating them to obtain a higher education. She laid the foundation for the woman I’ve become today.’
In the years to come, many colleagues, emerging talents, and leaders may well recall seeing many of these same characteristics in Govender. A passionate believer in helping others to succeed, Govender wears her empathy and compassion like a badge of honour; drawing from her own challenges to keep people at the heart of all she does.
Govender’s formative years were complex and unsettling. Her family was thrown into upheaval following the tragic death of her mother when she was nine years old. With her father unable to cope with four children, Govender was separated from her siblings and shifted between different homes and families, before she was officially adopted by her maternal aunt and uncle almost eight years later.
Looking back on this period, she asserts: ‘As a result of that, I realised I’m not entitled to anything. People treated me with compassion … so I believe in including others, and especially people who are disadvantaged.’ She also draws strength from being part of a diverse family with various religious beliefs.
A gifted student, education and her innate ability to lead others played a pivotal role in Govender’s ultimate success. She obtained a scholarship from United States-based KBR Inc. and went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in physics, before following in her mother’s footsteps and completing an honours in education. While she remains ‘a scientist by trade’, Govender’s easy connection and likeability helped her build a natural affinity with others. ‘Relationships – I think we now call it social capital – are very important in this day and age,’ she suggests, noting that with developments in artificial intelligence and advanced technological tools, a humanised approach has never been more important.
Govender notes that her views on leadership have been influenced by the leaders who shaped her career as well as leadership experts like author and researcher Liz Wiseman and Prof. Karl Hofmeyr, formerly of the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
‘Karl took me through my leadership journey, and I had the privilege of working with him for many years during my time at Sasol,’ Govender recalls. ‘Karl facilitated a global leadership programme for us – “Lead the Sasol Way” – focusing on human-centred leadership and based on developing the values-driven leadership style we wanted to embed in our organisation.’ At the time, Govender was head of Talent, Learning and Leadership Development at Sasol, a position she held before joining the Discovery Limited team in 2018 as group head of Talent, Learning and Development.
Wiseman’s book Multipliers: how the best leaders make everyone smarter, together with Hofmeyr’s insights, coalesced in Govender the desire to lead by making people more, and not by diminishing them or their abilities. She developed a personal leadership style that favours co-creation, collaboration, empowerment, and the prioritisation of people. This values-based view of leading has become the gold standard in recent years. It is also closely aligned to the purpose and nine values that underpin Discovery’s approach, including being a force for good in society.
‘I joined Discovery because I just loved the purpose to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives,’ explains Govender, who supported Henley Business School Africa as an educational partner when Discovery reimagined its approach to leadership development. Today, Discovery entrusts its Advanced Management Development Programmes, including the Senior Development Programme, to the Henley Business School Africa team.
Reflecting on this successful association, Govender says Henley Business School Africa’s quadruple accreditation, the proposed future-focused programme architecture, and the overall value on offer sealed the deal. ‘We also looked at the services we could garner from the lecturers. We’ve got really brilliant educators on the programme, external subject-matter experts and our own Discovery leaders who sponsor and support the programmes.’ She adds: ‘We enjoy a very good partnership with Linda [Buckley, Pro Dean: Teaching and Learning and Student Experience] and the team.’
Moreover, Discovery runs foundational and intermediate leadership interventions through the University of Cape Town, and supports employees with student bursaries and educational assistance loans. ‘Our people are passionate about developing themselves, and we want to enable them with high-quality education that further supports their career growth and development,’ asserts Govender, adding that as a recommended university, ‘Henley Africa is a phenomenal partner.’
Internally, Govender and her team operate as part of Discovery’s Centre of Expertise, which sets standards, policies, and strategic direction, as well as creates the tools and frameworks that give form and structure to the group’s Talent, Learning and Development efforts. Their focus is on talent attraction, sourcing, recruitment, as well as onboarding, performance management, learning, and skills development. Managing talent and succession planning, as well as the employer brand, also fall to Govender’s team. She explains: ‘We are accountable for the talent strategies and policies which we co-design with our business stakeholders, because it must be aligned to business needs and business strategy, and then supporting with the relevant frameworks, tools, systems, analytics, and reporting.’
This is a role that Govender holds dear, recognising the significance and importance of what she and her team do every day. ‘It is such a privilege to impact people positively through the meaningful work we do. Every aspect of the talent value chain and employee life cycle enables us to bring our purpose and values to life from the time we’re attracting talent from a brand perspective, to how they perform supporting the organisation to achieve phenomenal results, to developing employees and leaders for the future,’ she explains. This is a calling Govender sees herself fulfilling in the South African context for many years to come.
Recognising that young South Africans deserve to be developed to their full potential, taking into account their personal context and history, Govender puts out a rallying cry: ‘I’m still here. I’m 50 years old, and I’m building the next generation of positive leaders for Discovery, South Africa, and beyond. I hope to retire in the future, but I’ve still got much more to contribute. Now is the time to invest in people … to use the skills and expertise we have to guide, coach, and nurture people to be successful. That’s what I love doing.’
Optimist or pessimist?
‘In life, you get people who are solution finders and problem finders. I decided a long time ago to be a person who had to find solutions to things. If I didn’t, I’d have been stuck at age nine. I know people say “be careful of toxic positivity”, but we do need to have more people who are finding solutions to challenges as opposed to contributing to the negative speak. So, let’s be a part of the solution.’
Defining career moment?
‘Around 2001, when I led a team for the first time in Sasol – a technical team in Secunda, looking after continuous improvement, and also the technical learning team. It was a challenging role, but it moulded me. Flip de Wet [former managing director of Sasol Technology] mentored and coached me. I would go to his office with a list of complaints, expecting answers and all I got were more questions and strategic challenges, which required deep reflection of my own behaviours and abilities. I think this is where I developed a lot of the self-awareness and work ethic I have today.’
TV, books, or podcasts?
‘I enjoy reading and watching the Curiosity Channel, National Geographic, BBC Earth, and all the Discovery Channels, especially those exploring different countries, history, cultures, ancient civilisations, science, space, galaxies, aliens, and innovation in space travel. Of late, articles and podcasts! All Professor Brian Cox, Mel Robbins, Steven Bartlett podcasts have been so valuable in providing me with learnings and insights about physics, the universe, myself, others, and how to navigate the world and life.’
Best way to wind down?
‘Running and spending time with my family – my siblings, our spouses, and our children, we always have a good laugh.’
Top of your bucket list?
‘To complete a Himalayan trek. I’ve done research and spoke to some inspirational colleagues who completed their treks. I’m curious about my physical endurance, mental and spiritual ability to do this. I’m getting ready.’
Dream destination?
‘Machu Picchu, Peru. I would love to visit the ancient, historical Lost City filled with mystery, rich cultural significance and, of course, breathtaking views. I can just visualise myself standing at the top, overlooking the Lost City like Indiana Jones.’