When Mncane Mthunzi was appointed CEO of the council in June last year he was asked to oversee a complete turnaround of the organisation, whose presence had in recent years started fizzling out. Eight months later, Mthunzi says his 12-hour days are starting to pay off and the restructuring is almost complete.
“The magnitude of the challenge attracted me to the CGCSA,” says Mthunzi, citing efficiency levels that were not up to standard.
The council is a section 21 company representing more than 11000 member companies involved in the retailing, wholesaling and manufacture of consumer goods. It offers services such as food safety initiatives, economic and legislative advice, crime prevention and product data catalogues.
“I'm extremely happy with what we have achieved in the eight months, but it has not been easy,” Mthunzi says. His time frame for the turnaround is a year.
A number of people whom Mthunzi felt were not stepping up to the plate had to be laid off.
“You cannot reposition and reorganise any organisation without tampering with the people,” he says. “The people become key in terms of ensuring a successful turnaround.”
He could not say how many people had to leave the organisation, but says it has shrunk as a result. “We are bringing on board the best talent to help in the implementation phase,” says Mthunzi.
“I'm at a stage where I'm building my own team, to ensure that I execute on the mandate and strategic objective of the CGCSA.”
Mthunzi took over from Michael Broughton, who was temporarily holding the reins — the council was previously headed by August Lwanski, who resigned in 2008.
Some of the people who have left the organisation were affected by the lack of proper organisational policies. Mthunzi says the organisational policy and governance framework were inadequate and had to be strengthened.
“Other people will have to leave because they are incompatible with the direction that the company is taking,” he says.
The 37-year-old started his career as a business analyst at Accenture in 1996 and went on to join PricewaterhouseCoopers as a senior manager in IT. Mthunzi was a strategic consultant for Microsoft in 2003 before joining the Black Management Forum as MD in 2006. He says he was persuaded to take up the position at the forum because of a need to professionalise the organisation and improve its financial position.
“It blossomed in my good and capable hands,” says Mthunzi.
Perhaps that explains why he was approached to join the Consumer Goods Council. He says the council's board also wanted someone who was not contaminated by industry issues.
And contaminated he is not. He is one of a few that can dine with the likes of Whitey Basson and Nick Badminton without getting caught up in their fight over market share. “I think we have made huge progress and have worked hard in making sure that this organisation becomes relevant and adds value to its members,” says Mthunzi.
“Our next phase is to elevate the profile of our organisation to reflect the contribution it makes to gross domestic product and employment levels as an industry.” Plans include the council launching a retail-specific body — the South African Retail Council — at the end of the month. This will be a direct response to retailers' needs and will focus on their interests.
He says some of the challenges facing the retail industry have led to the formation of this council, include a fragmented retail representation of key stakeholders and duplication of efforts and costs.
Source: Business Day
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.za
