EXXARO OFFICIALLY WELCOMES DR NOMBASA TSENGWA AS FIRST FEMALE CEO
On 1 August 2022, Dr Nombasa Tsengwa made mining history when she stepped into her new role as CEO of Exxaro Resources, becoming the first female to lead Exxaro Resources.
Helping empower people, especially women and the youth, is something that she is very passionate about. Key to this is making sure that young people and women continue to be developed and supported within the organisation. But it’s also about making sure that all people, no matter their role or responsibility, feel heard and respected.
This may seem like a daunting task for many, but not for Dr Nombasa. She has spent the last 19 years at Exxaro constantly stepping out of her comfort zone, growing and learning from others to take on ever more demanding leadership roles, including serving as Exxaro’s Executive Head of Coal Operations and Managing Director of Minerals.
Dr Nombasa is not an engineer by trade. And yet she knew she wanted to be at the core of operations and was grateful for the opportunity to do so. Today she is proud of the milestones that Exxaro has achieved, and the work that the organisation keeps on doing, to make sure that women are at the center of mining operations, taking up leadership positions, making key decisions and driving our technical excellence
and expertise.
“Five years ago, 12% of women were in the core of mining, including leadership levels, within Exxaro. Today that number is 16% and rising,” says Dr Nombasa.
“When people feel respected, they push boundaries because they trust that they can make mistakes without being ridiculed,” is what our Dr Nombasa believes.
Empowering people to achieve the best for themselves and Exxaro, is part of the legacy she hopes to leave behind. It’s also the high bar she sets for herself – to help Exxaro go above and beyond its targets financially, environmentally and socially.
“We set targets as an organisation and it makes us feel good. But for me, I would measure success by going far beyond the targets that we are chasing and empowering people to be their best – so they can do the same,” she says.
Exxaro is both proud and privileged to welcome Dr Nombasa to the role of CEO, which became official on 1 August 2022, and we look forward to supporting her journey, every step of the way.
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