By Phesheya Mkhonta
Business Development and Finance expert Futhie Tembe has joined a select list of African corporate leaders to successfully complete and graduate from the Global Executive Development Programme (GEDP).
Africa’s leading business school, the Gordon Institute of Business (GIBS) offers the programme.
This elite qualification is the latest feather in Tembe’s cap as she is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a Masters’s Degree in Business Leadership, among others.
As someone who already sits on several companies’ boards of Directors, professional development is essential to make her a relevant and impactful leader.
The GEDP is designed to steer your career in a rapidly evolving, discontinuous and disruptive global environment and develop your resilience and future fitness.
Tembe, who has 14 years of experience in executive management, is currently the General Manager Business Development and Finance at the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF).
The studious corporate leader graduated in November 2022 from this gruelling GEDP programme and gained much-needed experience.
She mentions that the reason she enrolled in the programme was that she realized that the Covid-19 pandemic had permanently moved the “cheese”, and she was searching for new ways to lead for success in this evolving, discontinuous and disruptive world.
Futhie says she knew that she needed to equip herself with new skills and agility to operate in these uncertain times as she takes the Fund to higher levels of growth and success.
“Continuous learning and upskilling are fundamental, so one can always be in touch with impactful corporate trends and strategies. I am quite happy with the programme and believe that the knowledge gained will be valuable at my workplace, the boards I serve, and any project or task I am handed,” she says.
Futhie’s leadership Values
Part of the GEDP studies was developing a leadership manifesto. Her Vision Statement is to constantly explore and seek to understand herself and others while striving to be of service, create value, and give back to society. Her values are selfless service, personal development, inspiration, resilience, authenticity, humility, and empathy.
“Enrolling on the GEDP programme and developing a Leadership Manifesto has helped me discover Futhie even more and what I am called to do in this life. Right now, I am developing a relationship with my future self, thanks to GIBS for giving me that superpower,” she says.
Tembe possesses high expertise in innovation, finance, strategy and corporate governance principles.
She also has outstanding leadership qualities and has demonstrated a track record of improving the financial performance of organizations in various sectors and improving the control environments of companies.
She is enthusiastic and passionate about what she does and about her values.
Most of all, she is a strategic thinker highly passionate about looking for innovative ways of doing things.
She adds that over the years, she has grown to understand that leadership is influenced by the relationships you create with the people you lead and that success comes through people.
“I have grown to understand that as a leader, you always need to have sight of the North Star (or big picture) that you are pursuing and that adapting my leadership style to the ever-changing business landscape is critical,” she says.
Tembe adds that she is on a continuous journey of evolving, she has evolved from being a pure accountant interested in number crunching to organizational focus.
“I am now focused on how the Fund can positively contribute to its membership and the economy and reach higher levels of growth and success in this VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous),” she says.
Tembe adds that she is also now more concerned about how managers can build a resilient team that is always able to bounce back faster from challenges, adapt to new ways of working to increase efficiency and maintain a strong sense of cooperation in the midst of change.
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STANDARD BANK, PUBLIC CELEBRATE FUTHIE AS TECH LEADER
The versatile tech leader has been celebrated by Standard Bank Eswatini and the public after being nominated in their annual BlueShero International Women’s Day campaign.
The campaign for this year was celebrating the women leading the Digital Frontier in Eswatini.
“We applaud our 2023 BlueSheroes. Technology and innovation can be used as a catalyst for equality. In order to achieve this, we must embrace diversity and encourage fair representation in the STEM field,” the bank said.
Tembe was applauded by members of the public for her role in making ENPF paperless while other young women said she was an inspiration and role model in terms of leadership and the hunger for continuous learning.
Futhie’s Academic Profile
- Global Executive Development Programme (GEDP)-Gordon Institute of Business Science
- Certificate in Project Management-University of Stellenbosch
- Master of Business Leadership-Graduate School of Business Leadership (UNISA)
- Professional Accountant (ACCA),-Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
- Bachelor of Commerce-Accounting-University of Swaziland
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