ISUZU Motors South Africa is progressive in its focus on the development of internal talent and the acquisition of external talent while balancing demographics including gender diversity. As a people-centric business, employees are the heart and soul of the organisation. This philosophy is core to four new exciting promotions within the business.
Isuzu’s commitment to developing talent and working with its employees to progress their careers is evident in these exceptional employees who now hold positions as department executives.
Rob Whittaker is promoted to the role of department executive engineering from manager LCV systems engineering. Whittaker started his career with Volkswagen of South Africa and joined Isuzu Motors of South Africa (then Delta Motor Corporation) as a reliability engineer in 2000. He has held various roles in engineering including overseas assignments in Brazil and North America. He brings 23 years of experience to the position where he will play a major role in supporting the Isuzu business to progress even further. Whittaker holds an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town.
Lebo Rakgekola is promoted to department executive for sales LCV & SUV SACU. Rakgekola has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the motor industry in South Africa specialising in sales and marketing including business development management at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. She has risen through the ranks at Isuzu Motors South Africa which she joined in 2019. She is promoted to a leadership role involved in the strategic direction of the sales channels, cementing strong dealership and fleet customer relationships. She holds a Master of Business Leadership degree from the University of South Africa and is currently pursuing her Master of Philosophy degree with GIBS.
Alastair Hodgson is promoted to department executive business enablement SACU. A new position of senior manager business enablement sees Hodgson responsible for sales volumes planning across all platforms. He will be a key enabler within the Revenue Generation teams at Isuzu Motors South Africa. He holds a BComm with majors in Economics, Business Economics and Quantitative Management.
Mpho Nkhumeleni takes on the role of department executive for sales CV. A seasoned executive who graduated with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, a Graduate Diploma in Industrial Engineering, an MSc in Engineering and an MBA all from the University of the Witwatersrand, Nkhumeleni also brings with him 26 years of experience in sales and marketing, commercial, operations management, and logistics and distribution. His Masters in Engineering research paper highlighted intrinsic and extrinsic differences in performance measurement and evaluation of manufacturing and service firms.
Ziphindiwe Ngcobo Is promoted to department executive for marketing. The ever-changing environment requires leadership that is driven by agility and ambition, these qualities are an equal match to Ngcobo. Her BComm in Marketing Management Science complements the skills and knowledge she has acquired in market research, strategy development, and brand development.
Senior vice president human capital and corporate affairs division, Isuzu Motors South Africa, Mongezi Hermans, says, “We congratulate these colleagues who have been appointed into various leadership roles. These announcements are testament to Isuzu’s focus on talent management which is driven by a two-pillar strategy where we focus on upskilling our internal diverse talent, and target suitable external candidates to accelerate transformation in the automotive industry”.
