Back in 1998, when Sebokeng’s Nompumelelo Madisa was 16 years old, her family was being evicted from their home, her father decided to walk out on them and as a result, her now single mom could not afford to pay for university. It is in this pivotal moment that she had to decide who she is and what she would become. It was not her intention to become the CEO of a R126 billion company and one of the most powerful people in the world but that is what she became.
The first decision that Nompumelelo made was that she would find out how to get a NSFAS loan and apply to the University of Witwatersrand. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Economics and Mathematics; an Honours in Economics; a Master’s in Finance and Investment, became a Trainee Marketing Assistant for Hollard; a Client Relations Manager at the Bidvest owned Prestige and the Chief Director of Transformation at the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. He was then asked to return to Bidvest to serve as the Director of Sales Marketing for Prestige. It is from here that she would not only excel in the corporate world but conquer it.
When she began her new role, Prestige had been struggling to make sales. During the 5 years that she was head of sales, she drastically increased sales, almost single handedly turning around the fortunes of the company. This turnaround impressed the guys upstairs and in 2013, she was promoted to an executive position on the Bidvest Board of Directors.
As a member of the board, she was essentially appointed as part of the team that oversaw the management of 215 companies right across the Bidvest group of companies. As part of her duties, she was placed on the boards of 16 Bidvest owned companies as well as to the board of Adcock Ingram.
It was in March 2019, that it was announced that she would become CEO and, at the tender age of 40, she officially took over as CEO in October 2020. She effectively became the boss of 215 companies and 130 000 employees.
Between 2020 and 2025, under her leadership, Bidvest increased its revenue by 66% from R76 billion to R126 billion and doubled its profits from R6 billion to R12 billion. She also became the chairperson of the UN Global Compact SA board, the chairperson of Adcock Ingram, was named South Africa’s Business Leader of the Year by the Sunday Times and she was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the most powerful women in the world.
Now, back in the day when Nompumelelo’s father walked out on his family, it was perhaps because he felt that he had failed as a man. Instead of facing up to his failures and solving it like a man, he chose to run away. She could have done the same and let her circumstances dictate her future but she didn’t. Instead, she chose to face her problems like a woman, solve them and become one of the most powerful people in the world.
Originally published by : South African Stories on FB.
