Q&A WITH THAMSANQA THEMBANI
1. Tell us about your career journey at ISUZU?
I started in the company in October 2022, and I am in the role of Manager: Dealer Development. Coming from an agricultural equipment and premium segment sector of the automotive industry, the decision to join the Isuzu brand exposed me the commercial vehicles side of automotive, and though one came with great dealer development experience, having to apply the dealer development tools in a different space and brand has made my experience much richer and took it to the next level.
2. Can you describe your role as the Manager of Dealer Development at ISUZU and your primary responsibilities?
In the simplest of ways to explain, my role entails finding the right investment partner, establishing them in the right location, ensuring that they are the right size, that they offer the right products and services for their market, and that we jointly drive business strategy and operations compliance to deliver on our promised customer value.
3.How do you build and maintain strong relationships with ISUZU dealers?
Clear, timely, concise, and honest communication, on various strategic and operational activities, is the most important element in maintaining a healthy relationship with the dealer network. Things are never perfect, and one should never strive for that, but partners that feel listened to and whom are not only brought along the journey but also participate and co-create the strategic roadmap with the OEM, results in stable and good relations between an OEM and its network investors.
4. How does ISUZU innovate in its dealer development strategies to stay ahead in the market?
Besides the normal processes of analyzing internal and external environments, according to key defined metrics and performance measures, the most important is co-creating our strategic vision and journey with our dealer network investors. Isuzu actively engages its dealers on various internal functions topics and consciously include tactical, strategic, and operational innovations and imperatives from its dealer partners.
5.What are your thoughts on the issue of youth unemployment in South Africa, and how can the automotive industry contribute to addressing it?
I believe that youth unemployment is a travesty for our country, its people, leaders, corporates, and society. I believe that this is not an insurmountable problem that we cannot immediately fix with the intellect and resources we have as a country. In addition to some of its current and broad initiatives, which include the Yes4Youth programme, bursary schemes, and graduate in service training programmes, the automotive industry can play an even bigger by boldly taking the lead to eliminating youth hiring impeding entry job requirements, and consciously pooling resources and strategically establishing youth upskilling and reskilling training academies in key automotive provinces in the country which would then feedback into the talent pipeline pool for the industry itself. Consciously inspiring and serving as role model for other industries leaders and for the government, to take even bolder steps to address the burning issue of youth unemployment in our country, is another way the automotive industry can make its contribution to alleviating youth unemployment. Creating conditions for South African youth to realize its true potential and to flourish and direct its energy to contribute to building a stronger and more inclusive economy should be society, business, and government’s immediate and unbending collective goal.
6. What career opportunities does ISUZU offer to young people interested in dealer development?
In addition to having Y.E.S candidates and graduates working and gaining experience in various fields within dealer development, some other possible opportunities being contemplated are positions in transformation, data and market analyst, and intelligence and business analyst. These positions will shape the future of the department and Isuzu’s dealer network.
7. What future trends do you see in dealer development, and how is ISUZU preparing to meet these trends?
Some key trends are online sales, contemporary customer experience requirements and digital journey, business processes digitalization to create greater business efficiency, and enhanced multi stakeholders’ engagement in the context of the complex modern business environment. The best way to meet these trends is to capacitate the department with the right mix of people and skills, driving the culture and mindset of ‘staying ahead of the curve’ in an agile manner, and establishing the right innovation platforms to bring to life creativity and innovation that will have a positive effect on the Company’s bottom-line.
8.How do you incorporate sustainability into ISUZU's dealer development strategies?
IMSAf has key ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) and sustainability elements officially incorporated into its networks dealer standards. These key elements are created from a holistic organizational functions requirement and are monitored quarterly, and corrective actions taken to deliver on the desired state of business. Several of our dealers are quite ahead of the curve when it comes to renewable energy use, water recycling, waste recycling and monetizing, and energy efficient building materials use.
9. How would you describe your leadership style, and how has it evolved throughout your career?
I used to categorize myself as a Transformational Leader. Over time my thoughts on leadership have evolved to be somehow simpler and more refined in a sense. I believe that I have awakened to the realization that the human soul and life experience must stake center stage in terms of how I lead. My leadership style now has evolved to one that is based on three things, firstly, I see colleagues as human beings like me before I view them as fellow workers, secondly, I ensure that the spiritual and psychological space of my department is in a good state (absolutely not the easiest but the most critical and rewarding), and thirdly, I tirelessly strive to create a space employees feel safe to be themselves as best they can and to own their work and drive creativity and innovation to consistently deliver positive impact on efficiency and company bottom-line.
10. Have you had any mentors who influenced your career path? If so, how did they impact your professional journey?
I have never really had mentors, but some people that have influenced me, particularly through books I have read, are thinkers and leaders such as Ntate Richard Maponya, Michel de Montaigne (French philosopher), mama Nonkululeko Gobodo, Steve Jobs, and our former President Mr. Thabo Mbeki. These individuals all impacted my life differently but the common things, that impacted on my professional life, are perseverance and astute leadership, being a critical thinker that is grounded on realism, and to always hold the spirit of creativity and innovation at the forefront of building great and future-proof organisations.
11. What advice would you give to young South Africans aspiring to build a career in the automotive industry?
The automotive industry is undergoing exciting changes and there is no better time than now to join the industry! Though the industry is known to be very competitive, it offers vast opportunities to those seeking to apply innovative tech, bold and untraditional marketing tactics, and engineering skills for even greater adaptability of vehicles to local African market developing consumer preferences.
12. What’s the best advice you’ve received?
Stay true and continuously evolve to be the best version of yourself.
13. How do you stay on top of your game?
Besides constantly reading, always striving to live in grace, peace, and beauty helps me to holistically stay on top form.
