The woman heading a R1 trillion industry in South Africa

Growing up, Zinhle Tyikwe dreamed of being a teacher. Today, she oversees an industry that contributes over R1 trillion to South Africa’s economy.

Tyikwe is the CEO of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA), which represents over 9,000 companies across the country’s consumer goods and retail sector.

She is also the CEO of GS1 South Africa, the country’s only official supplier of product barcodes and the sole licensed authority on barcode standards.

Born near Estcourt in the township of Wembezi in KwaZulu-Natal, Tyikwe initially aspired to work in education to follow in her uncle’s footsteps.

One day on her way to boarding school, Tyikwe met a woman who worked in personnel management, sparking her interest in this as a career.

After completing her in-service training, Tyikwe struggled to secure employment in human resources and, for a time, worked as a security guard.

Thanks to connections she had made during her training, however, she was eventually offered a position in human resources by the HR manager at Eskort.

This opened up the doors to a lengthy career for her, allowing her to find work in the HR departments of companies such as Avis, Bidvest and Imfuyo Projects.

In 2013, Tyikwe joined the CGCSA as a human resources manager and was promoted to the position of HR executive just two years later.

After nine years at the association, Tyikwe was appointed its CEO in 2022, taking over from outgoing chief executive Gwarega Mangozhe.

At the time of her appointment as CEO, South Africa’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector was estimated to contribute approximately R1 trillion to South Africa’s GDP.

Today, more than 3 million people are reported to be employed across the retail industry in South Africa, around 20% of the country’s total workforce.

At the same time as her appointment as CEO of the CGCSA, Tyikwe was appointed CEO of GS1 South Africa, which operates as a core division and the service delivery arm of the CGCSA.

An accidental executive

In an interview with 702, Tyikwe described her transition away from a human capital focus towards the CEO role as a gradual one, and not one she necessarily aspired to.

“It was a gradual transition into this role, because I was just thinking I was doing my job,” Tyikwe said. “What I understood from human resources is that you need to understand your business.”

“If you understand your business, you are able to serve your stakeholders better. So you need to understand operations, finance, marketing, and the whole business. That was how I took my job.”

Tyikwe admitted that she had never even thought about being a CEO, and that her career ambitions were always to be a chief people officer instead.

But when the opportunity arose for her predecessor to step back and for someone new to take on the role, Tyikwe decided to take a chance on the role.

While at first she was unsure if she would make a good fit for the position, her thorough understanding of how the CGCSA operated gave her the confidence she needed to take it on.

“When the opportunity came, I did think I was ready,” Tyikwe said. “I felt ready, and like I could do this. I understood the business, why we existed, and my members’ needs.”

“Chances are important. The realisation is that not everybody knows what they need to do next. It’s just about guts, grit, and it’s about adapting.”

Since taking over as CEO of the CGCSA, Tyikwe said she had learned how to lead from a position of womanhood in South Africa, and that she did not need to assume the role of a man.

With regard to her leadership style, she said she tried not to lead solely from a position of financial sustainability and operational efficiency, but also from a place of understanding people.

“Maybe that’s my aspect from a human resources perspective,” Tyikwe said. “I’m leading people who have their own views and thoughts. So how do I include that?”