Old Mutual announced that it has appointed Celiwe Ross, Chief of Staff to the CEO, as its new Human Capital Director.

Ross holds a BSc Engineering degree from the University of the Witwatersrand as well as an MBA from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. She has held senior investment banking roles within the Standard Bank Group in South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, covering the mining, energy, real estate and infrastructure sectors.

It was while she was leading the financial services practice of global search and leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder that she met and worked closely with the Exco and Board of Old Mutual Emerging Markets, conducting team effectiveness reviews and assessing their readiness to operate as Old Mutual Limited in a listed environment.

Ross joined Old Mutual in May 2017. Prior to her appointment as Human Resources Director, she was Chief of Staff in the office of the OMEM CEO where she gained a deep understanding of Old Mutual’s operations.

“As we strengthen our focus on Africa and prepare for our primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange next month, it’s exciting to have leaders of the calibre of Celiwe onboard,” says Moyo. “Not only is she a strategic thinker with an exceptionally sharp intellect, but she also has strong leadership skills and a deep understanding of Africa’s diverse operating environments.”

Ross says she is looking forward to leading Old Mutual’s human capital function during this significant time in its 173 year history. “Old Mutual is a Top Employer that employs more than 28 000 people in 17 countries across Africa and other select emerging markets. The opportunities to grow and increase our positive impact are enormous.”

Ross’s many remarkable achievements include graduating as the first black female mining engineer in South Africa, and being recognised as one of the top 100 final year students in the country, having taken part in the Brightest Young Minds conference, a platform aimed at nurturing South Africa’s young, upcoming talent. In 2016, she was recognised as Gauteng’s Businesswoman of the Year in the Corporate Sector by the Businesswomen’s Association.