A strong determination to succeed, a mentoring nature and her grounding in humility are the attributes that have contributed to Nozipho Ngobese’s rise from junior clerk to Head of Operations during three decades at Ithala SOC Limited.

Despite a passion to become a chartered accountant after matriculating at Bhekuzulu College in Nongoma, Ngobese’s parents could not afford to finance her tertiary education since her two older brothers were already at university.

“It was so painful for me when my hopes of studying accounting were crushed. But I did not give up. I was determined to continue with my studies and get a decent job,” she recalled.

Nongoma-born Ngobese took a short course in computers and office administration and was thrilled when she was accepted as an entry-level clerk at Ithala’s Nongoma branch.

This was her steppingstone to a long and satisfying career in banking that has taken her to the top.

“I always wanted to work at Ithala because the company’s ideals align with my own values. I grew up in a rural area and Ithala is committed to empower people living in rural areas,” said Ngobese.

Before long she moved from clerk to teller, senior teller, and assistant branch manager. She applied and was appointed branch manager at Kwa Mashu which she remembers was “scary” because this was a rough area, and the branch was having negative growth.

By engaging with the community, building relationships, improving customer service, and motivating her staff, Ngobese turned the branch around within 18 months and was chosen Branch Manager of the Year.

She then moved to a bigger branch in Church Street, Pietermaritzburg. Again, she improved the branch’s performance, making it the best performing branch in transactional accounts in 2004 when she was again chosen as Branch Manager of the Year.

She then held various positions at a regional level in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands before being appointed as Senior Manager Business Development and Special Projects in 2010 tasked with growing Ithala business with government and high-net-worth individual accounts. In 2010 Ngobese was appointed Business Development & Special Projects Manager and introduced several new banking products. In 2012, she was appointed acting Divisional Head: Channels.

Along her professional journey, Ngobese improved her academic qualifications, attending in-service courses for accelerated development and enrolling for university degrees, with all her studies being financed by Ithala. Today she holds, among other qualifications, a Master’s in Business Leadership, Postgraduate Diploma in Finance, Banking, and Investment Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Ngobese believes her greatest strength is strong leadership, strategic thinking, attention to detail, problem solving, analytical thinking, courage and resilience which helped her to turn around non-performing departments within Ithala. Empowerment is also close to her heart - she likes developing people.

“You cannot grow without growing your people. I have helped many high school and tertiary students with free tuition and advice. I want to continue helping struggling students and women with potential to reach the top,” said Ngobese.

She said her father was her greatest inspiration because he believed in her. “I used to be incredibly quiet, but my father encouraged me to come out of my shell. Today I can engage freely.”

Ngobese, whose husband died tragically several years ago, is mother to a daughter and son, and has three grandchildren.

In her spare time, she reads, spend time with grandchildren, partake in community engagement programs, goes to the gym, and plays table tennis.