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By Fiona Wakelin and Koketso Mamabolo

Mondi South Africa’s award-winning Head of Human Resources, Serena Kesari, is driven by a commitment to doing the right thing, placing the well-being of the organisation’s employees at the centre of everything she does. The two awards Mondi South Africa took home at the 2024 Future of HR Awards, the Employer of Choice: Large Organisation and the HR Leader of the Year Award, reflect their hard work and dedication to creating an environment where employees feel valued and empowered. “We grow, create, and inspire together as inclusive teams, performing purposeful jobs in safe and supportive workplaces,” says Serena. Here she tells us how Mondi has been empowering women in the organisation and how they’re working to reach their sustainability targets.

You have been Head of HR at Mondi for 2 years – what have been your  greatest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

At Mondi, the greatest challenges have been the war for talent and increasing women’s representation in manufacturing. Talent competition is intense, with national industry turnover at 16.7%. Mondi South Africa has maintained a significantly lower annual turnover than the industry average. This success stems from strong employee engagement, leadership development, brand building, market mapping, and robust talent pipelines. 

Mondi Group aims to achieve 30% women representation by 2030, and Mondi South Africa already reached this milestone in 2024. This success is the result of intentional female appointments, maintaining a strong focus on women in our student pipeline, and a commitment to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion. While there is still work to be done, these milestones highlight progress. 

What has been your most memorable “aha” moment? 

One of my most memorable “aha” moments happened early in my career. Freshly qualified as a board-certified industrial/organisational psychologist, I was proud of my achievement. Then came my first job: taking minutes, binding training manuals, and photocopying. I felt frustrated because real-life work experience wasn’t matching up to what I had studied.

After about a year of administrative tasks, I had built tolerance. It no longer made me feel frustrated and I began to enjoy seeing familiar faces. I was happy, though I didn’t quite know when this internal shift happened. 

Upon reflection, it was through those administrative tasks that I learnt so much about the business and built relationships with stakeholders. This eventually led to my personal and professional growth. The “aha” moment was realising that in every task or person you meet, there is an opportunity to learn something. No matter how mundane or ordinary a situation may seem, you can still grow and learn if you shift your mindset. 

What excites you about what you do? 

I love making a difference, no matter how big or small. I believe in leaving things better than I found them. In HR, there are endless opportunities to do just that. Whether contributing to a leadership development discussion, welcoming a new hire, or refining a policy –every action plays a part in enhancing the employee experience. Each step, no matter how small, helps create a better world of work. For me, it’s about  showing up with purpose and striving to leave a positive mark. Together, we can always leave things better than we found them!

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Please share about the Mondi Action Plan 2030. 

The Mondi Action Plan 2030 (MAP2030) sets out the actions, targets and milestones we need to achieve to meet our ambitious 2030 sustainability commitments. It is a framework built on our purpose of contributing to a better world by making innovative packaging and paper solutions that are sustainable by design. 

Our efforts are focused on three key areas: 

• Circular driven solutions: Innovative packaging and paper solutions that keep  materials in circulation and avoid waste
• Empowered people: An empowered and inclusive team that contributes to a better  world
• Taking action on climate: Climate resilience through our forests and operations for  the future of the planet

Do you have a message of inspiration for our readers? 

This is a tough one, but one of my favourite quotes is simple yet powerful: “Always forward, never backward!” Life brings tough moments – regrets, setbacks, and feelings of being overwhelmed. But the key is to keep moving forward. Even small steps can lead to big things. With momentum and the willingness to adjust along the  way, success will follow. It’s about progress, not perfection, and trusting that each step brings us closer to where we are meant to be.

Website: www.mondigroup.com

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