Sipho Gumbi
Johannesburg
Summary
Strategic Chief Human Resources Officer with extensive experience in leading transformation initiatives across diverse sectors. Currently overseeing people strategies for Sanlam Investment Group’s four sub-clusters, previously managed HR for Old Mutual’s operations across 13 countries. Skilled in stakeholder engagement and cross-border collaboration, committed to fostering talent that drives organisational success.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Human Resources Officer
Sanlam Investment Group
Johannesburg
07.2019 - Current
- Provide Human Capital leadership focusing on strategy, human capital capability development, business roles and skills optimisation, transformation, M&A, and culture.
- Drove Win As One culture by unifying capabilities across diverse investment areas and empowering line managers to lead remotely.
- Human Capital delivery of Absa integration from due diligence to integration and driving scale.
- Established career mapping and journey management for investment and capital markets to enhance talent growth and retention.
- Rejuvenated employee value proposition to encompass more than pay for core investment and capital market skills.
- Established and embedded outcomes-based talent retention for scarce and critical skills.
- Drive diversity, transformation and inclusion with an increased representation of Women at the senior level (from 12% to 26%), middle management (from 56 to 68%), and Junior (from 61% to 72%) from 2022 to date.
- SIM people transition to NinetyOne, Sanlam UK unbundling and reduction of 167 shared services through deployment and avoiding retrenchments in line with Competition Commission requirements.
- Redesign of the SIG total rewards into a single incentive differentiating investment professionals and shared services.
- SI CEO nomination for human capital impact on the business in 2020.
- Absa Investment team integration to SIG Group CEO Award 2025.
HR Executive
Old Mutual
01.2017 - 01.2019
- Provide human capital leadership focusing on talent management, organisational design, performance management, change management, business optimisation, and culture.
- Introduced talent framework and total rewards practice for top talent, providing clear career growth pathways.
- Revised remuneration and benefits model to retain key talent.
- Established Pan Africa Sales and Distribution Academy to enhance talent development and succession planning.
- Integration of SA business and East Africa workforce to form the biggest sales and distribution workforce in Africa’s life insurance.
- Led a team during the USA tour in 2019, enhancing international collaboration.
HR Executive
Old Mutual
01.2014 - 01.2017
- Providing Human Capital leadership in 13 Pan African countries with a focus on strategy, performance management, change management, talent management, culture and transformation, organisation design, in-country capability building, and M&A.
- Led integration of UAP Insurance business into Old Mutual in 2018, ensuring smooth transition and alignment with strategic goals.
- Integration of six East Africa UAP Insurance companies into Old Mutual Africa.
- Designed and embedded remuneration model across 13 countries, aligning high performance with diverse employment conditions.
- Facilitated talent mobility across Africa, managing 133 ex-pats annually for cross-skilling, knowledge sharing, and business start-up.
- Executed replatforming process to Workday, ensuring seamless transition and minimal disruption to services.
OD Senior Consultant
MTN Group
01.2007 - 01.2014
- Led change initiatives and aligned executive performance management, employee value proposition, business optimisation, organisation design, and culture across 21 countries.
- Drive one MTN culture structure across 21 countries and alignment with Group Purpose, strategy, values, and behaviours.
- Manage 21 Country CEOs’ performance scorecards and ensure alignment with the remuneration and benefits.
- Developed leadership succession and critical skills talent practices in collaboration with HR heads across countries.
- Facilitated talent mobility across Africa to enhance cross-skilling, knowledge sharing, and support business start-ups.
- Integration of InvestCom countries’ Human Capital (North Africa and the Middle East) into MTN Group.
- Recognised as MTN Regional People Excellence Winner in 2009 for outstanding contributions to HR practices.
Education
Diploma - Journalism, Economics
University of Pretoria
Master of Arts -
York St John University
UKAdvanced Human Resources -
University of Cape Town
Master of Business Administration -
Strayer University
USAStrategic HR leadership programme -
London Business School
Sustainability Leadership in Investments programme -
London Business School
Skills
- Human capital strategy
- Talent management
- Workforce Analytics
- Organisational transformation
- Mergers and acquisitions
- ESG & People Sustainability
- Executive remuneration
- Stakeholder engagement
- Culture & Leadership Effectiveness
Custom Section
52, Chief Human Resources Officer at Sanlam Investment Group, Leads the people and transformation strategy across four SIG sub-clusters, Oversees centralized shared services functions including Finance, Risk, Compliance, Human Capital, Information Technology, Client Experience and Sustainability, HR Executive, Old Mutual, Rest of Africa’s 13 countries with 12,000 employees, you don’t build a business, you build people, and then people build the business
Timeline
Chief Human Resources Officer
Sanlam Investment Group
07.2019 - Current
HR Executive
Old Mutual
01.2017 - 01.2019
HR Executive
Old Mutual
01.2014 - 01.2017
OD Senior Consultant
MTN Group
01.2007 - 01.2014
Diploma - Journalism, Economics
University of Pretoria
Master of Arts -
York St John University
Advanced Human Resources -
University of Cape Town
Master of Business Administration -
Strayer University
Strategic HR leadership programme -
London Business School
Sustainability Leadership in Investments programme -
London Business School