Cloete set for greater heights

Izelle Cloete is a human resources (HR) business partner at Namdeb, who is responsible for driving the company’s HR strategies and programmes within the various service departments.
ELIZABETH JOSEPH
Michelline Nawatises



She has handles a broad spectrum of HR activities, which cover various aspects, including employee relations, organisational development and HR service requirements within her areas of responsibility.

She also plays an advisory role, which requires her to provide guidance to the most junior employee, right up to senior executives.

Cloete is the link between employees and the company with regard to all HR-related matters and looks after the interests of both in terms of ensuring adherence to compliance and legislation.

She worked as the HR business partner for FNB Namibia before joining Namdeb in 2014.

She studied HR management at the then Polytechnic of Namibia and recently completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Cloete started her career in the banking industry with FNB Namibia in Lüderitz.

She was a waste clerk and a teller for three years. In 2008, an opportunity presented itself and she was promoted to the Windhoek head office as an HR consultant.

Career progression happened quite fast after that, as she was soon promoted to a team leader.

“Every company comes with their own organisational culture and every single individual you deal with comes from a different background and has different perceptions, and as a human resource professional one needs to have an appreciation of that background and perception when dealing with each individual,” she says.

Cloete was able to complete her studies while having a very demanding career and while also being a wife and a mother to two toddlers.

The growth she experienced in terms of where she started and where she is today is unimaginable.

The trust relationship Cloete has with her direct customers has grown tremendously and that in itself has added value to her personal growth.

“Each day comes with its own challenges and no situation that you deal with will be the same as tomorrow and that is what makes my day in the office so exciting.”

Cloete has fantastic skills that she brings to the business, together with her personality, experience, knowledge and the manner in which she approaches different situations. She believes that no person is more unique than the other.

“We each bring our own individual uniqueness to the table and it is especially that individuality and value we bring that makes a department a success. We need to appreciate each other’s differences and draw on each other’s strengths, in order to accomplish our goals.”

Cloete’s inspiration is her husband and her two sons. “They are the reason I am doing what I am doing. It is sometimes a struggle to maintain the work/home life balance.”

She advises young people to be persistent, hardworking and go-getters.

“Equip yourself with the necessary skills, know your strengths, and build on them to ensure that you are recognised as a professional.”