At the beginning of 2024 the RMI announced a new Co-CEO structure. This month we get to know Jan Schoeman and Ipeleng Mabusela a little better.
- Ipeleng Mabusela, CEO: Strategy and Corporate Support:
What is your background? What did you study and how did you get started in this industry?
Ihave always had a passion for cars and actually wanted to design Formula One cars for a living. During matric, I visited BMW in Rosslyn, and this led me to study mechanical engineering at Wits. I worked in mining, oil & gas and strategy consulting but finally got into the automotive sector through a start-up aimed at funding Black businesses in the automotive industry. In between all of that I also did an MBA at Wits Business School to improve my business acumen.
What positions have you held during your career and what does your current portfolio include?
I have worked as an engineer in the mining industry, as a Senior Operations Manager in oil & gas, as a Strategy Management Consultant and as a Head of Investment & Strategy in the automotive sector.
My current portfolio includes setting direction for the RMI, in collaboration with the Board and Associations. In addition, my scope includes accountability for labour, finance, PR & communication and training. I am supported by a dedicated and very experienced team, which makes navigating this broad portfolio enjoyable and manageable.
How do you feel your industry experience can benefit the RMI and its membership?
My perspective on helping small businesses, aligning the sector on transformation, and liaising with government will help bridge the gap between the RMI, members and government. The needs of these various stakeholders may sometimes be in conflict, but there are synergies between them that create a win-win for us all, which I intend to maximise.
What value do you hope to bring to the public, business owners and members?
I want to ensure that the RMI is positioned as one of the leading voices in the auto sector and a key pillar of the economy. That means that the work we do has to create value not only for our members but also for society at large.
What achievements during your career are you most proud of?
My time at the Automotive Industry Transformation Fund was challenging but had a tangible impact. It was a start-up business that managed to fund, support, and develop over 25 businesses during my tenure. It was an amazing feeling to see the businesses we supported with funding either come to life or grow as a result of our intervention.
What advice would you offer to young people wishing to pursue a career in the motor industry?
The automotive sector is wide and has a plethora of opportunities. Reach out and spend time shadowing people working in the sector to get a good sense of where your passions and the auto sector intersect. The key to a great career is the intersection between passion and capability.
What does your average working day consist of?
Decisions, decisions, decisions. The modern CEO is confronted with several decisions a day, with information that is often ambiguous. This means one must be comfortable with making decisions that are directionally correct, in other words comfortable with going left instead of 20 degrees left. To this end, I must spend enough time reading, listening, understanding, and asking probing questions. My day also consists of meetings with various members of the team and external stakeholders, trying to ensure that everything we do is aligned to the vision we have set for the RMI and for the automotive retail and aftermarket.
If you could change anything about the RMI, what would it be?
We need to make the average consumer and business understand and embrace the power of the brand. When people think about anything related to their car, they must think RMI and the accredited members we have first. Working with our accredited members must be synonymous with quality, speed, and safety.
What do you think the biggest challenges will be in the next five years?
South Africa faces the challenge of getting itself back where it belongs in terms of economic growth, so that it solves its societal challenges. An economy where a large proportion of people are unemployed is not sustainable and is likely to lead to more civil unrest unless something is done. It is up to each of us as individuals, families, employees, and captains of industry to play our part. I strongly believe that we can make a difference and change our trajectory.
Favourite and least favourite aspects of working in the motor industry?
My favourite is the exposure to the most amazing cars first hand, but my least favourite is not being able to afford those cars.
What hobbies and interests do you have?
I spend time reading business-related articles and from time to time some novels to help me relax. I also love watching sports, particularly soccer (I am an Arsenal and Kaizer Chiefs fan at the same time, it is pure heart ache).
How do you like to spend your free time?
Most of my time is spent with my lovely wife and son (he is five months old and highly entertaining!). I also come from a large family so there are also several family gatherings with all the nieces and nephews throughout the year.
What are your personal goals for the next five years?
A bit more self-mastery. It is key that I continue to better understand myself so that I can self-manage and thrive. This requires introspection, getting feedback from family, friends, and colleagues regularly as inputs for self-reflection and improvement.
- Jan Schoeman CEO: Operations & Regulatory Compliance
What is your background? What did you study and how did you get started in this industry?
I am a Stellenbosch University graduate in industrial psychology and political science and a hold a post graduate in labour law- and economics from the then Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg). In 2017 I achieved certification for the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s International Training Centre in Macroeconomics.
I started my career as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry, and then took up my calling in the Cape Provincial Administration’s Hospital and Health Service branch as legal advisor, after which I accepted employment at the Cape Town City Council, in the same capacity. In 1996, I was employed by the then South African Motor Industry Employers’ Association (SAMIEA) as Industrial Relations Specialist and in 2000, after the merger of SAMIEA and the Motor Industries Federation (MIF) into what we know today to be the RMI, I was appointed as Branch Manager for the RMI’s Western Cape Region. In 2007 I assumed to role of General Manager, incorporating the Western and Eastern Cape regions, and in 2013, I was appointed as Chief Operations Officer. I have been with the RMI for almost 28 years.
What positions have you held during your career and what does your current portfolio include?
My current portfolio entails the executive management of the operational and regulatory compliance function of the RMI, and I lead a team of roughly 45 staff to ensure the effective implementation of strategic plans developed for the organisation.
How do you feel your industry experience can benefit the RMI and its membership?
I have served in, collaborated with, or managed every conceivable function within the organisation and therefore have an acute understanding of what makes the RMI tick. With almost 28 years of experience in the organisation, this institutional knowledge together with the operational experience in all the aspects thereof, leaves me well-placed to lead the organisation, in conjunction with my Co-CEO, going forward.
What difference would you like to make in your current position?
With the only constant being change, the difference I would like to make over the next three years, is to leave the organisation well positioned to successfully confront the numerous technological, societal and environmental changes heading our way. The outcomes must be that members of the organisation, the industry at large, and the economy as a whole, benefit from sustainability and growth, which will ensure a more equitable society, relieved of poverty and unemployment and constantly improving the skills sets required to achieve this.
What achievements during your career are you most proud of?
I am most proud of two things, firstly, the extent to which the fortunes of the RMI has improved since 2013, with the organisation being financially sound with a membership base that perpetually increases, and secondly, the extent to which the RMI has invested in its most valuable asset – its staff.
What value do you hope to bring to the public, business owners and members?
The public deserves the provision of professional services, quality products, and above all, a regulatory compliant industry. This is their assurance that doing business with an RMI member, is doing good business that is underscored by peace of mind. The RMI, as it always has been, must remain the voice for the retail motor industry in all spheres in the political, social and economic arenas. This demands an effective organisation that provides structures, process and outcomes that continuously improves the trading environment wherein these members operate.
What advice would you offer to young people wishing to pursue a career in the motor industry?
The retail motor industry is an extremely diverse sector of the economy, with productive activities ranging from sales to technical vocations, manufacturing, management and research & development. Gone are the days when the retail motor industry was stigmatised by perceptions of dirty fingernails and disingenuous trading practices. The modern motor vehicle has become a computer on wheels and demands high levels of hard and soft skills to maintain and repair. In addition, demands for an ever-improving customer experience and digitalisation through avenues such as artificial intelligence, means that the aged perception that the industry is represented by an old mechanic in a dirty overall, no longer rings true. Young people must seriously consider a career in the industry, as it is at the leading edge of technological innovation and economic growth on the one hand and provides countless opportunities for personal and professional growth on the other.
What does your average working day consist of?
I provide executive leadership to the operational team of the RMI, which requires extensive collaboration internally and externally, with all stakeholders associated with the industry. This requires extensive reading and research into best practices, understanding the peculiarities of each sub-sector of the industry, and developing interventions aimed at improving the trading environment of businesses in the industry, as well as ensuring the equitable and merit-based transformation of the economy.
What do you think the biggest challenges will be in the next five years?
The two most poignant realities that will present challenges in the next five years are technological innovation, including the advent of artificial intelligence, and ensuring a more equitable society relieved of poverty and joblessness.
Favourite and least favourite aspects of working in the motor industry?
I particularly enjoy the diversity that this industry represents. As they say, “never a dull moment”. I do however spurn the notion that the retail section of the automotive value chain, is insignificant by the standards of the authorities. It employs in excess of 300 000 employees across almost 22 000 businesses and accounts for roughly 2% of the country’s GDP. This makes the RMI a leading voice in the industry and a force to be reckoned with, unlike the oft experienced ignorance on the part of government at its various levels.
What hobbies and interests do you have?
I enjoy overlanding and the great outdoors, including fishing and ethical hunting. It brings one closer to one’s creator.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I mostly engage in recreational activities that involve nature and the outdoors.
What are your personal goals for the next five years?
Apart from ensuring that I maintain good health and a happy family life, I hope to leave the RMI in three years’ time, when I retire, in an even better financial position, with a transformed and even healthier membership base, and apt recognition by government and other economic stakeholders of the valuable role that the RMI plays within society and the economy.
