From rummaging in dustbins looking for waste to exchange for money, South African Lordwick Kgatle has successfully climbed the career ladder and obtained the position of Operations Manager at Jubilee Crossing – a shopping mall located in Hammanskraal, northern Gauteng.
Born in Limpopo and reared in Hammanskraal, Lordwick used the money he earned from selling waste products, working as a gardener, barber and car wash assistant to finance his studies towards a Business Administration Diploma specialising in Economics from Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology in 2020.
After his internship at Atterbury Properties, he was afforded the opportunity to take on the position of Marketing Manager at Acornhoek Mall owned by New Africa Developments (NAD) in Mpumalanga where he spent 18 months.
The owners of Acornhoek Mall saw Lordwick’s hard work and dedication and decided to promote the 25-year-old to a more senior role of Operations Manager at the brand-new Jubilee Crossing shopping centre.
His role at the mall includes supervising and managing the shopping centre operations, CSI campaigns, property management, tenant management, customer service and events.
What Lordwick finds most gratifying about his job is that there is room for growth, and he is continually able to learn something new about the real estate management industry.
He states that his long-term goal is to grow within his position and become a national operations manager and ultimately study towards a doctorate in operations management.
“My greatest strengths are motivation, perseverance and hard work. The lessons learned in my life and career are to never give up when one is tired and to keep pushing oneself to succeed,” adds Lordwick.
Apart from reading, worshipping and watching rugby, the Operations Manager is also preparing for the arrival of his baby that is due in the next couple of months. Through his achievements in the workplace, Lordwick is very proud of the fact that he will be able to provide his child with opportunities which were not necessarily available to him.
Says Lordwick, “NAD has helped my career by providing me with the opportunity to develop new skills. I am thankful for the guidance from the company’s senior executives. My work has benefited my life by increasing my standard of living, upgrading my soft and technical skills, bringing a sense of stability and creating other opportunities.”
Lordwick also maintains that education is the key to success and that learning does not stop.
He believes it is important to empower people with leadership skills, as this will help achieve local economic growth.
Also see: ‘Burnout leave’ might just save the workforce in South Africa
