A rising star on the corporate stage

During his 2019 address to first years, NWU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dan Kgwadi pointed out that around the globe, young people are stepping up, standing strong and “forging a new world for us all”.

As we celebrate Youth Month, we take a look at an inspiring young person who is stepping up: NWU alumnus Mr Tutu Kgobane. 

It is no wonder that the effervescent Tutu has, since joining Vodacom, one of the country’s largest telecommunications companies, become a participant in the prestigious Vodacom Discover Graduates Programme. He has subsequently been chosen as the programme’s ambassador and was selected as one of the top four in the innovative Vodacom summer campaign challenge.

A self-described go-getter and hard worker, Tutu’s leadership talents were given a platform on which he can shine when he was elected secretary of the university’s Student Representative Council (SRC) in 2015. He then took the helm of the student structure as president for the Mahikeng Campus and secretary general of the NWU Institutional SRC.

Not one to limit his ambitious and adventurous drive, Tutu made his sports broadcasting debut as the official NWU Varsity Sports Football MC, a role he fulfilled for two years running.

Although always a good sport, this BCom Marketing Management honours graduate believes his talents are more suited to the corporate world at Vodacom’s head office as its cluster specialist for the Gauteng region.

“My work essentially entails driving sales and the uptake of Vodacom products and services across segments and channels in order to achieve sales targets or channels in the region,” says Tutu.

Asked where he sees himself in five years, Tutu’s ambition shows no signs of slowing down. A passionate motivational speaker in between his fast-paced schedule, Tutu wants to speak on bigger platforms while making inroads into senior management  in the brands and marketing space, and completing an MBA. In addition to these career goals, he wants to launch a foundation that will empower young people to dream beyond their current challenges and envision a brighter future for themselves.

Rooted in his appreciation for the support structure that continues to nourish his ambition and hunger to do more, Tutu credits God, his family and friends for always being the guiding lights in his life.

The NWU was has been a formative force too. “My involvement in the many facets of student life at the NWU has given me leadership skills and enabled me to deal with real-life issues more effectively and broadly,” concludes Tutu.

Prof Dan would indeed be proud of this youth torchbearer of a new future, “crusading for a planet that can be shared peacefully by everyone”.