Thando Mazibuko

Thando Mazibuko

$40/hr
I'm a Quality, Regulatory and Compliance professional
Reply rate:
-
Availability:
Full-time (40 hrs/wk)
Age:
45 years old
Location:
Alberton, Gauteng, South Africa
Experience:
20 years
 Thando Mazibuko Product Quality and Customer Experience Director Address: Johannesburg, South Africa 1449 Phone: - E-mail-LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/thando-maz . I am a Quality and Regulatory Affairs Senior Leader who has spent over 20 years working in the Power, FMCG and Medical Devices industries. I am driven and motivated with a history of not only consistently meeting expectations but also exceeding them through both individual and collaborative efforts. I have solid experience in planning and providing strategic advice to leadership, facilitating third party negotiations, resolving issues/crises and promoting a compliance culture. I have led and developed high performance teams (to support organizational objectives) through implementing strategic plans; improving business processes to minimize risk and disruptions; attaining relevant accreditations to assure compliance, overseeing performance metrics and providing training and awareness to business leaders and external partners. I have a flair for analyzing data to promote sound decision making. My last role entailed facilitating continuous product improvement at a global level to deliver best-in-class customer experience and ensure compliance with business obligations. This relied heavily on my sharpened influencing, negotiation and management skills. I am interested in pursuing senior level opportunities in compliance, quality or regulatory management. Skills Process Improvement Analytical and Data Processing Project Management Problem-solving Process and Systems Auditing Quality Assurance Risk Assessment and Management Customer Experience Communication, Writing and Presentation Regulatory Affairs Leadership and Interpersonal Relationship Building Work history 2020-02 - 2024-08 EMEA Product Quality and Customer Experience Director GE HealthCare, Johannesburg Responsible for developing a Product Quality programme for EMEA and ensuring raised defects are resolved and customer experience scores exceed targets. Defining region quality objectives, metrics, reporting and operating mechanisms to improve customer experience. Gather VOC from regions, analyze their product quality data, brainstorm & deploy improvement project- creating operational reviews to monitor progress and drive solutions. Analyzing quality performance data and establishing mechanisms to continually deliver 'on time fixes' for 3 large regions. Developing a 'Cost of Quality' model in line with productivity targets and defining elements to be monitored and improved. Practicing and leveraging the Lean concept and methodology in all key processes. Providing strategic advice to leadership, technical teams and customer teams on product quality matters. 2020-01 - 2024-08 Part-Time Compliance Ombudsperson (ZA) GE HealthCare, Johannesburg Enforce compliance policies within the organization of approx. 200 people. Promote an open reporting culture and increased reporting rates by 200% vs. prior year. Design and deliver compliance training to educate employees about compliance policies, regulatory requirements, and ethical standards. Manage internal compliance investigations. Report to country leadership on compliance risks and performance. Participate in the risk management process. 2023-01 - 2023-12 EMEA Senior Marketing Specialist (project) GE HealthCare, Johannesburg Organized high-impact trade show exhibits that showcased products, generated leads, and increased brand visibility in target markets. Played a pivotal role in sales growth (over $2M per quarter) by implementing data-driven performance tracking to continuously refine to measure ROI from marketing activities. Used data analytics (CRM) to identify improvement areas and eliminate non-value adding activities. Identify and organize marketing training for commercial teams (1 per quarter) Compiled quarterly newsletter on marketing initiatives. Led external creative agencies in the development of marketing materials, including brochures, presentations, and sales collateral. 2017-08 - 2020-01 Africa Quality Assurance Director GE HealthCare, Johannesburg Responsible for implementing, maintaining and monitoring ISO 9001 and 13485 accredited Quality Management System. Compiling the regional quality assurance strategy in line with business objectives. Developing, Implementing and Improving QA Practices. Driving and maintaining full quality compliance and efficiency across the region for direct and indirect markets (including SA, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Indirect: Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire, Sudan, Libya). Overseeing all Quality-related communications and training requirements for all regional employees. Developed comprehensive risk assessment frameworks to identify and mitigate potential risks. Led cross-functional teams in conducting audits for different sites, adhering strictly to all relevant compliance requirements. Supported external auditors in their annual review process, fostering strong working relationships between teams. 2016-12 - 2017-07 Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager - Africa, Middle East and the Caribbean Suntory Food and Bev Responsible for developing a Regulatory Affairs strategy for a start-up organization and supporting all product launches in multiple markets. Developing and leading the Regulatory Compliance Programme from strategy to implementation. Initiating the 'regulatory watch' process and representing Suntory with regulators and trade associations. Proposing positions and contributing to the external lobbying on technical and regulatory topics among Trade associations/Authorities. Supervising the regulatory compliance of the recipes (concentrates and finished beverages), packaging, labels and marketing materials related to the finished products. Supporting the marketing team with development and approval of claims. Removing regulatory barriers to trade. Proactive training of all staff on regulatory requirements. 2010-09 - 2016-11 Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager – South and East Africa P&G Responsible for managing the regulatory programme and supporting product expansion to the rest of Africa. Managing and leading Regulatory and technical affairs across the Southern and East African product portfolio. Supporting the local plant with external relations and technical issues. Defending technical challenges from competitors. Facilitating technical presentations to external and internal audiences. Co-evaluating new business opportunities and white space expansion. Proactively collaborating with Government Departments (SABS/Trade Metrology) to create favourable regulatory conditions for the entire product portfolio, facilitating competitive marketing. Leading government relations projects in Southern Africa. Leading regional regulatory team. 2001-07 - 2010-08 Senior Quality Advisor (on Exit) Eskom Held multiple roles from a technician, laboratory supervisor to senior quality advisor. Operational management of the water, coal and oil laboratories. Conducting scientific investigations and method validation. Staff and student training and evaluation. Administering the laboratory's quality assurance, quality control, and safety programs as per applicable standards. Developing a certification ready quality management system for the Power Station. Education 2025-04 - 2025-05 Certificate: Compliance Management University of Cape Town - South Africa 2025-10 - 2024-10 Executive MBA Henley Business School - UK Degree Awarded with Distinction 2020-01 - 2020-02 BSc Honours: Applied Science: Industrial Systems University of Pretoria - South Africa Degree Awarded with Distinction 2008-12 - 2008-12 BTech: Quality Management University of South Africa - South Africa 2002-12 - 2002-12 National Diploma: Analytical Chemistry University of Johannesburg - South Africa Languages English, Zulu, Afrikaans, Sotho, Xhosa Driver’s License Yes Criminal Record None References On request Personal Information Nationality: South African Key Achievements and Recognitions Contributing to Societal Change - my final research project for my MBA project was on recycling and environmental management challenges in Soweto (South Africa). This subject is close to my heart and my paper was published Henley Business School as a white paper to guide business leaders, NGOs, Government and non-governmental entities in tackling the waste pandemic. At Your Service - The marketing department was short-staffed and could not effectively assist commercial teams with sales. There was no budget for extra resources. I volunteered for a bubble assignment in the marketing department because I believed I could add value (on top of my current role). In the 12 months I spent there, I developed a process to measure marketing ROI because the company was investing in marketing activities yet could not quantify the returns. Moreover, I wrote a quarterly newsletter where product teams had visibility into marketing activities their colleagues were undertaking. This led to informed and better decisions regarding budget allocation and eliminated duplication of poor marketing activities due to the enhanced visibility. I received an award for my contributions. Africa Wins - Due organizational restructuring, I found myself heading the Quality function of an entire region (Africa) after being recently promoted. This meant I had to deliver an ISO quality certification for the region within 12 months with very limited funds and resources. This certificate was a regulatory requirement, and trading depended on it. I recruited two experienced quality managers and negotiated with two other business units to loan me two headcounts. I also reached out to colleagues in other regions to offer advice and guidance. The full team managed to be ready for audit within 9 months and successfully obtained the IS0 13485/9001 certificate. Game Changer - The company was launching a highly competitive new product in Africa and competition was rife. The current regulations in ZA did not support this launch and a major competitor with strong ties to local regulators was blocking this launch because it presented a potential loss in market share. Moreover, the launch could not proceed unless ZA was cleared. Working with global R&D teams, I led an advocacy project proposing a change in existing regulations. After months of meetings, presentations and arguments, the regulator agreed with our proposed amendments enabling us to launch this innovation. Today this product is market leader in many African markets. Crisis Mode - I was on maternity leave when my subordinate (who was acting manager) made an error that almost cost us market share. The acting manager had approved artwork with a minor error. However, that error was in breach of regulations. A major competitor had reported the error to the regulator, and on my return, we were alerted by the regulator and told to recall the products. I leveraged my good relationship with the regulator and requested some time to initiate the recall. I was given only 5 days due to the number of stores. Instead of recalling, I asked the CEO for permission to be creative and decided we would go into stores and over label the error. I requested the CEO to grant us 2 days and relieve people from their normal jobs to undertake this exercise. This first ever request was approved. We had every employee in different retail stores labelling products together with our agencies. We ultimately averted a disaster and showed the power of teamwork. I received a platinum award for my contribution. #HRJ#3202bf1f-4ffa-48be-b4d6-9a14fb3628a0# Memberships Member of the Compliance Institute of Southern Africa (CISA) Board Member of K1 Foundation – an NPO dealing with the waste pandemic in Africa and educating communities on sustainable environmental practices
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