WINDHOEK – The Capricorn Group yesterday officially introduced its first NeXtGen Board at an unveiling event hosted at NICE Restaurant in Windhoek.
Chaired by Bank Windhoek’s Chief Financial Officer, James Chapman, the NeXtGen Board members comprise a group of 12 employees, mandated to contribute to the Capricorn Group Strategy. The Board will serve as a formal body where Millennials and Generation Z’s (GenZ’s) will engage with the Group’s Executive Management and give input that lead to creating an organisation for the future.
The initiative, created in response to the increase in Millennials and GenZ’s employed at Capricorn Group, backed up by the Group’s commitment of shaping its desired future, aligns with The Capricorn Way’s culture of unlocking potential in all employees across the Group.
The objective of the NeXtGen Board is to cultivate a network of diverse individuals across the organisation; connectors of positive change who collectively work towards a better future for the Group by creating an inclusive workplace environment, while at the same time strengthening the employee experience during their one-year term.
“Capricorn Group is known for its visionary thinking towards the development of sustainable opportunities. As a result, it comes as no surprise that the Group would utilise current trendsetters in the market to contribute towards the attainment of the Group’s overall objectives,” said Thinus Prinsloo, Capricorn Group’s Chief Executive Officer. He added that the launch of the NeXtGen Board, showcases the Group’s commitment to new ways of working, encouraging continuous innovative learning and is supported by creative thinking.
Bank Windhoek’s Managing Director, Baronice Hans, added: “It is important at Board and Executive levels that we have multigenerational diversity in our conversations which enables us to have a different perspective of our business.” Chapman, himself a millennial, said that it is a privilege to be elected Chairperson of the first NeXtGen Board of Capricorn Group. “I am truly excited to work with this team of dynamic and talented individuals. We aim to be practical in our approach to making a meaningful and positive contribution to the workplace and in how we experience our customers and all other relevant stakeholders,” said Chapman.
“The NeXtGen Board will be representing the voices of over 50 percent of our employees, enabling it to leverage one of many platforms that tap into their thinking by unlocking the value of this growing and influential generation of Millennials and Generation Z’s,” said Group Executive Officer: Human Capital & Citizenship, Stephanie Viljoen.
The NeXtGen Board members agreed that it’s a privilege for them to be part of such a platform, where they can share ideas on how to lead in the future, especially regarding bringing multiple perspectives to the table, building a unique culture, marketing, and business model development. “It is beneficial to understand millennials as customers and employees. The Group’s NeXtGen Board aims to bring together young people who are curious, observant, well networked, ready to question the status quo and who are ready to put their ideas into practice so that it appeals to the needs of fellow Millennials and Generation Z’s,” concluded Chapman.